Football Australia (FA) has today inked a landmark deal with telecommunications heavyweight Superloop (ASX: SLC) in a massive boost for the prestigious Hahn Australia Cup competition.

The telco challenger has secured naming rights as the official category partner for the Cup and also committed to revolutionising the sports broadcast capabilities through cutting-edge AI technology.

Superloop founded in 2014, is an Australian telecommunications company and internet service provider (ISP) that offers high speed connectivity to consumers with NBN deals and new AI connectivity.

The Hahn Australia Cup will benefit enormously from Superloop's involvement as the telco giant looks to bolster its brand presence among the football market.

The multi-faceted deal will see Superloop deliver bespoke connectivity solutions, including business-grade NBN internet and mobile data services and AI technology cameras distributed to fields around the country.

This will support not just live broadcasts but also real-time collection of match and player statistics.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson described the collaboration as a pivotal moment in FA’s digital transformation.

"In today's connected world, high-speed, reliable internet infrastructure is paramount. Superloop's expertise and technology will allow us to deliver a more dynamic and engaging live streaming experience to fans nationwide, while unlocking cost efficiencies and new revenue streams for the sport," Johnson said via FA official press release.

Already, Darwin Football Stadium has been kitted out with Superloop's dedicated high-speed NBN connectivity, powering 4K resolution streams of all Men's and Women's Premier League fixtures.

The agreement blends well for Football Australia's recent centralisation of live production and distribution for over 3,500 matches annually, spanning state leagues to flagship national competitions.

Superloop Group Executive for Business & Wholesale, Daisy Stampfer, highlighted the company's commitment to Australian sport.

"We recognise the transformative power of connectivity in sports broadcasting and are committed to delivering the high-performance network solutions that will power FA's vision for the future of football streaming."

"Our exclusive sponsorship of the Hahn Australia Cup and our connectivity partnership with Football Australia underscores our dedication to supporting the growth and innovation of Australian grassroots sport," Stampfer said via official FA press release.

This is a huge new step for Australian Football at all levels giving all clubs in the country and competitions support with the streamlined viewership nationally to enhance the game at little cost for the clubs.

For businesses such as Superloop, the football community is an untapped industry for them to help develop, market and stand out.

The footballing environment creates great publicity for the company and enduring respect in the community for future endeavours.

The strategic relationship promises a new era of digital engagement with the beautiful game, from suburban pitches to national showcases.

The post Superloop Scores Major Goal with Football Australia Partnership appeared first on Soccerscene.

The A-League reported last week that Australia's international transfer revenue has increased by a staggering 1344% over the past three years.

With 2023/24 recording transfer revenue of $16.5 million and 2024/25 reaching $16.9 million, these figures represent a significant improvement compared to the 2022 season, which recorded just $4.17 million in revenue.

This growth coincides with recent data from the A-League showing that the 2024/25 season has seen 39% of A-League minutes played by under-23 players, compared to just 18% in the 2023/24 season and 13% in the 2022/23 season.

This indicates that this season alone has seen a 26% increase in overall minutes played by young players since 2022.

The result of this rise in youth talent is evident with Australia qualifying for the Under-20 Men's World Cup for the first time in more than a decade and, just last week, lifting the trophy at the Under-20 Asian Cup.

The A-League's recent success in youth playing time is directly intertwined with the rise in transfer revenue.

This increase in youth participation has emerged as a silver lining from tough times in the league.

In the most recent "Off the Pitch" podcast from Soccerscene, guest speaker Gary Cole, current president of Football Coaches Australia, provided his professional insight into one of these situations.

He explained that the COVID-19 crisis and the financial constraints placed on A-League clubs forced them to look inwards for talent.

Another recent catalyst has been the reduction in funding from the Australian Professional Leagues.

With funding decreasing from $2 million to $500,000 in 2024, clubs have faced difficult financial decisions regarding their budgets.

Players from club academies or even NPL clubs are far more cost-effective for club budgets than more expensive signings.

Additionally, their selling and transfer value provides a huge boost to club revenues.

These events are not coincidental but are catalysts for the rise in homegrown talent testing their skills and showcasing their quality on the big stage.

It demonstrates how, during tough times for the league, supporting youth development has become a key part of the league's success and represents a profitable and dynamic opportunity for the future.

This opportunity to produce and showcase players to increase Australian youth football standards and therefore transfer value is a proven strategy in football.

Ajax's Academy is renowned for developing class players and has for many years been a funnel for building their academy graduates and selling players for a profit.

In South America, Brazilian and Argentinian clubs such as River Plate, Boca Juniors, Fluminense and Flamengo have been persistent sources of footballing talent.

Selling stars like Vinicius and Julian Alvarez to Europe for significant financial benefits while still maintaining a healthy domestic talent structure and international success.

Importantly, the common factor in these successful systems is regular first-team minutes at their clubs and even on the international stage.

The evidence from A-League transfer revenues is fitting this pattern.

One must point out that, though this is a great revenue source and a way to place Australian football on the map, this focus can have an adverse effect on the domestic scene.

Football fans are passionate about their clubs, and nothing brings out more pride than watching one of their own prospects grow and play for them.

To use academy players primarily as revenue-building prospects can undermine the important place they have at the club and the overall goal of academies.

This could potentially alienate fan bases, impacting popularity and therefore the quality and financial interests of the league.

Transfer revenue should not be the central response to the league's current financial burdens.

Being realistic about the position of the A-League in the international football hierarchy is crucial, though ambitions for the league to climb cannot be sidelined.

The rise in player transfer revenue presents an enticing prospect for investment and brings increased popularity.

Players themselves also have their own dreams and aspirations that must be taken into account, which can also encourage transfers and revenue.

Currently, the A-League has the unique opportunity to give its promising young players the chance to play top-level football while producing significant revenue and attracting sponsorship.

Australians playing overseas and at home, puts Australia on the map and solidifies our rise in the footballing scene.

If the focus on homegrown talent is managed well, Australian football will reap huge rewards.

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Nike and Football Australia have collaborated with acclaimed Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie to create the first-ever Australian National Football Team Collection designed by a First Nations artist.

Set to launch on 21 February 2025, the partnership centres on the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos' shared brand essence of 'Forever Forging Forward', embodying cultural representation and continuous progress through a bold new kit design that celebrates First Nations storytelling.

Rennie, who recently showcased his work in a major retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria, has incorporated elements from his 2024 painting featured in the REKOSPECTIVE exhibition.

The jersey's centrepiece draws inspiration from traditional First Nations message sticks, historically used for inter-community communication.

Reko Rennie explains his profound understanding of football's community-building potential and its important connection with his first nations design.

"I have a deep connection to the culture of football. Growing up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, I saw first-hand how the game united the local community I was a part of, and what it means to wear the national jersey. To feel part of something bigger," explained Rennie via Football Australia press release.

"I am proud to have designed this kit, it is a bold statement of cultural visibility, celebrating the diverse communities changing the game for the future - a message of unity from the oldest continuous civilisation on earth to everyone, united through football."

Nike Pacific Vice President and General Manager, Ashley Read emphasised the brand's commitment to innovation.

"Since the brand's inception into the beautiful game, Nike Football has been a catalyst for change. Nike are proud to partner with Reko Rennie and Football Australia for this Collection and look forward to seeing Australian's come together to support their national teams in the new green and gold,” commented Read via official Football Australia press release.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson also highlighted the sport's inclusive nature.

"Football is Australia's most diverse team sport, and its multiculturalism is its superpower. The new national team kits reflect our commitment to innovation and inspiring the next generation of footballers. 'Forever Forging Forward' is more than a brand identity – it's our guiding philosophy as we shape the future of Australian football," Johnson commented via official Football Australia press release.

The collection will debut with the CommBank Matildas during February's SheBelieves Cup and the Subway Socceroos during their Round 3 AFC Asian Qualifiers in March.

All Football Australia National Teams, including senior, youth, Paras and Futsal teams, will wear the new designs.

The jerseys will be available from 8.00am AEDT, 21 February, through Nike's website and Football Australia's online shop, as well as retail partners rebel, Ultra Football and SPT Football.

This landmark collaboration represents a significant step forward in celebrating Australia's First Nations culture on the global sporting stage, allowing first nations artists to take control of their story and narrative while reinforcing football's unique ability to unite diverse communities across the nation.

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Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have released their annual Player Development Program (PDP) Report for 2023/2024.

This is an overall summary of the achievements and breakdown of data form the PFA  Programs with recognition of their important figures and feedback.

Established by the PFA in 2013, the PDP is the PFA’s approach to player development. The PDP is supported by the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) between the PFA, on behalf of the players, the Australian Professional Leagues and Football Australia.

Jackson Irvine, current Socceroo and PFA President sets the tone of the PFA mission.

“I firmly believe in the importance of footballers balancing their careers on the pitch with pursuits and interests off it. Personally, I’ve always felt that my identity and passions extend beyond football, enabling me to maintain a healthy balance off the field and be well-prepared for the inevitable transition after I hang up my boots.”

The Program’s overall objectives cover the 3 program sections of supporting players in their Career, Wellbeing and Retirement.

These objectives are:

1. To deliver high quality, evidence-based programs and services to ensure that players have access to the best education, information and practical skill building.
2. Empowering players to ensure a successful transition and retirement into a meaningful and fulfilling life.
3. To ensure the connection between players, the PFA and the game continues beyond their retirement as a player.
4. Establishing and foster industry commitment and awareness of player development.

Career:

This program is to ensure players develop an understanding of the industry, including their rights and responsibilities while transitioning into new environments in professional football.

Some of the resulting data includes:

• 203 Education grants provided to players.
• 211 players undertook PDP induction.
• 435 A-Leagues players attended PFA skill development workshops.
• 47 National Team players attended a financial education, tax and superannuation workshop.

Wellbeing

Player’s wellbeing has been the most evident growing part of the PDP.

The PFA PDP provides players access to a variety of programs and services to support their physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Through the PFA’s Mental Health Referral Network players and family members have been able to get confidential access to a selection psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists.

Through then PFA’s new partnership with Sporting Chance Clinic UK the PFA can now deliver UK base Clinical support for players in the European leagues.

This network has been used to fight the many wellbeing areas in need of support

Some of these involve:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Relationship breakdown
• Addiction
• Grief
• Body issues
• Performance anxiety

The PFA has recorded that 1,082 Confidential counselling sessions were provided to players in the 23/24 season.

A massive increase if you compared to just 773 sessions in the 22/23 season and 141 in 20/21 season.

Rita Mankowska, the PFA Head of Player Development, comments: “The new partnership with UK-based Sporting Chance Clinic will enhance the PFA’s mental health services available to players based overseas.

“The new partnership will positively impact over 150 of the PFA’s overseas based members and their partners, granting them access to receive emotional or mental health support by accredited expert practitioners in European-friendly time zones.”

Also, within the Wellbeing Program there has been:

• 10 GameReady recovery machines provided to players to support their recovery from injury.
• 30 Heart Health, Concussion and Skin Cancer Checks for Past Players.
• 45 Skin Cancer Checks for National Team Players.
• 115 players that undertook concussion, betting and match fixing education.

