AN opportunity to participate in Fremantle Football Club’s Next Generation Academy (NGA) will see Claremont Colts player Jason Carter issued with a permit to play for Fremantle’s WAFL partner club Peel Thunder during the 2018 WAFL season.
Carter, who is from Fremantle’s NGA-zoned Kimberley Region, played two Colts games for Claremont in 2017 during his final year of boarding school at Aquinas in Perth.
The permit to play for Peel Thunder has been issued in accordance with WAFL rules and regulations and the AFL’s national NGA eligibility criteria in the best interests of Jason’s ongoing development and welfare.
This will allow him to fully participate in the NGA program with Fremantle and WAFL partner club Peel Thunder, which includes relocation arrangements to live with a Fremantle Football Club host family in Perth and assistance from the club’s Player Welfare staff to commence an employment traineeship.
Jason will automatically revert to being a Claremont Football Club player when the permit expires on September 25, 2018.
The West Australian Football Commission (WAFC) will continue to monitor the NGA program during its inaugural year of implementation in 2018 and will assess all permit requests on a case-by-case basis with careful consideration given to balancing the best interests of the player and the WAFL competition.
The WAFC will review NGA rules in partnership with the AFL to carefully consider how they relate to the WAFL competition moving forward and the WAFL’s unique rules and regulations surrounding Partner Clubs.
In relation to WAFL League finals qualification, the WAFC has determined that Jason Carter will be required to play a minimum of 5 WAFL League games including 3 league matches after June 30 and will fall under the 12 AFL-listed player cap for finals while on permit at Peel Thunder.
In addition, special approval must also be granted by the WAFC for Carter to participate in WAFL League finals even if he meets all eligibility criteria.