The AFL has today announced that the McClelland Trophy will now represent a combined award to the ‘Champion Club’ and will be presented to the best-performed club across both the Toyota AFL and NAB AFLW competitions.

Starting this year, the club with the most points at the end of the AFL and AFLW home and away season will receive $1 million that will be shared across the players and the Champion Club, with the exact split to be determined as part of the ongoing CBA negotiations.

The AFL Champion Club will be determined by the results across the AFL and AFLW during the home and away seasons and the winning club will receive the McClelland Trophy.

The McClelland Trophy has a rich history in the game, having been awarded to the club that finished first on the ladder after the home and away season in the men’s competition in recent years, after previously being awarded for overall club performance across seniors, reserves and under 19s when clubs fielded multiple teams.

Instituted in 1951 in the then-Victorian Football League, it was named after William McClelland – a former Melbourne Premiership player, club captain, president of the MCC, and long-time VFL president from 1926-55.

He was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the trophy will now recognise overall club performance in the two combined elite competitions.

AFL Commission Chairman Richard Goyder AO informed clubs at today’s AFL President’s meeting that the Commission had approved that the McClelland Trophy would recognise and reward clubs that are holistically successful.

“It is important to recognise that all clubs now field both an AFL and an AFLW team, and the champion club should be the one that has the best combined performance across both competitions,” Mr Goyder said.

“We want to encourage and incentivise our clubs to support the AFL and AFLW programs and recognise the achievement and challenges in driving high performance across both elite competitions.

“The McClelland Trophy has a long history of being associated with the best performed club and it is appropriate that it now recognises achievement and success across the year in our AFL and AFLW elite competitions.”

Method of calculation:

• AFL win = Four points, draw = two points
• AFLW win = Eight points, draw = four points

Tie breaker: Should two teams finish on the same points, the ladder percentages from the two competitions will be added together and the highest percentage wins.

The varying points allocation is scaled due to the different length of seasons across the AFL and AFLW.

Ultimately, there is a similar amount of weight given to performing well in the AFL as there is in the AFLW. The points model will be reviewed each year based on changes in season length.

McClelland Trophy if points were allocated in 2022:

 
A presentation of the perpetual trophy will be displayed at the winning club for the 12 months they hold the title.

The AFL Commission also today resolved to formally acknowledge all former club presidents who had led their clubs for more than two terms and a minimum of six years.

Mr Goyder said club presidents since 2000 who had served for at least six years would receive lifetime gold passes to all AFL and AFLW games to recognise their voluntary service to both their clubs and to the wider game.

He said an annual dinner would also pay tribute to the retiring club leaders to thank them for their contribution to the game.

“We know that club presidents donate substantial time, blood, sweat and tears to lead their clubs and the Commission believes it is important the game properly recognises those who give so much to the ongoing success of the AFL community.”