Loyalty rewards scheme leads SEABL changes

AN INITIATIVE pushed by the Geelong Supercats to the SEABL rewarding clubs for player loyalty has been adopted as one of a number of changes to the competition for next season.

A mid-season conference between SEABL representatives and club general managers saw a number of potential changes discussed, including shortening the SEABL season and reclassifying unrestricted NBL and WNBL players.

There was overwhelming support from SEABL clubs to shorten the league from 24 to 20 games, which will be adopted from next season.

The league will also remove the two-conference structure in favour of a full ladder, with an eight-team finals series to be enacted instead of the current two-conference top fours.

“I think from a Supercats point of view, certainly the shortening of the season will reduce the fatigue on players, volunteers, supporters, sponsors, everyone,” Supercats boss Dean Anglin said.

“What we’ve seen in other leagues is it’s actually created an overall better product because it’s all a little bit more condensed.

“The WNBL season actually finishes earlier (from next season) and the SEABL season will start later, so combined what it will mean is Sara (Blicavs) and any of the other players that go and play WNBL, they’ll be able to have a month off before they get into preseason training for SEABL.”

In an initiative proposed by the Supercats, it was also agreed that the games played rule for unrestricted status with a club should be changed to reward loyalty.

Players who have played 60 games or more consecutively over three or more seasons at that club or players who have played more than 125 SEABL games accumulatively at the one club will now be deemed unrestricted. “That was a policy Geelong put forward — a player loyalty policy. We wanted players rewarded for their longevity at a club and remaining loyal,” Anglin said.

“Changes made to the restricted player rules should hopefully allow for us to attract more NBL and WNBL players into the league, which makes the quality of games better.”

Players born in the Asia/ Oceania region will also be classified as local players, which will allow more players to compete in the SEABL unrestricted.

Clubs will be allowed three restricted players on their roster, but no more than two born outside of the Asia/Oceania region.

Anglin said he was also in favour of seeing the best eight SEABL clubs rewarded with finals, rather than the top four in each of two conferences.

Alterations have also been made to player awards, which will come into effect this season.