Retirement

A source of immense pressure for players in their relatively short careers is their eventual retirement opportunities.

The PFA focuses on fully preparing players for their eventual retirement by exploring post football careers and incentivising off field development and education.

In this season:

• 150 players joined the PFA Past Player Program.
• 18 past player events held across most major cities including 6 Women's World Cup special events.
• 76 players attended PFA centralised coaching courses.
• 16 players entered the PFA x Deloitte Salesforce Career Training Program.

Before the conclusion of each A-League season, the PFA invited all members to give feedback on the PFA PDP and staff.

The result of this review is a massive success:

• 97% of players were either slightly or extremely satisfied with the PDP.
• 97% satisfaction of PFA skill development workshops.
• 97% satisfaction of PFA education grants.
• 95% satisfaction of the PFA's Mental Health Referral Network.

These results solidify the healthy support the PFA receives in their effective programs and integral place in the Australian Footballing framework.

The PFA’s expansion into the UK with their Mental Health Referral Network also indicates their drive for expansion and still delivering top quality support for Australians who want to follow a career overseas.

This Player Development Program shows great promise and a rewarding metric for the PFA to try and exceed in the coming 2024/25 season.

You can read the PDP Report 2024 in full by visiting the link here.

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The National Second Tier (NST) competition is building towards its expected start date of March/April 2025, but its final structure has not been settled.

While eight teams were initially announced with representation from Victoria and New South Wales, we are still yet to find out who will make up the rest of the ‘national’ component.

We will at least have an update on this around June 2024, as the Request for Proposal (RFP), Assessment & Review and Completion Phases are all completed.

Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) Chairman Nick Galatas has been a vocal advocate and involved in establishing the NST from its inception, but despite the previously announced foundation clubs, there is still work to do to ensure the NST starts in the best possible shape.

At this stage, eight foundation clubs have been confirmed, but there is a push to increase the number to at least 12.

Despite 26 clubs advancing to the RFP phase, only 8 foundation clubs proved to be a major drop off from what appeared a healthy pool of teams to choose from.

“There were 26 clubs that looked to be in a great position to be selected to start in the new NST,” Galatas told Soccerscene.

“From those, it would be expected to get 12 for a kick-off in 2024 but didn’t pan out that way.”

A lack of structure around how promotion and relegation will work with the NPL does leave some uncertainty for the clubs left out of the NST. Many clubs remain eager to be part of the expected four additional teams to be added for the competition’s commencement early in 2025.

For Football Australia, consistency will need to be applied across the board about how clubs go up and down between the NST and NPL when promotion and relegation commences. Football Queensland has made rules that a Queensland coming into the NST will revert to the competition it was in before it joined the NST. That is inconsistent with the approach of other member federations.

For example, with Preston Lions FC competing in Victoria Premier League 1 in 2024 prior to the commencement of NST, if they get relegated is it one step below to NPL Victoria or the original league they are in now?

Galatas outlined how everyone must be on the same page to form a unified system.

“As a scenario, we can think ahead to, say, 2027 and it’s the third year of competition, which is may also have expanded by then and include Queensland teams,” he said.

“For example, if, say, Preston Lions from Victoria and Sunshine Coast Fire FC from Queensland are relegation candidates in that season, it’s untenable that those teams would face different predicaments if relegated with Preston to the NPL and Sunshine Coast to oblivion.

“Hypothetically if we talk about relegation, everyone agrees that a Victorian-based club would be relegated to NPL Victoria even if originally from a lower league.

“However, when you compare it to a Queensland club, getting relegated means that they go into oblivion, which doesn’t add up. It’s fundamental and accepted practice that a relegated team goes down one rung and it has the chance to come up again.

“Football Australia needs to discuss a relegation scenario with all of the member federations and ensure there is a consistent approach. It will run the competition and must ensure the member federations work together with it and the clubs to achieve this outcome.”

Galatas outlined what he hopes to see out of the upcoming application process, moving one step closer to an Australia-wide competition.

“Instead of the eight confirmed teams we see now, it should be 12 teams from hopefully at least four states or territories to achieve the best competition,” he said.

“I would have liked to have seen a 2024 start date with 12 teams and have all the big players ready to go, but instead we’ve had a delay. But so long as we use the additional time to start strongly, the extra year to wait is not important in the overall picture.

“Having Queensland plus at least one of South Australia, Tasmania and Canberra to include four states from the get-go is the ideal platform to build on.

“Then we can look at Western Australia and the remaining areas as we build – we are just starting. We can grow the competition without rushing into it too much from a logistical point of view.”

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Football Australia has officially named the eight foundation clubs to take part in the inaugural National Second Tier (NST) competition from March/April 2025.

The eight clubs match Football Australia's criteria from a comprehensive process that determined if the clubs were ready to compete in the NST competition, with proposals from each team outlining the role they'll play for this important step in Australian football.

The inaugural clubs are all based in eastern states, with New South Wales and Victoria boasting five and three teams respectively.

• APIA Leichhardt FC - Leichhardt, New South Wales
• Avondale FC - Parkville, Victoria
• Marconi Stallions FC - Bossley Park, New South Wales
• Preston Lions FC - Reservoir, Victoria
• South Melbourne FC - Albert Park, Victoria
• Sydney Olympic FC - Belmore, New South Wales
• Sydney United 58 FC - Edensor Park, New South Wales
• Wollongong Wolves FC - Wollongong, New South Wales

In a statement to media present in Sydney, Football Australia CEO James Johnson shared his delight for today's confirmation.

"The establishment of the National Second Tier is a transformative step for Australian football, aligning perfectly with our 15-year strategic vision outlined in the XI Principles. It symbolises our commitment to reconnecting the football pyramid and enhancing the competitiveness of our national game," he said.

"These clubs were chosen following a comprehensive and multi-phased NST Application Process that began in early 2023.

"Each club demonstrated not only their readiness in terms of operational and commercial elements but also their alignment with the strategic objectives of Australian football.

"This is more than just a competition; it's a cornerstone in our mission to fortify the foundations of our sport. The National Second Tier will be instrumental in nurturing talent, engaging communities, and elevating the overall quality of football across the country."

The inaugural season of NST will involve home and away matches culminating in a competitive Finals Series.

In early 2024, an additional 2-4 clubs will be considered through a refined application process, opening the floor to clubs outside of Victoria or New South Wales to make it truly national.

At this stage, two competition formats are being considered, but this is based on the successful selection of additional clubs next year:

• A 10-team competition with two rounds plus a Finals Series, totalling 18 regular season matches.
• A 12-team competition with two rounds plus a Finals Series, totalling 22 regular season matches.

The NST will be a key component of media rights from 2025 onwards, with a shifting focus to see how promotion and relegation will play a role as the competition evolves.

The upcoming 2024 season will see the eight foundation clubs and prospective new entrants continue to competing in their own Member Federation National Premier Leagues’ competitions, before moving towards a smooth transition to the NST.

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Clubs are eagerly awaiting the outcome of their Expression of Interest (EOI) response, following the strong contingent represented throughout Australia.

After hitting the March 3 deadline, we are now in the closing stages of the EOI component, with shortlisted respondents, development of RFP Bid Documents and intended start of RFP Phase all slated by an April finish at the latest.

From the iconic NSL teams to those who have even undergone a merger, the National Second Tier is set to build a platform for these sides to flourish.

The Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) has been at the heart of organising the Second Tier, with Chairman Nick Galatas an advocate for what it will do for the game going forward.

“It’s very pleasing, it exceeded expectations as we saw around 38 clubs be part of the 32 EOIs which exceeded my early expectations,” Galatas told Soccerscene.

“With the number of applicants, including joint bids, it’s a fantastic response.

“We’ve seen clubs stepping up with that common goal and purpose.”

The AAFC has seen the ambition of clubs come to fruition, which is a key component of the success behind the Second Tier.

From an early vision that is now edging towards a reality, Galatas is thrilled to see efforts start to be rewarded.

“The whole thing has been gratifying as it’s essentially six years to the day that we started the process of advocating for a second tier, preparing and encouraging clubs and voicing our thoughts for the game,” he said.

“We need a proper functioning football system and we think we have that now with the second tier process. It’s pleasing to also work with Football Australia on this.”

One of the key takeaways from the club submissions was the merger that saw the creation of Brisbane United.

In a joint bid, a trio of clubs in Brisbane Strikers, Wynnum Wolves FC and Virginia United FC all joining together in a sign of solidarity.

“When you establish a platform such as the second tier, aspirational clubs will do what it takes to be part of it,” Galatas said.

“It’s been good to see the Brisbane United submission, it shows that clubs are working together to strive for the same goals through their alliance. That they see synergies and common purpose within their communities.

“Moves such as these will only bring together resources and fanbases, and that will only benefit the future growth of the game.”

The Expressions of Interest are the first of four different phases before the National Second Tier process is fully completed this year.

It’s a rigorous pathway for clubs, but a necessary one to introduce a brand-new competition.

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Football Australia has officially closed the Invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI) process for the National Second Tier Men's competition.

In a positive and strong response, 32 Australian football clubs from across the country submitted their expressions of interest to take part in the new competition - by the Friday, March 3 deadline.

The EOI process was launched by Football Australia in February 2023 to assess the level of interest and refine the strategy, vision, competition format, operation, and administration for a new national tier of football between the A-League Men competition and the National Premier Leagues.

Expected to commence in March 2024, the National Second Tier will be contested between 10 and 16 teams, with a home and away league structure and finals, featuring 24 to 36 games.

For Football Australia, there are still thoughts of including a phased ‘group based’ competition model that will utilise the National Premier Leagues competition to decide the make-up of the competition format (the ‘Champions League’ model).

Following the evaluation of the EOI responses, the next phase will be the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase, which is expected to run from April to June 2023. During this phase, only shortlisted parties from the EOI phase will be invited to submit detailed proposals, with more information provided through detailed Bid Documents.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson shared his pleasure for the finalised EOI stage.

“We underwent a lengthy consultation process last year so we knew there would be great interest and we are thrilled with the level of interest shown in the EOI phase and the calibre of clubs which have expressed their interest,” Johnson said in a statement.

“It is also pleasing to see that we have received submissions from right across Australia, demonstrating that our football clubs have a deep desire and aspiration to compete at a national level.  The National Second Tier provides the perfect platform for them to do so.

“Australian football has undergone a journey of transformation over the last two years, and the establishment of a national second tier which reconnects and realigns Australian football competitions is an important element of Football Australia's 15-year vision for the game.

“The receipt of EOI submissions is another crucial step in bringing our vision for the game to life.”

 The confirmed clubs by each state is listed below:

* Subject to the submission fee payment being confirmed.

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Preston Lions have provided an update to their National Second Tier progress, following on from their expression of interest.

In an update to their supporters and the wider football community, the Lions officially registered their interest on February 12, with the club now working towards the March 3 submission deadline to move into the next stage - showing that they want to be a genuine contender for the new competition.

It's an important and necessary step for clubs to take that leap into a second tier that will grow the game, and Preston are just one of those to put their hand up. The Lions' interest is vindicated by their very own progression, off the back of a promotion to play in NPL Victoria 2 this season.

