SPRINGBANK president Tony Simpson has scotched rumours of huge match payments used to lure Ballarat Football League players.
The Tigers were one of several Central Highlands clubs to profit from a huge exodus of quality players from the Ballarat league this season.
But Simpson rubbished talk of huge match payments and the idea that clubs were deliberately targeting players from the Ballarat competition.
"Our first aim was to find a quality coach, someone who was coming to the end of their career in a major league but still had plenty to offer at the district level," he said.
"We're not just paying quality players but quality people, which we see as an investment in the future of our club.
"And the money is certainly not as high as what people think."
Simpson said having quality players at the club had other benefits.
"We've got some really good people involved now and our gate was 20 per cent up on last year at the weekend," he said.
And he believes the entire Central Highlands competition is experiencing the benefits of a more professional approach, with clubs looking more closely at sponsorship, fundraising and recruiting.
"It's certainly becoming a very attractive league to play in," Simpson said.
