LOCAL football leagues will this season be able to request drug tests for players suspected of using performance enhancing drugs.
The tests, which would be done by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, were made available to leagues at an AFL conference with community football administrators last October.
Both the Eastern Football League and Southern Football League confirmed to the Weekly that all players were under the AFL's Anti-Doping Code, and ASADA could be called in or arrive at random to test local footballers.
Both leagues also said they had not had any doping or performance enhancing drug complaints raised about their players, but were concerned about the issue and were educating clubs and club officials on the matter.
The Australian Crime Commission released an interim report about crime in sport on Thursday which stated performance enhancing drug use, organised crime connections and the grooming of players for match-fixing were a problem at elite level while at "sub-elite" level the report expressed concerns about players getting PEDs and other substances online and using them during training.
EFL chief executive Rob Sharpe said his league had repeated warnings to its clubs and players about the dangers of doping and of attempts to purchase products which may contain banned substances.
Sharpe said players were also warned about the ASADA investigative powers, especially when looking into products bought over the internet or from overseas.
The ACC report also stated there was a possibility underworld figures could "groom" young emerging players and later use them to provide information or fix elite level matches.
Several EFL players have moved into the Victorian Football League then been drafted to the AFL in past seasons, while the EFL sends a number of players to the TAC Cup competition each year.
Sharpe said he was confident players were being well educated on the risks of performance enhancing drugs and other threats.
TAC Cup clubs were not speaking publicly about the report, instead pointing to a press release from AFL Victoria.
But the Weekly understands all TAC Cup clubs educate their players about the dangers of PED use and players would receive extra education on this topic in the coming months.