As an indication of the influence and support for Preston in the area of Reservoir, the club attracted 5,000 supporters to their Round 1 home fixture against Pascoe Vale FC. In a sign of things to come for a second tier competition, Preston would not look out of place.

With a larger support base comes bigger responsibility, something that Club President David Cvetkovski believes is what the players thrive off.

“We're using the National Second Tier to show where we aspire to be, after some long years of rebuilding,” he told Soccerscene.

“Our aim is to make players and coaches as accessible as possible, which is what will help create the positive culture.

“The players are driven and know they need to perform with fan expectations - at the end of the day it's something they need to be accustomed to.

“Working alongside even our rivals, we're hoping the second tier can have a widespread huge impact on the sport.

“For example, we are in regular talks with Nick Maikousis at South Melbourne and have a good working relationship.

“There would be nothing better than to see us against South in front of 10-15,000 people. That's where we strive to be.”

Despite being a club with rich history, the Lions still have room to grow and with the turnout they received last Friday night, they are on a quest for bigger and better things.

“We're very big on fan engagement and it's all about the people,” Cvetkovski added.

“At the end of the day, we're in the entertainment industry and we just play a part with providing a great fan experience.

“There's a real community feel around this club now and we just want to cater for that as best as possible.”

Only a few years ago, a redevelopment of their facilities saw the completion of their pavilion we see today, alongside the main grandstand that is completely buzzing on gameday.

Preston have set themselves up in preparedness to enter the National Second Tier, with works ongoing to make it happen.

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Conversation surrounding the implementation of a National Second Division (NSD) within the Australian football pyramid has dominated discourse for some time now. And for substantial reasons.

Currently the NSD’s momentum has been led by the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC), a body representing the historic sides seeking to establish the competition to hopefully drive football forward in a united manner in Australia. All of these represented clubs currently compete in the National Premier Leagues (NPL) – the state-based competition which serves as the second tier below the A-Leagues and which comprises eight separately administered state and regional competitions.

Founded in 2013 as an outcome of the National Competitions Review conducted by the then-named Football Federation Australia, the NPL is home to over 250 clubs in Australia. Critically though, these clubs differ substantially in their facilities, resources, financial budgets, and overall ambition. Many were traditional staples of the National Soccer League (NSL) before the arrival of the A-League in its stead.

Initially, the NPL was formed to develop youth pathways and to assure competitive minutes for local players seeking to push on into national teams and higher competitions. However, a 2018 report conducted by AAFC found that the NPL had largely failed to meet the objectives it set out to accomplish.

By comparison, the NSD is intended to be a genuine platform of opportunity for local players aspiring to play in both a competitive environment, and to progress towards the A-Leagues, national teams, and overseas competitions. Furthermore, it will act as a catchment for youngsters struggling for game time in the A-League Men to potentially earn their stripes in the competition below.

Importantly as well, the NSD will provide foundational Australian football sides left in purgatory following the dismantling of the NSL with a chance to re-establish themselves in the national sporting psyche. For AAFC President Nick Galatas, the NSD is a major step towards revitalising the second tier of Australian football to be truly competitive.

“The idea is not to create a new second division from scratch, as such, it is to look at the best suited clubs that you’ve got available and how to best establish a proper new second tier competition based on them,” Galatas explained to Soccerscene.

“Are all NPL clubs at the same level? If not, and if you’ve got 12, 14, 16 clubs that emerge from across the country as being able to play nationally at a higher standard of playing, coaching, administration, a second division is created from there. So, what we say is, let’s look at our current strongest clubs, let’s reflect what they can do individually and collectively and enable a true second tier on their capabilities.

“Obviously, initially these clubs are going to be stepping out of years in state competitions and then the NPL and since the new competition will afford them better opportunities to grow and develop, they’ll be better once there. And that will be the initial level of the NSD. That starting level will be informed by the current capability of the clubs, rather than the clubs being required to meet an arbitrary level. That’s absolutely and fundamentally key for it to be financially viable.”

With the projected introduction of promotion and relegation between the A-Leagues and the NSD set to be unravelled in future, there is plenty of room for both A-Leagues sides and foundational clubs to thrive alongside one another in a suitable environment.

“Some of these historic clubs have been in a state-level environment for the last 20-odd years and that’s not their natural environment nor is it for their supporters as their clubs’ DNA and background is national. As they haven’t been there for years, what they are now is not what I expect we’ll see when they’re back on the national stage. Start modest and grow, rather than setting an arbitrary benchmark and not being able to reach it and crash,” Galatas added.

With the final outline of the NSD’s structure due to be announced by competition operators Football Australia in 2023 the subsequent effect of a prospective NSD on the National Premier Leagues remains unclear at this stage. Although the AAFC have suggested as recently as February 2022 that the current NPL model is likely to be characterised as a 'Third Tier' competition. Of course, it is expected that the NPLs will be linked to the new national second tier competition by promotion and relegation.

“The first thing to say is that currently the National Premier Leagues are our national second tier, and really the National Second Division is about reforming our national second tier. To have our NPL1 competitions comprise over 100 clubs is unrealistic and incompatible with a true national second tier,” Galatas said.

“What we’re doing is seeking to restructure and realign our divisions. Our National Second Division will likely initially have between 10 to 16 teams and be linked in reflect the A-Leagues in that sense. And then below that the NPLs will still be state based as there’s no real prospect of a National Third Division currently.

“Now, how do you reform as a result? AAFC has long advocated reform and it still is, for the NPL to perhaps be made more consistent in the number of clubs around the country in each member federation but also, as a third-tier competition with less onus to deliver second tier objectives, to enable local clubs to better reflect their capabilities and local communities.

“There was going to be NPL reform which FA commenced at the start of 2020 but that was derailed by COVID and of course then FA’s XI Principles were introduced which talk about reform as well, and that has been looked at in connection with the introduction of the National Second Division. So, the NPLs will be affected and changed to an extent by the new NSD.

“The aim is that the competitions are linked so that clubs can come up from the NPL into the National Second Division so that there’s promotion and relegation which ensures that there’s a pathway for more clubs to develop, not only the initial NSD clubs. The idea is to enable more clubs to grow and develop and the way to do that is to give clubs the opportunity to come up. There may be a club that we don’t know about that is emerging in the outer suburbs of one of our major centres that in 3-5 years is a powerhouse. And that’s the objective. We’re not here to pick winners.

“Let the clubs work out what they can do through their communities, their sponsors and other resources and be allowed to be the best they can be. Who knows what each may become and who are we to say?”

With the NPL NSW Men’s kicking-off this past weekend and Football Australia having announced that expressions of interest are now available to interested clubs looking to compete in the prospective NSD, the format of the NPL as we know it may be completely transformed come this time next year. At this stage, the NPL will seemingly exist as a tier separate to the NSD and the A-Leagues for the foreseeable future.

For A-League clubs whose junior sides compete in the NPL, it may be viewed as unfavourable to push them below the second tier of Australian football if the NPL is to become a third tier competition, as it would ultimately negate the conceived ambition of housing their sides in the NPL in place of an A-League Youth competition for competitive minutes. The possibility of including A-League Men's youth sides in the National Second Tier has been broached in the second division discourse, however the notion of having A-League Men's youth sides taking up spots in the National Second Tier in place of historic clubs will be staunchly opposed - and for good reason.

The National Second Tier is seen as an opportunity by prospective clubs to regain their place in the Australian football pyramid by virtue of their nous off the field and performance on the field. Many in the NPL will be looking at the National Second Tier as a chance to rejoin the sporting elite, particularly in the eventuality of promotion and relegation being formally introduced. What this means for the NPL in its current form is an uncertainty, for now at least.

The post How will the National Second Division impact the NPL? appeared first on Soccerscene.

The establishment of a National Second Tier Men’s competition has gained significant traction today with Football Australia formally inviting all interested parties wishing to participate to respond to an Invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI).

The yet-to-be-named National Second Tier, which is earmarked to commence in March 2024, will be a new national tier of football between the A-League Men competition and the National Premier Leagues, with the opportunity for promotion and relegation to be considered once mature.

The EOI process will provide Football Australia with relevant information to assess the level of interest, and to refine the strategy, vision, competition format, operation, and administration of the National Second Tier.

Furthermore, the process is designed for Australian football clubs with a deep connection and demonstrated history in Australian football to participate in a tier of football that is anticipated to comprise of an individual league in a 'home and away’ structure with the proposed competition parameters as follows:

• A home and away league structure with finals, comprised of between 10 and 16 teams and featuring between 24 to 36 games
• Successful Respondents to the Application Process would be required to depart their existing football competitions for the National Second Tier
• National Second Tier Clubs will enter into a Club Participation Agreement setting out the terms of participation, including but not limited to the following requirements:
• Professional playing contracts for all players, with salaries paid 52 weeks of the year;
• ‘off field’ operations run by employed staff throughout 12 months of the year;
• Investment in and operation of a full talent development pathway within their club structure;
• and access to a suitable high-quality match day facility 12 months of the year.

Should the level of interest not validate the required number of Clubs with the capability to formulate an independent tier of competition, the option remains for Football Australia to institute a phased ‘group based’ competition model that will utilise the National Premier Leagues competition to determine the make-up of this format of competition (the ‘Champions League’ model).

The Invitation for EOI is the first phase of what is envisaged will be a multistage process, with this phase opening today and closing on March 3, 2023.

At the conclusion of the EOI stage of the process, Football Australia intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to shortlisted parties inviting the submission of detailed proposals. Additional information through detailed Bid Documents will be provided to shortlisted parties during the RFP phase to assist with their formal detailed proposal.

This information during the RFP phase may include an information memorandum, NST related data, including financial forecasts and benchmarking, key terms of a Club Participation Agreement, and draft transaction documents.

The following subsequent phases are envisaged:  Phase 2 – Request for Proposal (April – June indicative), Phase 3 – Assessment and Recommendation (June – August indicative), Phase 4 – Completion (August – September indicative). Further information on these remaining phases will be outlined at a future date.

There will be an interactive process to assist both shortlisted bidders and Football Australia to aid the development of high quality, well considered proposals and further refining the overall vision of the NST. This structured process will occur following the release of the RFP.

More information and links to respond to the Expression of Interest invitation can be found at https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/nst-application-process.

Numerous clubs touted to be involved in the National Second Tier celebrated the announcement, including the Melbourne Knights and South Melbourne FC. The Association of Australian Football Clubs – an organisation representing National Premier Leagues clubs aspiring to join the National Second Tier who has been essential to driving the momentum towards the founding of a National Second Division – acknowledged the significance of the announcement via Twitter, expressing:

“AAFC welcomes this exciting development we've all been awaiting with great hope and expectation,” the statement read.

“Having advocated for, and led the discussion on our new, proper second tier, we thank FA for adopting and pursuing this most important reform.

“We will continue to work with FA and our clubs for its successful implementation for kick off in 2024.”

Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson outlined many potential respondents had already expressed their interest through a consultation phase across Australia in 2022, and more could emerge during the process.

“Developing a national second tier competition is a key component of our 15-year vision for the game and our efforts to reconnect and realign Australian football competitions. Australian football has gone on a journey of transformation over the last two years and this is the latest example of us bringing our vision for the game to life,” he said via media release.

