Penalty Handed Down to Brookton Pingelly Panthers Football ClubWednesday, October 12, 2022 - 9:07 AM

The Brookton Pingelly Panthers Football Club has been fined and stripped of premiership points after being found guilty of breaching the WACFL Paid Player Bylaws. 

Following an investigation and subsequent report by the WACFL Investigations Officer, the club has been found guilty of breaking the rules on several occasions between 2017 and 2022. 

In summary, the Brookton Pingelly Panthers Football Club has been fined $20,000; with $10,000 to be paid prior to the 2023 season, and $10,000 prior to the 2024 season. 

The club has also been docked 8 premiership points (2 games) for the 2023 Upper Great Southern Football League (League competition only) with a further penalty of 8 premiership points suspended (to be invoked if the club is found to breach any WACFL Paid Player Bylaw within the next three years 2023-2025). 

Further to the above penalties, the club will be required to: 

• Provide the WACFL with signed player declarations (contracts) for any paid players prior to them playing for the club in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. 
• All payments made to players are to be via bank transfer with no cash payment permitted. 

In determining these penalties and based on the investigator’s recommendations, the WACFL has taken into consideration the cooperation of the existing Club committee, which was open and honest as well as the improved governance demonstrated by key leaders within the club. 

WACFL President, John Shadbolt, declared the penalties were appropriate and that the WACFL, with the support of the WAFC’s Integrity unit, will be proactively investigating all credible allegations received from across all regional leagues. 

“I’d like to acknowledge the club’s cooperation with the investigation. 

This must have been a significant weight upon the current committee, and they must be commended for addressing the club’s errors,” Shadbolt said. 

Brookton Pingelly and the club’s President David Hull released a statement in response to the penalties. 

“During the 2022 season, the Brookton Pingelly Panthers Football Club have been dealing with a major issue that has come to light. After Round 2 this season, we found out that we had been filling in our Paid Player Payment form incorrectly for the start of the 2022 season. 

During this time, we had communication from the WACFL and the football commission to which we have made changes. We were then notified that the UGSFL and WACFL had been given information that the BPPFC Committees from the past five years have been overpaying players. 

The WACFL started an investigation into the club, which the current committee was open to and provided the correct information that they required. During this time, it became clear that Brookton Pingelly Panthers had been in breach of payments for the 2017,2019,2020, 2021 and 2022 season. 

The current committee has acknowledged the issues that have occurred in the past. 

It has been a difficult time over the last four months for all the committee, some of whom have only been onboard for the current season. 

The club will now work towards putting safeguards in place, so this does not occur again. 

The Brookton Pingelly Panthers current committee wish to apologise to our Members, Supporters and Sponsors, and wish to thank all Sponsors and people involved with the club over the years.” 

Upper Great Southern President Kim Melvin says the club has paid the price for breaking the rules. 

“The UGSFL is disappointed that some officials of the BPFC have breached WACFL paid player bylaws for a sustained period dating back some 5 years. 

This should be a wake-up call to all football clubs countrywide as it’s a line-in-the-sand moment. 

As a league we will be supporting the BPFC through this time and into the 2023 season and beyond and encourage all clubs in our league to be compliant with the WACFL bylaws and rules,” Melvin said.