Clubs can spend up to double the minimum amount on: player development managers; club psychologists; Indigenous welfare officers or Indigenous player development managers; wellbeing support resources; and mental health and wellbeing programs and training courses.

All clubs have also received funding to hire an AFLW development manager, which is outside the cap.

Clubs that sponsor a coach in the women’s coaching acceleration program will get a soft cap exemption. There are nine clubs who currently have applicants in the program: Adelaide, Brisbane, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, GWS, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide.

Clubs can also spend a designated amount on professional development for their football department staff, which will also be outside the cap.

The AFL executive for clubs, finance and broadcasting, Travis Auld said the exemptions reflected AFL priorities for clubs in spending.

“As our industry, our game and our clubs continue to bounce back, it will require continued discipline in how and where the industry directs its resources, while also ensuring we collectively continue to prioritise the health, wellbeing and development of players, coaches and football department staff,” Auld said.

“By putting rigour around the minimum requirements, we continue to prioritise the health and wellbeing of everyone, and should a club spend above the minimum amount in this space they can spend further on eligible resources and programs and this additional spend is fully deductible or excluded from the cap.

“These resources can and should be jointly accessed by the men’s and women’s programs. We also have equity of access requirements that mean clubs must demonstrate how the women’s program is receiving access to these resources on a fair and equitable basis.

“The soft cap policy for AFLW will be reviewed again after the completion of season seven, including taking into consideration the implications of the revised season timing.”