The AFF works on a cost recovery basis for all representative and HPC Designated Tours.  This is the Tour COSTS Protocol

Selection Acceptance Deposit

1. On acceptance of your selection, a deposit amount is invoiced and collected.  This deposit amount is used to offset the various tour costs that start to be incurred by the AFF on behalf of athletes.

Tour Levy

2. The AFF determines what support staff will be funded to accompany athletes on tour, with costs to be recuperated from athletes via a tour levy. When making decisions about support staff, the AFF considers the number, age, gender and weapons of the athletes travelling, athlete (in)experience, event significance, external funding aspects, and likely costs.

Insurance

3. On nomination, athletes are asked about their travel insurance arrangements.  Athletes will be charged a nominal per-day recovery of the AFF's insurance levy.

Athlete Travel Expenses

4. After selection, athletes are expected to commence arrangements (and payments) associated with their travel to and from the country of competition as instructed by the AFF

Additional Instalments

5. Further deposit amounts may be collected from athletes prior to departure, largely to deal with any accommodation and in-country transport payments that may need to be made on behalf of athletes, in addition to other costs such as referee fines, per diems or honorariums for tour staff. While on tour, management may incur further incidental and unplanned costs to facilitate their roles.  Examples include emergency or non-host-arranged transport, and communication costs in-country.

Accommodation Charges

6. The AFF always chooses hotel accommodation which is a balance of safety, cost, availability, venue proximity, utility for transfers (venue and airport), and host country recommendation. The AFF may seek to allocate two athletes per room and the total cost for each room is split evenly between the athletes sharing that room (regardless of the respective arrival and departure dates).  Where an athlete chooses to have a single room, or extends their stay beyond the tour, that specific accommodation cost is allocated only to them.  Where an athlete must room by themselves due to gender numbers and combinations, the athlete will need to pay half the accommodation cost, with the remainder being allocated into the team levy amount.   Accommodation is calculated as per invoices received from the hosts or the team hotel.

Reconciliation

7. Following the tour, all actual costs that have been incurred by the AFF on behalf of athletes are reconciled such that, the AFF calculates the Team Levy, the Accommodation Costs, the Entry Costs and any other costs so associated with the tour. The AFF does not provide a reconciliation for Tours for its costs.

Invoicing

8. An invoice (or credit & refund) is provided to each athlete outlining costs to the extent possible (accommodation, levy, entry, transfers, insurance, etc.) specific to the athlete, less the deposit amounts already paid.  Where a nomination deposit is collected, but there are no or minimal tour costs, the deposit will be returned after the event has taken place.  This retention is intended to deal with unexpected per-athlete costs that are levied on the AFF (e.g. non-appearance penalties).

[An Operational Protocol is information about the process by which the AFF Executive generally makes its decisions. It is designed as a matter of governance and transparency so that stakeholders in various decisions may inform themselves as to how decisions are usually made. An Operational Protocol is not policy and cannot be subject to appeal.]