# _SPECIAL EDITION_
# SAFE SPORT COMMENTARIES

The safeguarding of our sport environments has emerged as a pivotal concern at the intersection of law, integrity and policy. This special edition will feature a series of Safe Sport Commentaries, offering diverse perspectives around law, governance and safety in sport. We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Commercial Law and Governance member, Dr Matthew Raj, will join the SLGJ as guest editor for this special edition. In addition to being a member of the CCLG, Matthew is a member of the Safe Sport Legal Research Team and brings a wealth of insight and dedication to this critical area. His contribution will shape a timely and impactful collection of work. We anticipate receiving submissions (800 - 1000 words) on themes associated with evolving challenges and opportunities in safeguarding sport environments. While commentaries are not typically peer reviewed, the Editor has elected to implement peer review for all submissions to this special issue. Abstracts will not be published; however, to help us identify submissions intended for this issue, please enter the phrase 'Safe Sport Commentaries' into the abstract field when submitting your manuscript. Submissions are due by October 18, 2025. Please see the submission guidelines below and direct any general questions to the Publications Officer at SLGJ@bond.edu.au. Thank you for your interest in the _Sports Law and Governance Journal_ (SLGJ). **Please read the following information before submitting your article.** # Copyright All accepted papers are published and made available at no cost to the author or the reader. Article copyright remains with the author. Published articles are made available under an Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Under the terms of this licence, authors retain full rights (i.e., are not bound by the terms of the licence, and can use their works in any way, including commercially), while others are only permitted to copy and distribute their work in an unadapted form for non-commercial purposes. # Submit Manuscript Manuscripts must be uploaded as a Word document only with all reference to author/s identity removed. Should submission of a revised manuscript be required, authors must upload the Word document via ‘Manage manuscript’ only. All manuscripts submitted to the Journal will be subject to checks for plagiarism using iThenticate plagiarism detection software. **Anonymity** In order to maintain anonymity in the review process, authors are required to ensure that all information that might identify the author to potential reviewers should be removed (including his or her credentials), references to his or her other publications (unless included as a general reference), and identification of affiliated organisation, university and/or geographic location. # Submission Guidelines Manuscripts must be original, unpublished work. The Sports Law and Governance Journal does not consider manuscripts that are currently being considered by other journals. Authors should clearly state that their manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere when submitting. This journal does not levy any Article Processing Charges for the processing or publication of a paper. All manuscripts must be preceded by a short abstract of no more than 200 words. On submission, manuscripts are subject to an initial review by the General Editor, or another delegated person, at which stage a preliminary decision is made as to whether the article might be suitable for publication in the Sports Law and Governance Journal. The following types of content are welcome to be submitted to the Sports Law and Governance Journal: * Editorial Commentary (peer review may be conducted at the Editors' discretion) * Articles: Proposed word count maximum 5,000-7,000 words excluding endnotes and references (blind peer reviewed) * "From the Field" Commentary: shorter pieces of 2,000-3,000 words, such as case notes, update on current developments (peer review may be conducted at the Editors' discretion) * Book reviews: 300-500 words (not peer reviewed) * Short Commentaries: 800 - 1000 words (peer review may be conducted at the Editors' discretion) # Indigenous Knowledge Where a proposed article is addressing Indigenous affairs, or a matter that is primarily of concern to First Nations peoples, all efforts should be made to include an Indigenous or First Nations author or co-author. If this is not possible an Indigenous reviewer will be sought. In the absence of credited input from an Indigenous or First Nations academic such an article will only be published if a genuine attempt has been made to satisfy this policy. # _Authors Style Guide_ The Sports Law and Governance Journal is committed to publishing original, lucidly written contributions that offer readers relevant analysis of current sports law. The electronic file name should not include the author name. The TITLE may be abbreviated to the first few key words. When the paper is accepted for publication, following the review and corrections, if any, the author(s) will be asked to submit a final file in Microsoft Word for the purpose of editing and typesetting. **Manuscript Format** The title of the paper should be in Sentence Case. Section Headings should be justified left and be in bold. Each main Section Heading should be numbered in Arabic numerals. Each subheading should be justified to the left (and formatted in italics), and follow the alphabetical numbering by A, B, C, etc. Manuscript must be typed on one side of the A4 paper, double spaced and with a margin of 2.5 cm on the left- and 2 cm on the right hand-side. Please use Arial font size 11. **Title Page** Please include a date on the title page of the manuscript, e.g. "Working paper, May 24, 20xx". **Abstract** The page containing the abstract must be the second page of the paper after the title page. The abstract page however must be numbered as the first page of the paper. The abstract should be complete, self-contained, and is no longer than 200 words. At least five key words/phrases must be provided below the abstract. **Tables and Figures** Tables and Figures should be in camera-ready form in the final version of the accepted paper. They should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Example: "Table 3" on one line, and in the next line include the title of the table before the table itself. Each table and graph must have self-contained descriptions to explain the contents. **Referencing** Manuscripts from the Law disciplines must be referenced using the [Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC 4th Ed)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TGvYqdqQnOU-GtSV3I25ft6EyYIx_w4U/edit). Footnotes apply when adopting the AGLC style. Examples are provided in the AGLC reference guide. Manuscripts from other disciplines must be referenced using the [American Psychological Association (APA 7th Ed)](https://bond.libguides.com/apa-referencing) style guide. Endnotes apply and should appear before References and numbered in Arabic numerals. Examples are found in the APA style guide. **Submission Process Summary** * The first page of the article should contain only the title with no acknowledgements, footnote or any other information identifying authors or their institutional affiliations. * The electronic file name should follow the format of “author-TITLE.doc” or docx. The TITLE may be abbreviated to the first few key words. * The article must be a Microsoft Word. Graphics must be scalable. * Microsoft Office documents should be submitted in MS file versions no earlier than Office 2007. * Include keywords to describe the paper. * Include acknowledgements. # Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement The Sports Law and Governance editorial team is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in all aspects of publication. We expect all participants to be familiar with and abide by the following Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. This statement is informed by guidelines and best practices set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the current Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. **Authors' Responsibilities** - Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere. Plagiarism in all its forms is unacceptable. - Authorship: All authors should have substantially contributed to the research. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission to the BLR. For further guidance regarding international standards for authorship, please refer to the [ICMJE](https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html). - Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. - Data Access and Retention: Authors should be prepared to provide raw data related to their manuscript for editorial review and must retain such data for a reasonable time after publication. Please see the current [University Sector Retention and Disposal Schedule](https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/information-technology/recordkeeping-and-information-management/recordkeeping/disposal-of-records/search-for-a-retention-and-disposal-schedule/university-sector-retention-and-disposal-schedule) for recommended retention periods. - Ethical Approval: Authors must confirm that any research involving human or animal subjects complies with relevant ethical standards and has received appropriate approvals. Please refer to the current [National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research](https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/national-statement-ethical-conduct-human-research-2023) for further guidance on this topic. **Editors' Responsibilities** - Publication Decisions: The editors are responsible for deciding which of the submitted articles should be published. The decision will be based on expert peer reviews of the paper's importance, originality, and clarity, and the study's validity and relevance to the journal's scope. - Confidentiality: The editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher. - Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: The editors must not use unpublished information in their own research without the express written consent of the author. They should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have any conflict of interest. **Reviewers' Responsibilities** - Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorised by the editors, and under no circumstances may a manuscript be submitted to an AI tool. - Standards of Objectivity: Expert peer reviews should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments. - Acknowledgement of Sources: Peer reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by a relevant citation or citations. - Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have any conflict of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the paper under review. **Research Misconduct and Breaches** Authors are expected to be aware of, and comply with, best practices in publication ethics in accordance with COPE’s Core Practice Guidance and the current Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research to ensure research integrity. Examples of a breach of research integrity relating to author submissions include, but are not limited to: - Not meeting Research Standards: o Conducting research without ethics approval, permits, or licences. o Failing to conduct research as approved by an appropriate ethics review body. o Concealment or facilitation of breaches (or potential breaches) of the Code by others. - Fabrication, Falsification, or Misrepresentation o Fabrication of research data or source material. o Falsification of research data or source material. o Misrepresentation of research data or source material. - Plagiarism o Plagiarism of someone else’s work, including theories, concepts, research data, and source material. o Duplicate publication or text-recycling (self-plagiarism) without acknowledgment of the original source. - Authorship o Failure to acknowledge the contributions of others fairly. o Misleading ascription of authorship, including failing to offer authorship to those who qualify for it, or awarding authorship to those who do not meet the requirements for it. - Conflict of Interest o Failure to disclose and manage any conflict of interest. **Dealing with Unethical Behaviour** - Identification and Investigation: Unethical behaviour can be reported to the editors and publisher at any time, by anyone. Concerns should be directed to the journal’s administrative team at SLGJ@bond.edu.au. The editors will ensure that an appropriate investigation is conducted, which may involve contacting the author for clarification and allowing them to respond to any allegations. Each case will be evaluated individually, and confidentiality will be maintained throughout the process. - Outcomes: Depending on the severity of the misconduct, possible actions include issuing a warning to the author, retraction of the published work, rejection of a submission and notifying the author’s institution. The BLR will follow the guidelines set by COPE and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research in dealing with allegations of misconduct. **Statement on the Use of Generative AI** Generative AI Use: The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process is permitted to develop, edit and improve the language of the article under the following conditions: - Disclosure: Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the manuscript (Acknowledgements section). In the interests of identifying replication and/or falsification, the full prompt used to generate the research results, the time and date of query, and the AI tool used and its version, must be provided. - Human Oversight: The application of AI should be done with human oversight and control. Generative AI must not be used to form arguments or create or manipulate data. Authors are responsible for reviewing and editing all AI-generated content to ensure accuracy and integrity. - Accountability: Authors are ultimately responsible for the content of their work. AI tools should not be listed as authors or co-authors, as authorship implies responsibilities that can only be attributed to humans. These guidelines aim to ensure transparency, to maintain the integrity of the research published in the SLGJ, and to uphold the ethical standards of the SLGJ. **Complaints and Appeals** Complaints should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief of the SLGJ via the email below. If the response is not satisfactory, the complaint will be reviewed by the editorial team, whose decision will be final. **Contact Information** For any enquiries, please contact the editorial admin at SLGJ@bond.edu.au

Maintaining the integrity of the AFL’s draft and salary cap systems