“In 2022, we did extensive financial and competition modelling followed by a series of consultations with clubs and other stakeholders across the game.  We know from this process that there is a lot of interest in a national second tier so we expect that we will receive a strong number of responses in this first EOI phase.

“Some of these clubs have a rich history in Australian football and aspire to grow and compete at a national level. The national second tier will now provide a platform for these aspirational clubs and to be a part of a connected football pyramid in the long term.

“With football booming in Asia, our national teams competing strongly on the world stage and as the largest team participation base in Australian sport, this is the right time to create a national second tier.

“We look forward to the process we have now launched and working collaboratively with all stakeholders and interested parties in building a successful National Second Tier and kicking the league off as early as March 2024.”

The post Football Australia open Expressions of Interest process for National Second Tier appeared first on Soccerscene.

The prospect of a National Second Division below the A-League Men has captivated the day-to-day speculation and debate of Australian football’s dedicated adherents for some time now.

For the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) – the body which represents the collective of National Premier League clubs looking to initiate the National Second Division – it is about transforming the aforementioned hypothesising and conversation into a tangible reality.

Realistically, the implementation of a National Second Division has taken its time for myriad of reasons, namely due to having to balance multiple stakeholders, needing to meet Football Australia’s (FA) requirements during their transition from Football Federation Australia, and recovering from the collateral damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a conversation with Soccerscene, AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas discusses how the National Second Division is shaping up ahead of the organisation’s 2024 deadline (which has been confirmed by FA CEO James Johnson via ESPN) and what the next steps are for the clubs involved.

What was the outcome of the AAFC’s meeting in late October regarding the prospective National Second Division?

Nick Galatas: We convened that meeting at the conclusion of FA’s presentations to the clubs about the work FA have done on the National Second Division. The FA met with the various clubs and sought feedback from the clubs on a state-based format. After attending those meetings, we thought it would be helpful to convene all the interested clubs from around Australia – after they’d had time to consider what FA put to them and the issues about which FA sought their feedback.

We met in Sydney, and together the clubs considered the important issues about which FA sought their input and feedback and reached consensus on those areas. We’ve given that feedback to FA to inform FA’s further work in completing the structure of the NSD.

Undoubtedly the establishment of a National Second Division is going to require a lot of impetus and momentum alongside the knowledge and experience of various industry experts. What areas of expertise are the NSD’s organisers looking to utilise in order to drive the league forward effectively?

Nick Galatas: Impetus and momentum are key. That’s both from our perspective in keeping FA and the public onto it, and also our clubs in reminding them of what’s coming so that they keep getting ready and maintain that momentum.

To preface your question on industry experience and expertise, just to break this up a little bit, this will be a FA run competition – that’s what’s proposed. Football Australia will be the administrator as they were when the A-League started and the clubs understand and agree with that. FA will look to commercialise it, implement strategies, and engage various experts.

Having said that, at the same time the clubs as a group operating through us are also working with some experts in order to inform club thinking individually and collectively, which in turn we hope to inform FA with. The clubs are individually and collectively working on revenue-raising, how to best capitalise themselves for the increased expenditure that will come with a National Second Division, and how to cooperate within that national environment to grow the competition and their clubs.

As well as that, some market research and surveying – a lot of these clubs have now been operating within a much smaller market within the NPL for a long time, and they currently connect with their larger latent supporter base only on special events. For example, having a deep run into the Australia Cup tournament – as we’ve seen recently – and lots of their supporters who long to see their clubs on the national stage playing bigger matches emerge but they’re not necessarily in contact with these clubs on a regular basis while they’re NPL clubs, restricted in what they can do.

Assisting the clubs to understand what their supporter base is likely to look like now for some of the existing clubs who were previously playing at national level 20 years later is important. So, work has been done there, as well as about the available broadcast options.

As stated by the AAFC following that meeting, the 30 clubs collectively welcomed FA’s proposal to “proceed with a financially viable national ‘Home and Away’-style second division competition which will sit between the NPLs and the A-Leagues which largely mirrors AAFC's model”. How close are we to having this now implemented?

Nick Galatas: Again, this comes back to FA, but we’ve said in our press release now that 2024 is our goal. FA had said 2023 - that’s obviously unfeasible and can’t now happen, but we think it will happen in 2024 and it must. The understanding that we have is that FA will complete its modelling and put out an expression of interest in the first quarter of next year, by around the end of March.

Interested clubs will all basically be with a deep history and involvement in football, grassroots and otherwise – that’s part of FA’s model. Clubs will apply through an expression of interest. After that, with a view to that process taking place over a two-three month period, so that FA can select the teams and announce the participants of the second division for ’24 in ’23. It will be a fantastic impetus to our game, helping with its unification and growth, following the Women’s World Cup here and New Zealand and the Matildas playing in another World Cup, by starting in 2024.

How is the NSD looking to engage sponsors and investment into the league?

Nick Galatas: No doubt this question is predicated on what’s been done by the entities in the A-Leagues. For the National Second Division, many of its clubs will already have a presence – whether they be clubs in their current form or clubs in combination with others – and will have a tradition and reputation to draw on from the start. Therefore, that will become apparent when the clubs are known and they’ll have those reputations and traditions both individually and collectively, so, there’ll be a multiplying effect.

You’ll be able to tap into the past and you’ll be able to look at matches that go back 20, 30 years and that’s one element. Other elements are there could be clubs that are rising in particular regions – such as growth areas in Brisbane and other cities – which will have a very strong local flavour. These clubs, with their current reputations given that they exist already, will be able to leverage that reputation, history, knowledge, and tradition in attracting sponsors.

When the historic clubs overseas were proposing the European Super League, one of the British members of Parliament referred to the English clubs as “cherished cultural institutions”. And that’s what we’ve got here. Now, I think what we haven’t appreciated properly yet – in our rush for our game to become major in this country – is that a lot of clubs that were formed by various communities have so much to offer on our quest for growth and we shouldn’t lose that. It’s irreplaceable.

From the oldest club established in Newcastle over 100 years ago, to some now being 60, 70 or 80 years old, to some being a bit newer, I think we’ll eventually come to realise that we’ve got in this country. Organisations that have been formed by members of various communities and they have grown and evolved and continue to do so – which really, we should be cherishing. Instead of doing what we did 20 years ago and that is to bury them effectively, we should be cherishing them, understanding their cultural significance and with successful, major sports being embedded in our culture, that such clubs are key to game’s growth here.

We’ve come a long way recently, but for example, while we’ve still got a long way to go with our First Nations recognition, understanding that they are a major part of our society in every sense, that’s one area of our community. What I think will happen is – as we deal with that – the next part will be to go back again and look at the great immigration waves in Australia and realise their importance too, in their own way. They played key roles in the development and enrichment of our communities, people and social structures. Football, and our football and community, are interwoven in that way. And I think that understanding will also be a major sponsorship driver. Sponsors will want to associate themselves with the fantastic positives of what these grassroots cultural institutions have brought to this country.

Similarly, we’ve seen how women’s football has grown and attracted sponsors who understand the obvious central role women have in our community. I think we are poised to embrace the whole of our cultural heritage and see the migrant waves segment grow in a similar way. And as the younger generation comes through there will be a desire to appreciate whole of our history.

Is there enough fan interest for these historic clubs to properly be a part of an NSD? Will there be a benchmark of supporter numbers that clubs have to meet?

Nick Galatas: What we did at AAFC when we prepared our report for FA is we conducted a capability study among our clubs. The purpose of that was to inform FA of what we can do, because there’s no point coming up with an arbitrary set of benchmarks with parameters and criteria that we don’t have the clubs to meet. Then we won’t have a second division or anything like it.

So, the idea is not to create a second division as such, but the idea is to look at the clubs that you’ve got available and look at how to best organise it. Now, are they all the same? If not, and if you’ve got 12, 14, 16 clubs that emerge across the country as being in a position to play nationally and grow from there, a second division is created. So, what we say is, let’s look at our strongest clubs, let’s reflect what they can do individually and collectively. Obviously, they’re going to be stepping out of the NPL as the new competition will afford them better opportunities to grow from where they are and they’ll be better once there. And that will be the initial level. The level will be informed by the capability of the clubs, rather than the clubs being required to meet an arbitrary level. That’s absolutely, fundamentally key for it to be financially viable.

Some of these historic clubs have been in a state-level environment for the last 20-odd years and that’s not their natural environment nor is it for their supporters as their clubs’ DNA and background is national. So, they haven’t been there for years and what they are now is not what you’ll hopefully see when they’re back on the national stage. Start low and grow, rather than setting an arbitrary benchmark and not being able to reach it and crash.

It will be a good thing to have a National Second Division; we all agree on that. In order to ensure it works however, it needs to reflect the capability of the clubs. We think therefore it can work, and there are clubs with sufficient numbers and supporters which will be significantly in advance of what they’re delivering now in the NPL.

One of the outcomes of the National Second Division is to initially provide development opportunities for players dropping down from the A-Leagues or coming up from the National Premier Leagues. How critical is it that this then develops into a second division under the A-Leagues with promotion and relegation?

Nick Galatas: Undoubtedly, that will be one of the outcomes of the second division but it is not inherently a part of it. What is inherent to it is that we need to develop more strong clubs. That’s where players play. If we try to develop players externally in independent programs separate to clubs then we’re not going to have players. Players develop at clubs. A club has supporters; it has fans; infrastructure. It nurtures players; provides money, generates sponsorship, etc. And there’s a living to be made, an economic benefit for players, at all levels.

Retention; everyone from the top internationals through to the A-League Men’s good player; the A-League Men’s workman-type player; the A-League Men’s sub; all the way down to the community guys – and I’m talking of men at the moment, but of course hopefully women down the track also – is what football is. You want retention of players; you want to occupy the sporting landscape and you want footballers playing everywhere at every level.

So, what we’re aiming for with the National Second Division is enabling more strong clubs to develop within it. Instead of sitting there wondering, as the A-Leagues is now doing, where is our next expansion going to come from, you shouldn’t have to wonder. Your next expansion club should be from among those coming through from the division below. There’s your issue. Instead of wondering ‘where’s the market’ to insert one in, it should be about allowing the best clubs to emerge where they are suited and where the local community most supports them.

Ultimately, I think the second division is very important, and I sense the FA does as well, but the issue at the moment is we need to get there. So, one of the issues that we’ve got is the division doesn’t currently exist. The minute you have promotion and relegation from the A-League Men’s, an A-Leagues club owner who has invested into the club will ask whether dropping down leads them to oblivion. A fair question if you’re a business. I would be asking it too if I was a business.

So, we need to create a National Second Division that reaches a level which ensures that if you’re getting relegated from the A-League Men’s you’re not only surviving; you’re thriving. You’re rebuilding and recharging to have another tilt when you get back there. That’s what the second division is about and it needs to ultimately align with the A-League Men’s but there’s no point talking theoretically. We need to start it and let it develop. But I think the aim always has to be – from my perspective and others will have a say in this – that the job will not be completely done if it’s not linked because we’ll have parallel national competitions and that’s not ideal.

That doesn’t mean immediate promotion and relegation, that just means an understanding of the game from all those involved, and in fairness to the A-Leagues I believe they see that these national competitions must relate to each other in a positive way, rather than compete with each other.

