Cats cop huge AFL fine for third-party payment ‘errors’... but most of it is suspended

Geelong has been hit with a $77,500 fine for a series of administrative errors centred on the non-disclosure of third-party payments following an AFL audit.

However, $40,000 will be suspended pending any further breaches, with the Cats set to face “additional compliance requirements” over the next two-year period.

The season-long audit into the club’s deals with players spanned a six-year period after the league in 2024 identified “potential compliance issues” which prompted a wider examination.

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The AFL on Wednesday announced it had imposed the following sanctions on Geelong, which were accepted:

1. A $77,500 fine of which $40,000 is suspended for two (2) years pending that no future TPP Limit or Soft Cap disclosure breaches are identified, and that the Club meets a set of Additional Compliance Requirements (outlined below) over that period of time;

2. The Club will implement Additional Compliance Requirements which will be actively monitored by the AFL over the next two (2) years.

Per Seven’s Mitch Cleary’s report, Bailey Smith’s lucrative deal with personal and club sponsor Cotton On “was not a major subject of the audit given his arrival at the Cats was ahead of the 2025 season”.

It did, however, state: “future arrangements with Smith and Cotton On will be subject to the Cats’ tighter restrictions around third-party deals”.

The league released a statement on Wednesday afternoon detailing its findings and reasoning for measures taken.

“The AFL has completed the Extended Audit into the compliance of the Geelong Football Club (the Club) with AFL Rules relating to the Total Player Payment Limit (TPP Limit) and Football Department Expenditure Limit (Soft Cap Limit),” it read.

“The AFL and the Club agreed to undertake the Extended Audit following the identification of potential compliance issues related to the disclosure and reporting of third-party arrangements, during the conduct of a General Audit in 2024.

“The Extended Audit included a wider timeframe (2019-2024) and involved the review of extensive documentation as well as interviews with various personnel from the Club, Club associates and third parties.

“This process was supported by EY Australia who provided external forensic expertise and was led at the AFL by the General Counsel, General Manager of Clubs & Scheduling and Head of Salary Cap & Soft Cap Compliance.

“The Extended Audit found, on the basis of the information obtained and reviewed by the AFL, that the Club did not breach the AFL TPP Limit nor the AFL player movement rules in any season within the timeframe assessed.

“The Extended Audit discovered a series of non-disclosures and/or late disclosures of arrangements with Club associates and third parties, that were required to be reported to the AFL.

“In respect of the AFLW program, the non-disclosures identified were found to be administrative errors and do not amount to material breaches of the TPP Rules or player movement rules.”

Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking acknowledged the club’s missteps and vowed to “strengthen education and governance processes” in the future.

“The Club and its personnel have fully cooperated throughout the audit process and worked closely with the AFL and EY to transparently provide access, documentation and information as required,” Hocking said in a Wednesday statement.

“We acknowledge the outcome of the audit has confirmed the Club has not breached AFL TPP limits nor the AFL player movement rules.

“We also acknowledge the audit identified a number of non-disclosure items over the six-year period. We accept the AFL’s sanctions for these errors and will strengthen our education and governance processes moving forward.”

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