- Updated Soft Cap Limit increases for 2026 ($750,000) and 2027 ($350,000)
- 20% of Senior Assistant or Coaching Director salary to sit outside the cap
- Senior Coach marketing service agreements up to $100,000 to sit outside cap
- AFL to invest $500,000 per year into AFL coach support across increased professional development grants and career transition programs.
AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon has today announced further increases to the 2026 and 2027 Football Department Soft Cap.
The AFL Soft Cap Limit will increase by $750,000 in 2026 (an extra $500,000 on the previously announced increase), and a further $350,000 in 2027 (an extra $100,000 on the previously announced increase).
In addition, introduced from next season, 20% of the most Senior Assistant Coach or the Coaching Director’s salary will sit outside the cap. This is in addition to the 20% of the Senior Coach’s salary that currently sits outside the cap.
From 2026, clubs will also be able to provide marketing services agreements to their Senior Coaches (funded by Club sponsors or partners) outside of the Soft Cap, up to a limit of $100,000 per year. There will also be increased capacity to provide Finals bonuses for coaches and football department staff.
The combined impact of these changes for each Club is estimated to be an additional $1.4m of spend capacity per club over 2026-27, over and above the existing planned increases.
The AFL will also invest $500,000 a year to support AFL coaches in increased professional development grants and career transition programs.
After extensive consultation with Club Football Departments, Coaches and the AFLCA across the last 12 months and a presentation in December last year from Premiership winning Brisbane Lions Coach Chris Fagan to the AFL Commission and Executive, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon tasked the AFL team with finding the appropriate level of support for AFL Club football departments to continue to attract the best people and provide the best high-performance environments.
"Footy is core business, it is the reason clubs exist, it is the reason millions of fans engage in the game, and we want to ensure clubs have the flexibility to resource their football programs to achieve their high-performance priorities."
"The Soft Cap is in place to provide some guardrails, such that each club can afford to put together a competitive football program. How clubs choose to allocate and spend it across their football department is at their discretion to suit their specific circumstances.
"Coaches are key leaders who play a pivotal role in our game and at their clubs. This additional soft cap space, earning capacity and support, recognises this importance. The meetings we have had across the year allowed me to see first-hand their passion for the game and pressures associated with being a coach in such a high-profile role.
"We also recognise the time spent in professional football is at times limited so it was important for the AFL to provide further investment to support coaches develop during their time as an AFL coach and to better prepare them for transition afterwards.
"Additionally, as part of a commitment to continue to prioritise player health and safety the Soft Cap Healthcare Model remains in place to ensure minimum standards in healthcare resourcing are set across the competition and ensure equitable access to healthcare providers."