The post AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas: “Your next expansion club should be from the division below” appeared first on Soccerscene.

The Australia Cup has officially reclaimed its magic in 2022. Sydney United’s gripping 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday saw them become the first state league side to book their place in the competition’s final, while Oakleigh Cannons will become the second if they can defeat Macarthur on September 14.

Interest in the Cup hinges on the romance of the ‘Cupset’, a feat which both Oakleigh and United (twice) have achieved this campaign. That it is possible for a group of players to beat another despite skewed scales of professionalism and resources, is the charm that makes the competition unique in Australian sport.

What is less revered about the success of state league clubs, but is both more important and difficult than winning, is the work done by the clubs off the field when partaking. Take the Cannons, for example. Their 'reward' for beating Brisbane City and moving into the quarter-finals against Sydney FC was a $12,000 bill.

“To host Sydney, immediately we faced issues with our lighting,” Oakleigh president Stan Papayianneris told Soccerscene.

“Lighting needs to be 500 lux for an A-League club (as per Australian Lighting Standards), so straight away there’s $12,000 that you have to add. That’s on top of everything else that you have to provide as a minimum.

“We probably made a little bit more from hosting Brisbane City than Sydney. Operating costs will be the same against Macarthur, so hopefully we get a marginally larger crowd which will make it more beneficial. 

“The weather is supposed to be good, and being a semi-final versus a quarter-final it’s had a bit of media exposure. Hopefully our crowd increases by 25-30%, and it will be worthwhile.”

Adelaide City also experienced the variant challenges that come with hosting A-League opposition as opposed to state league this season. City edged Logan Lighting in a home clash at Marden Sports Complex, before welcoming Adelaide United to the larger SA Football Centre in a night for South Australian football purists.

City president Greg Griffin explained the second clash was profitable due to high ticket sales (host clubs keep 100% of gate takings up to and including the semi-final stage), but that structural challenges within the competition make the experience otherwise tricky.

“There’s a whole range of imposts that make being in this competition very difficult. It’s expensive, so you have to be very careful about what you spend and get your budgeting right. You can lose $10-15,000 in the blink of an eye, which NPL clubs cannot afford,” Griffin told Soccerscene.

“I think Football Australia needs to recalibrate the requirements on NPL clubs. You can’t impose all the costs of broadcast - certain lighting capacity, infrastructure for extra cameras - on the clubs. If we play an A-League team, surely they should pay for that.

“Football Australia needs to take a reality pill and see that the idea is to encourage NPL teams to be involved, not make it an event they’re financially fearful of.”

Peninsula Power have become well versed in putting on an Australia Cup show this season, welcoming all of NWS Spirit, Green Gully and Sydney United to A.J. Kelly Park.

For the Power and their president Craig Feuerriegel, the difference between hosting A-League and state league sides is dramatic; the attention that came with the visits of Melbourne City (2017) and Brisbane Roar (2021) justified the use of nearby Moreton Daily stadium, holding a capacity 11,500.

“We did raise money this year playing at home at A.J. Kelly, but not as much as we would have playing an A-League side at the bigger stadium. We put in quite a significant effort when hosting games there’, Feuerriegel told Soccerscene.

“With a better facility comes the chance to increase revenue if you’re willing to work at it. The more people you can get through the gate the more you can raise, as well as matchday raffles and selling corporate seats.

“There is a downside to that as well with increased cost for the stadium, and when you host an A-League side Football Australia’s rules say you must have certain requirements around medical access, ambulances, and security. So the level does go up in your outgoings as well.”

Like Oakleigh and Adelaide City, the Power’s home ground tenancy agreement with their local council allows them to play extra matches at A.J. Kelly Park on top of their league fixtures if required, so there is no financial punishment in progressing through the Cup in that regard. 

Feuerriegel speaks highly of the Cup experience, where he’s thrilled that players, fans and sponsors can taste a variety of opposition and national attention not possible within the Queensland NPL. He does admit that they’re yet to confront the significant challenge of travel, having never been drawn away in their five matches.

“We certainly weren’t disappointed when the home draws came out, but we have been in it for a number of years now and haven’t drawn an away game. This year I was on board with it. I thought if we do get an away game we’d be happy to support the group to play away and hopefully get a result,” he said.

Papayianneris would like to see Football Australia increase support for travelling sides, which currently includes flights and accommodation for one night as part of a broader travel subsidy. The Cannons were unfazed by their July trip to Bonnyrigg on the park as 5-0 victors, but Papayianneris acknowledges the toll on semi-professional players is significant.

“To negate all the factors that could make you lose a game, you really need to sleep there the night before. If you do that with a group of 25, you’re up for at least $12-15,000.

“If you run with what Football Australia provides, it’s a bit of an impediment to getting the team into the right state to play.

“We rolled with the punches against Bonnyrigg, travelled to New South Wales and played on the same day and won, but it was difficult. It would be good if they could provide two day’s accommodation from next year, as a suggestion.”

Papayianneris states the financial burden of lighting and travel means qualification for the Cup is not a priority for the club, but a bonus on top of their league focus. The current level of prize money is also too low to act as an incentive for the Cannons to strive to qualify, on offer from the Round of 16 onwards.

“I don’t think the prize money comes into it. Even if we were to win, the $50,000 is not an amount you’d steer your efforts towards trying to win. If we’re to lose the semi-final and get a prize of $10-15,000, it would just help us recoup some of our losses,” he said.

‘We’d like to continue playing in the Cup going forward. We’ve had a reasonable amount of exposure which is good for our players, the club, and the local community. But if you happen to draw a couple of away games, it starts to become problematic.

In contrast, Feuerriegel outlined consistent qualification for the Cup is a ‘KPI’ of the Power, while Griffin stated he and City coach Paul Pezos share ‘complete agreement’ that annual Cup participation is essential to the growth of their club.

“As a club we go to the best young talent we can find in South Australia. One of the things we offer is extremely good coaching under Paul and his team, but also that we’ll work very hard to make the Australia Cup to allow them as players to be showcased,” Griffin said.

“A lot of people watched our game against United, and let me tell you a number of our team have received calls from around the country. It’s a very clear target that we have, that we take the Cup very seriously because we want to win it, and to give our talented juniors a chance to shine.”

Despite the financial cost he may be counting, the magic at the Cup’s core is will and truly burning within Papayianneris. While it may still need tweaking there is no doubt it’s roared back to life this season, it’s first unabated post-covid, and the Cannons and United are right in the mix for its flagship success.

“Anything’s possible, everyone has two legs and two arms. If we could get through to the final, we’d play a state league side, there could be a red card to them in the first minute… a lot can happen in a game of football,” Papayianneris said.

“If Greece could win the 2004 Euros, maybe Oakleigh can win the Australia Cup.”

The post The rise of the ‘Cupset’ – Cannons, Power and City on recent success appeared first on Soccerscene.

Australian sportswear company Benchwarmers are targeting the issue of soft tissue injuries through their innovative product.

The company estimates that hamstring strain injuries account for 12-16% of all injuries in English, Australian and New Zealand professional Football. A key component of this can come from a players' time on the bench.

Traditionally played as a winter sport, amateur soccer players are at risk of injury in cold conditions.

Speaking to product creator Andrew Lauder, the body length sportswear came about from noticing an increase in hamstring injuries at local level.

"We noticed kids and adults going out with hamstrings," Lauder told Soccerscne.

"They’re sitting on these cold benches that are on parks everywhere, and they don’t really warm up. They just go out on the field and then they’ve pulled up with a hamstring.

"Two and two doesn’t take rocket science to figure out - sitting and cooling those muscles down and then using them straight away is fraught with danger.”

[caption id="attachment_14814" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A custom designed Benchwarmer.[/caption]

Designed for local and amateur players, Lauder wants to mitigate the risk associated at those levels. While elite athletes have access to the best medical staff, he doesn't want to see younger players at risk.

“At amateur and junior level, we don’t have proper medical staff or people that understand body mechanisms, and they just send the kids or amateurs out," Lauder continued.

"That’s when it pulls them all out. Benchwarmers is more just to say, ‘hey keep them warm’. A lot of them throw a hoodie on, but the legs and everything are still exposed.

"The main things that they are using all the time are the calves, quads and the hamstrings. We found it to be a very important thing.

"In junior and amateur level, when some of these guys and girls get hurt, they go into shock. They put them on the bench and have one of the medical staff looking at them who’s not really experienced, they might be a parent who’s done a course."

Being custom-made, Benchwarmers offer a ultra-lightweight solution that includes insulated inside pockets, a hood, resistance to water and wind, and fully fleeced lining for extra warmth.

The post Benchwarmers: Mitigating soft tissue injuries for local players appeared first on Soccerscene.

In the five years since their formation in March 2017, the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) have steadily carved out relationships and influence among Australian football’s key stakeholders. Initially derided by some as little more than the latest fanciful uprising looking to pull off the impossible task of implementing a National Second Division in Australia, they’ve progressed to a point where Football Australia CEO James Johnson has publicly acknowledged their consultation in driving towards that very concept. 

Following the February release of their ‘Final Report’ into a NSD, AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas spoke to Soccerscene about the organisation’s relationship with those key stakeholders, the preferred second-tier model of NPL clubs, and their future as a representative body should they achieve their aims. 

We’ve just moved past the fifth anniversary of the AAFC’s formation, and for much of that time your battle has been one of gaining public legitimacy. Football Australia clearly sees you as legitimate, as was evident when CEO James Johnson told ESPN in November that you had been consulted regarding a National Second Division that he said ‘will happen.’ Do you feel the last six months has seen a shift in the broader football community’s opinion of your legitimacy as an organisation?

Nick Galatas: Our original formation was in March 2017, and we moved to an elected board from an interim board that July. Rabieh Krayem was the chairman, and the state directors were all elected. Because there's been a lot of focus and attention on the NSD element, which is understandable, some of the other things we've done and pressed for have been in the background in terms of the public’s perception. For example, we played a major role in the removal of the National Club Identity Policy, which has been implemented by Football Australia. 

What we are is a representative body for NPL clubs, and that's our primary objective - to give them a voice. NPL clubs came together to form the AAFC precisely because they weren't taken very seriously, in their view. The next step was to gain legitimacy, a voice, and progressively we’ve done that. 

We did that initially by responding to events out of our control. The first of those was the then-FFA’s congress review, and you might recall FIFA was invited to Australia to review it, which then had the nine member federations and the A-League as the ten members. That was one of our major initial involvements at the back end of 2017.

Since then we've responded to a number of events, and there’s been Covid in between. The NPL clubs were not being sufficiently considered, their ambition was perhaps not understood by the governing bodies back when we formed. It’s true that as we have advocated for a number of football issues, including the NSD, NPL reform, representing the clubs in licensing discussions, the Domestic Transfer System, Domestic Match Calendar. We have demonstrated to all governing bodies that we’re a serious organisation and that we legitimately represent the interests of NPL clubs.

That’s where I think we have gained ground. As the issues we've advocated for have gained importance, we have also, in responding to them responsibly and effectively, achieved the level of respect and legitimacy that we deserve.

