WAFC Welcomes Player Opportunities Through AFL Top Up Contingency Plan

The West Australian Football Commission welcomes the AFL’s announcement of the ‘Top Up Contingency Plan’ as an opportunity to showcase Western Australian talent.

Some lucky Western Australian league footballers could get the call up to play at AFL level as a precautionary action during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The contingency plan will ensure the AFL 2022 season is continued as currently scheduled.

WAFC Executive Manager WAFL and Talent, Scott Baker said the plan would enable opportunities for WAFL players to play and train at an AFL level.

“We have outstanding talent competing in the WAFL competition, and every player dreams of getting a shot at the AFL level. This is an opportunity they wouldn’t get in a regular season,” he said.

It’s an exciting prospect for players within the WAFL competition,”

It’s just as exciting for spectators, family and friends to potentially see the players they have supported for years at the WAFL, play at the top level.”

Key rules of the AFL Top Up Contingency Plan:

• If a club is down to 30 already listed available players as a result of the COVID health and safety protocols, a club will be allowed to activate a player from their contingency list to participate in training.
• Teams can only call up Contingency Players to feature in the game if the number of available players falls below 28 available players.
• AFL clubs will not have any holding rights over players for either the mid-season or end of year drafts. Meaning theoretically a player could possibly play for two different teams in a season – once in the first half of the year as a COVID contingency player and secondly as a mid-season draft thereafter.

West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club COVID Contingency Agreement (20 players per club)

1. FFC and WCE must list a minimum of 4 players from their alignment WAFL side.
2. With regards to the remaining 16 players, the following rules will apply:
   1. Subject to clauses 2b. and 2c., FFC and WCE (combined) can draw on a maximum of 3 players from any 1 WAFL club on any given weekend.
   2. By mutual agreement more than 4 players can be made available on any given weekend to FFC and WCE (combined) by WCE WAFL and Peel, provided these additional players are on the original Top Up List.
   3. FFC and WCE (combined) can draw on greater than 3 players from any 1 WAFL club on weekends where the relevant WAFL club is not participating in the WAFL competition e.g. AFL fixtures prior to WAFL season commencing, WAFL competition split rounds.
   4. FFC and WCE can, at their discretion, both pre-select two priority players from each of their NGA clubs.

West Coast Eagles:

• Subiaco
• East Perth
• Perth
• Swan Districts

Fremantle Football Club:

• East Fremantle
• South Fremantle
• West Perth
• Peel
• Claremont

5. All remaining players will go into a pool whereby the players will be selected and mutually agreed by WCE and FFC. These players will then be subjected to a drafting system whereby FFC and WCE will rotate selecting players until they reach their full squad of 20 players.
6. No WAFL club can have more than 4 players listed on a Top Up List except for Peel and WCE WAFL.