The Australian Football League wishes to advise that it formally notified the Sydney Swans in writing last week of an AFL Commission decision around the Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA) for the club, that related to its options for trading during the NAB AFL Exchange Period.

In June earlier this year, after an AFL Commission meeting with the 18 Club Presidents and Chairs, the AFL advised all clubs that COLA for the Sydney Swans and the GWS Giants would be phased out over the 2015 and 2016 seasons, to be eliminated for the 2017 year. Since that time, the AFL has been in discussions with the NSW-based clubs on the implementation of that phase-out.

The Commission stated that the key principle was that the Sydney Swans should use the COLA transition amount to honour existing contracts and not to attract players from other clubs or use that transitional amount to compete with other clubs for the services of players not on their list.

Accordingly, the AFL advised the Sydney Swans last week that the transitional amounts will decrease to zero if the Swans contract a player for their Primary List for either of the 2015 or 2016 seasons who is not currently on their Primary List or Rookie List.  The only exceptions to the foregoing are players who are drafted to the Sydney Swans via the National Draft in 2014 or 2015 or a delisted free agent who is added to the Primary List (the exceptions do not include Players in the National Draft who nominate their payments under AFL Rule 6.3(b) or Players who are delisted free agents who terminate their contract for cause pursuant to clause 19(c) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement)

The AFL also advised the GWS Giants that due to its TPP position, list structure and contractual commitments, it would be permitted to retain the COLA levels at $800,000 for the 2015 year and $600,000 for the 2016 year, with no restriction on any players coming into the club during the NAB AFL Exchange Period.