Former Football NSW Chairman Anter Isaac has been employed by Football Australia to liaise with the AAFC and in your words: ‘bring this NSD to life.’ Could you please discuss that relationship and the work being done there?

Nick Galatas: Sports management consultants Klienmann Wang, through Anter, are the appointed resource by Football Australia to assist in bringing the existing FA management team in bringing the NSD to life. Anter’s been engaged by Football Australia to focus on its delivery. I've known Anter from those 2017 congress review discussions when he was with Football NSW. We’ve established a good relationship, I think there’s respect both ways. We’ve recently liaised as part of the NSD development process and our relationship is a good one, it's robust.

What about the AAFC’s relationship with the APL? A-League clubs are theoretically the stakeholders with the most to lose if the NSD was to be implemented, so where does their involvement sit at present?

Nick Galatas: I disagree with the proposition that the A-League clubs have the most to lose, I think they’ve a lot to gain. I think they see it that way as well. Of course, there are many different club owners and I don’t know what each of their individual views are, I haven’t spoken to them all individually. But I have spoken to Danny Townsend, and my relationship with him is a good one. I think he recognises the value of what is being proposed, he supports it, and I don’t think for a moment the A-League has anything to lose, they have a lot to gain.

What’s emerging in the current football landscape is that these very substantial clubs that have existed for decades that we represent, that have survived a lot, are again coming to the forefront. They form a very important part of the football fabric in this country. They’re now being viewed as a potential source of A-League expansion and as the link to bridge the whole of our game, and the gap from top to bottom. I believe as soon as the start of the NSD is announced there will be great impetus for the game as a whole, and the A-League clubs stand to gain an enormous amount from that.

We’re keeping them informed with what we’re doing and with our thinking - we can’t control what they do, nor do we seek to, so in one sense what we do is independent. But in another sense it’s interlinked, and I’m very, very gratified that the A-Leagues are now supportive of us. They’re now engaging with us, and that’s what’s really changed in our relationships with everybody: we now speak to the APL and Football Australia regularly, and that's a positive. The NSD will not operate in a vacuum, we see it as being an integral part of our football environment. I look forward to engaging with the APL, the PFA and others in developing our thinking and shaping our clubs as the NSD starts and develops.

Have you had any engagement with the PFA? They are one year into their five-year collective bargaining agreement with the APL, so if an NSD was to be functioning next year, is it assumed that you’d need their cooperation in some capacity?

Nick Galatas: It’s clear from our perspective that we can’t see how the commencement of a new competition will be one where players are full time professionals, and we’ve made this known to everyone. Given we haven’t had a NSD and given these NPL clubs have had their ability to perform to their potential restricted by rules outside of their control, it’s a bit much to now ask them to just step up to a professional division.

Our whole approach is to look at what's achievable through the clubs that will comprise the NSD. We represent the resource for the NSD. We canvassed and researched that resource, assessed its capability and potential, and put it to Football Australia in our report. Stripped down to its essence, it says: ‘this is what you have available, this is what we think you can escalate it to to begin with, and this is the best the clubs can achieve.’ At this stage, that amounts to what is available and required for the competition to be financially stable and viable, and the clubs to be financially sustainable within it.

We’ve said: ‘let's start as part-time professionals; we don't expect players to step into a 40-hour a week environment from day one, most of them still have jobs, there needs to be a transition period. Our aim is to put the bones of a competition that is viable and can grow together, and then the players can move into a full-time professional environment as they go along. This is what we’ve told the PFA, and I think they understand and accept that.

We respect the fact that the players are a key part of our game and therefore the NSD, and if you don’t have a good relationship with the players you’ll have all sorts of problems. To that end, we see our relationship with the PFA as complementary, because they represent the players. It would be counterproductive not to; the better the relationship with the PFA, the better for everybody. 

You’ve mentioned the AAFC is no longer campaigning for the benefits of a second-tier, it’s now about advocating the specifics of a particular model. Your final report, released in February, states you favour a national tier with 12-16 clubs, while also considering the merits of a conference-style system, and a ‘Champions League’ model. Could you please discuss why you favour the national tier?

Nick Galatas: Anter Isaac, Klienmann Wang and James Johnson's new management team will look at these things and potential variations in some detail, and they’ll come to a view with our input and that of others. We’re confident that ultimately, and I think it's fair to say we've been ahead of the curve on this, we can reform the NPL by not having a national second tier comprised of 100+ clubs around the country, but to reform it and make it organic and have a more linear system involving clubs along a spectrum.

There’s loose talk about what certain models might look like or be considered, but I'm not actually aware of any other model having been formally proposed. They’ve not been fleshed out anywhere, so we’ve really adopted an approach that looked at clubs’ capability and asked them ‘where will you thrive best?’ Where we've landed, having considered various options, is the model we've identified.

Everyone has this knee jerk reaction: ‘Australia is a big place, and it’s not that populous, why don’t we look at a conference model?’ I think that’s in our consciousness because of the United States, and maybe Brazil, but these places are populous with stacks of clubs, and that doesn't apply to Australia. The US can reasonably have east/west divides in their competitions, but in Australia what would you do? Is it north/south, east/west? We say, you lose more than you gain. You'll save some travel time and cost if you do that, but you'll end up splitting Melbourne and Sydney, and that’s where the great revenue driver would be.

So we see that as counterproductive in order to make a small saving. We know travel is a big expense, that’s life, and some of our ambitions of what we can achieve are tempered by that, but we just have to do it differently and sustainably.

Your report states your favoured model ‘provides for football professionalism to be attained, rather than unrealistically imposed’. Have you considered any growth policies to bridge the gap between semi-professional and professional clubs, or is this a matter for the clubs themselves?

Nick Galatas: It won’t be our direct responsibility, as we’re the representative body. But what we’re expecting is clubs not currently operating to capacity due to restrictions placed on them by the NPL will be able to grow to their potential. This, remember, was one of the clubs’ principal frustrations when we came together as the AAFC: some of the smaller clubs struggled with second tier obligations imposed on them, and some of the bigger clubs struggled with restrictions. Each state was slightly different, but there was an NPL structure rolled out across the country that didn’t cater to the specific challenges and realities of different regions properly. It also imposed a purpose on NPL clubs to serve the A-League level clubs, rather than letting them be the best they can be.

We’re saying this competition will be a platform and a home where they can thrive, as opposed to where they are now, not thriving. That’s ultimately what we’re for. There’s been all sorts of silos in this country: ‘You’re an A-League club, you’re an NPL club, a state league club…’. That designates the level of people you attract, fans and sponsorship, administrators, which is limiting instead of enabling.

If you’ve got an ambition and an avenue to realise it you’ll attract different people, you’ll tap different resources, and you’ll grow. As these clubs grow within this competition with national exposure there will be interest in it, and we expect broadcast interest, and that escalates and feeds back on itself. We just want to put the bones in place and encourage and enable it to grow, and if everybody works together for it to grow we’ll have a really good competition from where clubs can bolster the A-League, both by way of expansion initially, and beyond that to replenish the top tier with promotion/relegation.’

The A-Leagues are currently driven by their representative body in the APL. They are operating under a ‘rising tide lifts all ships’ mantra, as seen in the ownership structure of the Newcastle Jets.
The AAFC are shooting for a more organic means of operation, so if the NSD is up and running, do you see the AAFC as still having a role and a guiding hand in proceedings? Or is your ultimate goal to dissolve the body, given the successful implementation of the natural flow of clubs?

Nick Galatas: We are constantly reviewing our function and aims. The clubs established the AAFC as a representative body that wanted to seek a voice, to enable the clubs to better streamline the national second tier so they could all find and operate at their true level. In a sense, our role will evolve, and what it evolves to, I don't know. But if the clubs gain voting rights within the member federations, which is currently indirect at best, then one might argue we’ve gained a voice at that level, and have been successful.

Secondly, if there's a NSD and the clubs are in that and they’re represented there, then they’ve got their voice within that environment. So if you address those issues, then what we change into depends on what emerges, and what the new environment is. But we would be a failure if down the track clubs are still wandering about the place saying ‘we want a voice’. So, as we progress and establish a voice for the clubs, we will have genuinely achieved much, so we’d need to genuinely review what the NPL clubs would then want from us, and we’d then see ourselves as evolving over time.

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Patrick Zwaanswijk paraded his talents in professional football as a player with Ajax Juniors, Utrecht FC, Oita Trinita, NAC Breda and Central Coast Mariners for nearly 20 years and is now trying to make an impact on Australian football in the coaching ranks.

In his time with the Mariners, he was one of the outstanding central defenders in the A- League and was selected in the A- League Team of the season in his maiden season, 2010/11.

All  those years in the Eredivisie with Utrecht and NAC Breda enabled him to rub shoulders with opponents like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Suarez in European competition while playing with stars like Dirk Kuyt and Richard Witschge.

He has held a number of coaching jobs since retiring from professional football at the Mariners in 2013 and at the moment  is overseeing youth development at Hills United while contemplating his future in Australian football.

In this interview with Roger Sleeman, Patrick  Zwaanswijk reflects on his playing career and espouses his views on youth development and the pathway of Australian football.

ROGER SLEEMAN

What was your background in Dutch football?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

I was born into a football family in the Amsterdam suburb of Haarlem where the game is a way of life.

At the age of 14, I played in an inter- regional competition against Ajax and Feyenoord and eventually made the Ajax u/18 team which was influenced by Johan Cruyff and Louis Van Gaal who was the head coach of the club.

I played in the youth team from 1995-98  and in this time we won the Champions League in 1995 and were runners up in 1996.

After Van Gaal left for Barcelona in 1997, Morton Olsen came to Ajax and brought in a lot of foreign players which made it very hard for the youth team players to graduate to the senior squad.

Eventually, I joined Utrecht at the age of 22 where I spent five and a half  seasons and played in two Dutch Cup Finals.

ROGER SLEEMAN

While you were at Utrecht, Bobby Robson came to see you play with the intention of signing you for Newcastle United.

Can you explain the background to this event?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

In 2002, one of my teammates at Utrecht, David Mendez Da Silva, was being looked at by an agent in a game against Sparta Rotterdam and I played really well that day. A scout came to view me again in an away game and Bobby Robson followed .

Subsequently, Robson made an offer to buy me but Han Berger refused the offer.

At the time, we had Dirk Kuyt and some Belgian internationals in the squad , had just won the Dutch Cup, were 5^th in the League but I was told they wanted to keep the squad intact.

Dirk Kuyt moved on and Berger went to Japan to manage OitaTrinta who also had Richard Witschge in the team.

I followed Berger to Japan.

ROGER SLEEMAN

After one season in Japan, you returned to Holland to play with Ante Milic’s former club, NAC Breda.

Can you relate that experience?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

I played at Breda in the middle of the defence with Rob Penders and we became known as “the Twin Towers “.

The club had quality players and we always finished in the top 6-7 in the Eredivisie as well as competing in the Champions League and Europa League competitions.

However, at the age of 35, I  realised the club was looking for younger players so my future was uncertain.

ROGER SLEEMAN

What were the circumstances which led to your signing by Central Coast Mariners in 2010?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

Graham Arnold was told about me by a few former players he knew from Breda so he made me an offer which would give me an opportunity to play in a new country for the rest of my career.

