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The Order Of Merit System underpins almost the entire financial structure of Sim Football. It basically involves allocating a
financial value to every player on each of the AFL club lists. This is done on the basis of the player's stats from his previous
season as a listed AFL player. So the season 2000 OOM Values are based on the 1999 stats. The average weekly stats of all
stats categories are used, along with the number of games played. Each stats category is weighted according to it's importance.
All this is added together and multiplied by a single factor to arrive at a dollar figure that each player is worth. Obviously the
better the stats, the higher the value.
OK, that was quite a bit to digest. While you are absorbing it all, I'll mention that the OOM values have proved to be a very accurate guide to the Brownlow from the previous season. That tends to suggest that the OOM formula gives a fair assessment of a player's actual performance over a season. Go to The History of Sim from the Main Menu to see how the OOM has compared to the Brownlow. There is no upper limit to the OOM Value a player may reach, but there is a minimum of $50,000 for players who have no previous stats or only played a game or two and got very few stats. Only a few players have ever cracked the $500,000 OOM Value, and the upper echelon of stars are usually around $450,000. Most players who have reasonable stats will be in the $200,000 - $400,000 range, and the rough average over a whole squad is about $300,000. So if you had a full squad of 33 players with the average OOM Value, it would have a total Squad Value of $9,900,000, just under the Salary Cap. Uh oh, we used a few new terms there. Salary Cap, Squad Value ... I think it's time to discuss the structure of a Squad. There are 2 rules governing the size of a club's squad - the Salary Cap and the Squad Limit. Rule 7A - Each club has a Salary Cap of $10,000,000. The total Squad Value cannot exceed this figure, and any orders for player movements that would cause a club to exceed the Salary Cap are not processed. Rule 7B - Each club has a Squad Limit of 33 players. Any orders for player movements that would cause a club to exceed the Squad Limit are not processed. When you add up the OOM Value of each player in your squad, you come up with the Squad Value. This figure cannot exceed $10,000,000, and each club's current Squad Value is shown on the ladder each week. The same goes for the number of players in your squad. You simply can't have any more than 33, and your current squad number is shown on the ladder each week. If ANY club makes an order that would cause ANY club to exceed the Salary Cap or the Squad Limit, that order will not be processed. Keep that basic rule in mind, because there are no exceptions. So you can see how the OOM System can affect you on the field. In order to have the depth to cover suspensions, lack of form and injuries, and still field a team of 21 each week, a club will need a list of at least 30 to be safe. If that squad of 30 includes 3 or 4 stars with big OOM Values, the club could be close to the Salary Cap. It's a delicate balancing act to get the right mix of depth and talent, and still stay within the limits of the Squad. Your major expense during the 22 weeks of the season will be your wages. Rule 7C - A player's annual Wage is 11% of his OOM Value. Each club pays 1/22nd of 11% of it's total OOM Squad Value each week of the home & away games and finals. A simple way to work it out is to multiply your Squad Value by 0.005 - this will give you your weekly Wages. Of course your Wages figure will change as you add and delete players throughout the season. A club with a Squad Value of $8,500,000 would pay Wages of $42,500 week, while a club near the Salary Cap with a Squad Value of $9,900,000 would pay $49,500. That's a difference of only $7,000 per week, but it adds up to $154,000 over the 22 rounds of competition, and that can be a lot of money to a struggling club. It should be noted that wages are still payable during the 4 weeks of the finals, regardless of whether the club is actually competing. Wages are one of the mechanisms that can be used to control the Sim economy. The 11% of OOM can be adjusted up or down depending on the circumstances and outcome required. Since the introduction of the OOM System in 1996, the Wage rate has been adjusted only marginally, to make it easier for owners to work out their Wages. That's all there is to Wages. You can't escape them but you don't have to do anything about them because they are automatically deducted from your bank balance each week, even if you are ITR. Now let's learn about Player Status, and how that relates to OOM Value and the cost of Contracts. |
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