THE AFL has introduced a raft of changes to its anti-doping code after a year of controversy, with a ban now in place on injections unless they are required to treat a medical condition.
The new rules announced on Thursday, which also allow the AFL to conduct its own sample collections for "intelligence purposes", go above and beyond the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.
The League has also introduced stricter integrity measures, including a ban on gambling on all Australian football competitions by players and officials, not just AFL employees.
The announcements coincide with the appointment of former Victoria Police homicide squad detective Tony Keane, who has joined the AFL as investigator in the AFL’s integrity department.
Keane will report to recently appointed senior investigator Gerard Ryan APM under the oversight of manager of competition integrity, Brett Clothier.
Major changes to the anti-doping code include the development of a controlled treatments and prohibited treatments concept.
Controlled treatments may be used, but must be approved by the club doctor and recorded in a register made available to the AFL.
The AFL charge sheet revealed against Essendon last August stated that had the club's supplements program continued as planned, 26,000 injections would have been administered to Bombers players.
The rules now state: "No substance is to be administered to any player by injection other than by an appropriately qualified medical practitioner and only to the extent it is necessary to treat a legitimate medical condition."
As well as the betting ban on all Australian football competitions, the new gambling rules state that a player, coach, assistant coach and members of the match committee must at all times perform on their merits.
All club employees must now be registered, and mobile phone use and access will be restricted in game day areas such as change rooms and coaches boxes.
A new rule has also been created to protect those who provide information to the AFL as witnesses to possible breaches of the rules.
"Following the establishment of the Integrity Unit in 2008, the AFL is determined to remain at the forefront of work to protect the integrity of the game and to keep our players and officials safe from the threats of doping, corruption and organised crime," AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said.