The decision paid off because we made the A-League grand final in the 2010/11 season, only to lose the match to Brisbane Roar , due to that contentious decision made in favour of Besart Berisha.

However, I received a great honor when I was selected in the A-League team of the year.

In the 2011/12 season we won the Premier’s Plate but were defeated in the semi-final , and in 2012/13 we were neck and neck for the season with the Wanderers before they won the Premier’s Plate.

We won in the grand final and I managed to score a goal which meant at the age  of 37, I decided to leave the game at a high point.

ROGER SLEEMAN

How did you rate the A-League when you were playing in it?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

It was physical ,and at the Mariners, the players had great mentality and a willingness to work hard.

I was fortunate to be at the Mariners with the Golden Generation and Arnold wanted me to be their leader.

Players of the calibre of Ryan, Sainsbury, Wilkinson, Rogic, Duke , Ibini, Simon and Amini were a pleasure to play with and most of them progressed to great heights in their careers which vindicated the standard of the A-League at the time.

ROGER SLEEMAN

How do you compare youth development in Australia with that of Holland?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

Critically, in Holland it’s free.

Technically, young Australian players are as capable as their Dutch counterparts .

However,  from a total development standpoint, they are worlds apart.

In Australia there is a set program and the players aren’t prepared physically, tactically and for superior decision making whilst in Holland players are taught these facets of the game at an early stage in their development.

There is definitely a structural problem here with too many conflicting philosophies and the absence of an effective talent scout system ,also means the best players don’t always come through the system.

ROGER SLEEMAN

You were involved with the Olyroos and the u/19’s.

How did you rate these players?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

I was assistant coach under Gary Van Egmond for the u/19’s and up to three months before the Olympics.

Players like Metcalfe, Glover , Tilio,  Atkinson and Bacchus were still in development but performed well in Japan.

Atkinson’s move to Hearts was positive as he is in a country where there is no language barrier and Metcalfe’s imminent move to St Pauli will bear fruit when the club is promoted to the Bundesliga.

For these young players, they are leaving a country where football is number five compared to European countries where the sport is number one which can only contribute to their success.

ROGER SLEEMAN

You were employed by Wanderers as an assistant coach in September, 2020.

What was your experience of that?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

I was assistant coach to Jean- Paul de Marigny but we never coached together because three weeks into the season , his services were terminated.

When Carl Robinson and Kenny Miller were appointed as the head coaches, I formed a good working relationship with them.

I took over the role of A- League youth coach and we finished second in the League.

We played the same formation as the first team and nine of the players from the youth pool gained contracts on scholarships. Also, I played an important role in development and mentoring.

However, CEO, John Tsatsimas, rang me at the completion of my contract to advise my contract wouldn’t be renewed due to Covid.

This was even after Carl Robinson had commented I was the best coach out of Labinot Haliti, Kenny Miller and myself.

ROGER SLEEMAN

Why are the Wanderers experiencing such turbulent times?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

The truth is, they won’t return to greatness until they make major changes and the recent publicity surrounding the replacement of Mark Rudan ,when he was caretaker coach, by Ufuk Talay was an example of the uncertainty existing.

The appointment of Rudan to a full time position will hopefully be a positive.

ROGER SLEEMAN

Who are the people in Australian football you have been most impressed with?

PATRICK ZWAANSWIJK

I’ve always held the highest respect for Graham Arnold, especially at the Mariners and when he was assistant to Guus Hiddink and Pim Verbeek for World Cups.

The former F.A. Technical Director, Rob Sherman  ,who I did my A-Licence under was a man who was in the game for the right reasons but unfortunately was critical of the F.A. setup and didn’t think he could implement his ideas.

However, the man I believe should be centre stage in Australian football is the game’s most decorated player, Craig Johnston.

He loves Australia and is so passionate about youth development.

Craig has been accepted all around the world by people like Cruyff and Klinsmann for his training methods and skills development , yet Australia still hasn’t allowed him to influence the game in a profound way.

The post Made in Holland- the Patrick Zwaanswijk Way appeared first on Soccerscene.

As 2021 draws to a close, it has proved to be another fantastic year of growth for the game.

With the 2023 Women's World Cup on home soil edging closer, the tournament is one of the main driving forces behind facility funding and infrastructure in particular that will play a key role for the Matildas and visiting teams.

In a recap of 2021 highlights, Soccerscene picks out five contributors towards a groundbreaking year for Australian football.

The APL have officially been given the reigns

The long-awaited hand over of Australia’s professional leagues has provided A-League club owners with greater impetus to invest than ever before. The impact of the unbundling, which was officially confirmed at the last possible minute on December 31, 2020, is yet to be fully realised. But it has to be said that the signs thus far point to a positive future for football.

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL), the entity charged with growing the professional leagues in Australia, have already begun to endear themselves to the passionate domestic football fanbase, simply through making substantial decisions for the benefit of football in the short and long-term.

So far, the APL have delivered. A unified A-Leagues which has seen the Men’s and Women’s game united under one banner; the wholehearted support of broadcaster 10 ViacomCBS as the home of Australian football; the launch of the KEEPUP digital platform to serve as the go-to hub for all things domestic and international football; and a $100 million investment into football here from American private equity firm Silver Lake.

There is no denying that those who have sought to take the game in a positive direction are seeking to do as such through their actions, rather than their words.

Investment in National Premier Leagues infrastructure across the country

National Premier Leagues (NPL) sides across Australia placed a significant focus on the growth and investment into their infrastructure in 2021.

As of November, the upgrades to Clennett’s Lightwood Park are underway, ensuring that Kingborough Lions FC’s home ground will be given a significant opportunity to potentially host training basecamps for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The club were recipients of a portion of the Tasmanian Government’s $10 million pledge to upgrade facilities in preparation for hosting World Cup content.

NPL NSW 4 side Parramatta Eagles FC were successful in securing a well-overdue upgrade to the iconic Melita Stadium. The Eagles contributed $20,000 to the upgrade and were successful in obtaining $50,000 from the Community Building Partnerships Program.

Melita Stadium is a historic venue known to all that love the world game and has been given a new lease on life thanks to the funding. Beyond the historic relevance, the arrival of the upgrade to Melita Stadium in 2021 contains with it the symbolic implication of an overriding investment into football facilities across the board.

Edgeworth Eagles’ nearly $1.5 million development has ushered the historic Northern NSW side into a new era. A quarter of a million of the investment went into floodlighting to provide adequate lighting for the club’s many programs and teams, leaving them as the only NPL side with 500 Lux on their ground.

In addition, Victorian NPL 2 side North Sunshine Eagles saw a newly redeveloped $8.4 million facility based in Ardeer established to house their entire junior setup out of More Park from 2022.

The facility has two full size rectangular pitches, a 21x12m fully enclosed futsal court, a mini pitch (suitable for MiniRoos), four female-friendly changerooms as well as a fully accessible sports pavilion, community social room and expanded carpark.

The efforts being made by these clubs (and plenty more) must be commended, particularly in light of yet another COVID-19 impacted season that forced competitions across the country to end early.

State federations make strides to advance the game 

Exciting partnership news extended across the country, with notable deals including: Football South Australia announcing a new eight-year partnership with leading LED manufacturer One World LED & Sportal; Football West linking up with Veo Technologies to support West Australian clubs; and Capital Football beginning their new apparel partnership with Australian sports clothing manufacturer ISC.

Football Queensland have taken immense strides as a member federation this year, following the release of Future of Football 2020+. In August, FQ Members voted on 11 resolutions put forward with an overwhelming show of support for the Future of Football 2020+ reforms, the first the game has seen in 20 years.

Football West CEO James Curtis stepped down from his role with the intention of setting a precedent of leadership succession for the West Coast’s representative football federation, and perhaps for Australian football as a whole.

In a sport where in-fighting and over-politicising has undoubtedly impeded the game in the past, such movements are indicative of the changing approach to how football is governed.

The women’s game is given the focus it deserves

With the excitement of an upcoming Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted with New Zealand in 2023, opportunities have finally been presented to the women’s game to give it the attention and investment it has deserved. Such spotlight is undeniably overdue, especially considering the overwhelming presence and support of the Matildas across the Australian sporting public.

With the women’s game expected to grow in interest and participation over the next decade, female friendly amenities are essential in ensuring a safe and inviting space is facilitated for women to prepare for competition and training.

The lack of female friendly football facilities has been slowly rectified in 2021, with the likes of Nepean Football Association side, St Marys Band Rangers FC, recently seeing an upgrade to the facility at their home ground, Kevin Dwyer Fields. Fresh paint, new bench seating and most importantly lockable showers and toilets for females has been added to the existing change rooms.

Football Australia’s announcement in August of a High Performance Coaching Initiative will look to help women’s football move beyond the well documented barriers. In an Australian football first, over 150 women coaches at various levels will partake in a comprehensive study to better understand their coaching landscape in the first phase of the Initiative.

By taking on an evidence-based approach, women coaches in football will be supported, engaged with, developed, and retained to increase the numbers in high performance.

For regional football, a NSW Government funded talent identification and youth development program was announced in January to take place over the next three years to help young girls who aspire to play for the Matildas.

The $750,000 initiative is designed for girls aged 12 to 18 years old, with funding to support the establishment of training hubs across the state and identifying talented young players will be further supported through the provision of training camps and player support scholarships.

Australian football finally has the 'new dawn' it’s been waiting for

Starting anew, with expansive scope available to Football Australia, the APL and the member federations to lead Australian football out of its tumultuous, and often chaotic, adolescent years, the opportunity is now here to ensure that Australian football reaches its lofty potential.

There is plenty to be excited for, particularly with a National Second Division touted for 2023 that will arguably stamp Football Australia and the APL’s commitment to uniting the game between the professional, semi-professional and grassroots tiers.

Ultimately however, Australian football needs to work to win back many fans who have become disenchanted with how the game has been run. In an interview with Soccerscene ahead of the A-Leagues season, 10 ViacomCBS Executive Producer Geoff Bullock acknowledged that the broadcasters were looking to bring a "fan-first approach to broadcasting football" in Australia. If one thing is clear about the future, Australian football must reignite the passion of the fans in this country.

References to a 'new dawn' for Australian football will understandably be taken with a grain of salt from the footballing public. But even the most tentative Australian football adherent would feel a greater hope and optimism for the future. It’s simply a matter of patience.

The post Why 2021 was a groundbreaking year for Australian football appeared first on Soccerscene.

Jack Edwards Reserve, home of NPL Victoria outfit Oakleigh Canons and Chisholm United, is set for a $4 million upgrade, revealed on a recent Cannons Facebook post.

The funding announcement states that the Cannons have received a $4 million grant for a new pavilion and facility upgrade.

“This project is not just a football project; it is a community project; Oakleigh Cannons and Jack Edwards Reserve are a social hub, a meeting point for parents, grandparents, siblings,” Oakleigh Cannons president Stan Papayienneris said.

“Now the state government in their foresight and entrustment in us have decided that the facilities should be improved. Further, they will add to the existing facilities, and hopefully, upon completion, it will be something that is considered world-class.

