Riverina League, Farrer League and Hume League clubs will all operate under an $80,000 salary cap next season.
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The new limit represents a $15,000 reduction on what had been proposed for the 2020 season, prior to the havoc wreaked by Covid-19.
AFL Southern NSW regional manager Marc Geppert was pleased to announce the consistent figure after the AFL Riverina board and the Hume League board both moved motions to adopt the recommendation.
"It is important especially when they're so close in proximity and the Hume League has Victorian-based leagues within close proximity as well," Geppert said.
"It's important that we get alignment due to the geography and the ability to recruit players from neigbouring leagues."
The six clubs that did play in the AFL Riverina Championship this year operated under a $25,000 budget for the six round season. There had been anticipation that the pandemic could be the catalyst to bring player payments down dramatically.
The 15.8 per cent reduction isn't a wholesale slashing of the ceiling but Geppert believes it is significant and reasonable.
"We could always go lower but there's always the question of whether that would be sustainable," Geppert said.
"We believe the $80,000 is sustainable and it's going to be manageable from a club and a governance perspective. We think the 15 per cent reduction is a pretty good result and goes to show the clubs and leagues have made a responsible decision in driving those costs down."
AFL NSW-ACT is surveying clubs' financial positions and the impact of COVID-19 on sponsorship and revenue.
Geppert said they're conscious of the broad spectrum their clubs represent, from regional city clubs to smaller rural communities.
"Clubs all have different revenue streams," Geppert said. "It's really hard to get a balanced figure that works for a rural-based league and for a metro-based league because they all generate their dollars in different ways."
The other equalisation measure, the player points allocation, will remain at 36 points for the Farrer and Riverina Leagues and 37 points in the Hume League.