“This facility is going to be a step closer to our goal of having women’s teams in the NPL; it is going to provide the infrastructure that’s required.”

Oakleigh MP Steve Dimopoulos hailed Jack Edwards Reserve as an “anchor” of the local community and was delighted to confirm the grant.

“It is one of the anchors of the Oakleigh community; when you talk about a community anchor, there is probably no bigger than the Cannons and Jack Edwards Reserve,” he said.

“The Victorian government this year has fully committed and confirmed a $4 million grant to help achieve this vision.”

Club Chairman Kon Kavalakis was delighted to see the grant confirmed.

“It has been an unbelievable journey with a lot of hurdles, and we have overcome every single one of them,” he said.

“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank local MP Steve Dimopoulos and the Monash City council for their continued support throughout this process.”

The statement on the Cannons’ Facebook page also stated that the club was continuing to work with Monash City Council on further upgrades.

“In conjunction with the Monash City council, we look forward to working together to complete the new pavilion and facility upgrade which is estimated to cost between $10-12 million,” the statement read.

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Football Australia consulted with the Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) last week to discuss modelling and other considerations for a National Second Tier.

The Thursday night meeting was attended virtually by representatives from Football Australia, including CEO James Johnson, as well AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas and representatives from member clubs.

Within the meeting, the commercial, financial, and modelling aspects of the competition were discussed.

A Football Australia spokesperson stated that the meeting was an opportunity for clubs to voice their opinions and views on certain questions posed by FA, and considerations for a National Second Tier directly to the peak body.

“Football Australia held a meeting with the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) and a number of representative clubs from around Australia on Thursday 26 August as part of a consultation to discuss the objectives and vision for a National Second Tier, commercial, financial and competition modelling considerations, the Domestic Match Calendar and access to and from a proposed National Second Tier,” a FA spokesperson said.

“CEO, James Johnson and several other senior executives of Football Australia participated in the meeting and welcomed the opportunity to hear directly from the clubs on some of their views on these considerations and look forward to having further and more detailed discussions in the coming months as we move the conceptual discussions towards practical ones, and in turn the national second tier becoming a reality at the appropriate time.”

Galatas said the meeting was well received by the AAFC, and that it was held professionally and in good faith.

“The next steps are firstly we will provide the material that Football Australia has requested, secondly we will finalise our report, and finally we will continue to liaise with Football Australia as they progress towards finalising their model," he said.

The AAFC released the report in January as a framework for how they believe a second division could be structured, ran and implemented.

No timeline has been placed on the development of the competition by either Football Australia or the AAFC, according to Galatas.

"We didn't think it was appropriate to press for a timeline, and instead work towards providing information for Football Australia to develop the right model,” he said.

"Getting it right in more important than imposing some sort of deadline. Clearly the intention that emerged from that meeting was that we now work as stakeholders to complete the tasks, so short term is better than long term but there is no specific timeline.”

Football Australia recently included a placeholder for a National Second Tier competition on its domestic match calendar.

The post Football Australia meets with AAFC to discuss National Second Tier appeared first on Soccerscene.

With the addition of a placeholder for a National Second Division in the newly announced Domestic Match Calendar, the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) believes the initiative is a sign Football Australia is anticipating the competition's start in the near future, as well as implicit support for the concept.

President of the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC), Nick Galatas, explains the move is a positive step towards a National Second Division being introduced.

"The second division has been in the process of development for some time, independently from the domestic match calendar. The domestic match calendar is a separate initiative which the A-League has undertaken, which we think is a good initiative for the game so that everyone knows when everything is on, there is alignment, and there is provision made for the various seasons, national teams and all competitions," he said.

"The domestic match calendar is an independent project and not a part of the second division. It is a positive thing because while Football Australia has been developing the national second division, and AAFC is participating in its development, it is heartening and positive to see that Football Australia has made provision for it in the domestic match calendar, anticipating that it will start in the near future.”

South Melbourne FC President Nicholas Maikousis says that the opportunity to play in a National Second Division instead of the Victorian National Premier League (NPL) would be a huge moment for the club. 

"We think it's critical to get another tier of clubs and raise benchmarks. Ultimately, apart from our club's self-interests and our forecasts and projections for a national second division, it can be a game-changer for us," he said.

"We also have some fundamental philosophical views on the unification of football in this country once and for all. It's a wonderful opportunity for the FA, Chris Nikou, James Johnson, and the board to truly unify the old soccer and new football - and whatever jargon people use these days - because all of a sudden they will get old football paying attention to the A-League."

The AAFC has already released its framework for how a second division would be run, structured and implemented. Galatas adds that the next step is to work with Football Australia to deliver a model that is suitable for football clubs Australia-wide.

"We are hopefully now at the next stage where we are stress-testing our model with Football Australia's development, as they are working on the available models. We are going to work with them and see what they think and how our clubs can respond to anything put to them,” he said.

Several high-profile clubs have already laid out their intentions to pursue a position in the National Second Division. Gold Coast United chairman Danny Maher told Soccerscene this week that while the club was wanting a return to the A-League that was separate from the National Premier League team, the club itself would be interested in the viability of the second division.

“Gold Coast United, the NPL entity, may be interested in the second division and we are currently part of that group investigating the viability of a second division,” Maher said. 

Melbourne Knights President Pave Jusup told Soccerscene the club would be interested in joining the competition.

“We’ve got a lot of latent fans who are disappointed in the situation we find ourselves in. There are a lot of people who would put their hands up and into their pockets to help propel the club if given the opportunity. We’ve gone through a period of consolidation, but there’s a new generation of people who want to propel the club into the limelight as their parents and grandparents did,” Jusup said. 

Maikousis believes the second division is a huge opportunity for Australian football and would improve the players that are developed within the country.

"I think the national second division will not only unify the game, but also create bigger clubs again. It will also deal with the issue of developing Australian talent," he said.

South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights, and Gold Coast United are part of the 32 club National Second Division Partner Group run by the AAFC, and have made contributions towards the framework published in January 2021. The group of clubs "resourced and undertook detailed discussions involving numerous workshops, research and analysis" which ultimately lead to the publishing of the report. According to the AAFC website the competition is aiming to launch in 2022.

A National Second Division below the A-League was once a pipe-dream. However, with key stakeholders embracing the idea and working together, the idea could soon become a reality. With three key organisations - Football Australia, AAFC, and Australian Professional Leagues - all in strong support, the ultimate goal of promotion and relegation between the A-League and a National Second Division could be closer than many realise.

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Australian company Benchwarmers have developed an innovative solution, through their functional sporting attire, to keep players warm when they are not on the field.

Their product, a body-length garment, is specifically designed to keep the most vulnerable parts of the body warm such as the upper legs, whilst keeping the arms free to allow players to regulate their own body temperature.

The item is ultra-lightweight and includes other features such as insulated inside pockets, a hood, a resistance to water and wind, as well as fully fleeced lining for extra warmth.

Creator of the product, Andrew Lauder, recently developed the Benchwarmer after his previous experiences as a coach on the sidelines.

“I identified that there was a problem years ago, he told Soccerscene.

“I was coaching young kids and was having to take down blankets and stuff to keep them warm on the benches.

“Some kids in football once they get a head knock or something, they go into a little bit of a shock and there was nothing to keep them warm on the bench apart from club hoodies or something along those lines, which was ridiculous.”

“Over the 2020 period I sort of started designing Benchwarmers, working out the features of how best to do it and have continued to go on from there.”

Lauder explained it was extremely necessary for grassroots players to keep their muscles warm on the bench before they came on, to avoid hamstring strains and other common soft tissue injuries.

“The main point is, especially with juniors and amateurs, they are sitting on the bench waiting for their time to come on and they don’t warm up like the professionals do,” he said.

“Professionals may say ‘let’s jump on the bike and get your legs moving’, but the kids and the amateurs they run on without properly warming up their body.”

[caption id="attachment_10788" align="aligncenter" width="605"] The design of the Benchwarmers product.[/caption]

Lauder has built up the product to a local and international audience and has found some success in doing so, despite it being a relatively new product.

“I put it out there to the kids, because that’s where I started it all,” he said.

“But at the moment it’s the amateurs in England who have started grabbing it and some clubs here.

“One thing that I get sometimes with the smaller clubs is they love it but they don’t want to pay for it. With junior clubs they are obviously volunteers and they are more hesitant to make the decision to spend the money. It’s crazy because you ask them every time, what do you have in the kitbag to keep the kids warm? They usually have nothing, just club jackets, which I don’t believe is sufficient.”

Lauder continues to invest his time into avenues which will grow the presence of his item, such as social media work, further marketing of Benchwarmers and listening to customer's feedback.

“My main thing at this point of time is that I’ve been doing a lot of direct email marketing which I’ve put out,” he said.

“I am also building the Instagram and Facebook pages to target clubs and people to sort of get them onto it and that has started to work in some cases.

“Some feedback I’ve received by one of the clubs, for example, showed me the benefits of how important it is to be a lightweight product. One club wanted ten of them and wanted his manager to be able to put them into the kit bag and carry them from job to job. They don’t take up too much space, their waterproof, their fully lined inside, they’ve been developed with 40cm pockets on the inside which are insulated - all these things help.”

The creator of Benchwarmers hopes the product will continue to have steady growth here in Australia and overseas in the long term.

“In the future I wish that the Benchwarmers brand is in a hell of a lot of clubs and people are wrapped they have them for their kids,” Lauder said.

“Basically, I want them to think to themselves, why didn’t we do this or buy this years ago?”

The post Benchwarmers: Providing a sportswear solution to improve player performance and safety appeared first on Soccerscene.

As a national second division becomes inevitable, key stakeholders within the A-League agree it is crucial to the development of Australian football, forging a path for promotion and relegation to become a reality.

In the past, public perception has been that A-League clubs were hesitant to allow for their positions within the competition to be challenged, however this is quickly changing as the plans for a second division continue to evolve.

A question hanging over the breakthrough is who will handle the administration of the league. Currently, the A-League is run by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), which is controlled by current A-League clubs.

Danny Townsend, CEO of Sydney FC and the APL, explains that while there hasn't been any dialogue towards the APL's role in the running of a national second division, they would willingly support the competition in any way they can.

“We are responsible for professional football in Australia, and everything below that is essentially under the remit of Football Australia (FA), and the member federations in each state. If there is a view that we could contribute or play a role in supporting the second division, either under our banner or in partnership with someone, of course, we would always look to promote football,” he said.

“At the end of the day promoting and encouraging football to be as sustainable as it can be in Australia, and if we have a role to play there we would absolutely engage with that.”

Currently, the clubs that would potentially make up a second division are represented by the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC), who would likely play a large role in the administration of a national second division. Currently the AAFC, the APL and FA are the three biggest players in shaping the structure of professional football in Australia going forward.

Tony Pignata, CEO of Perth Glory, expressed support for a second division featuring promotion and relegation.

“Football needs promotion and relegation. We see it overseas in the leagues, teams are promoted, and the bottom teams are beating the top teams just to survive. It does add a lot to the game, so I think a second division is warranted and needed,” he said.

He adds that the second division will launch when Football Australia can ensure the additional clubs can handle the financial burden of professional football.

“The timing will depend on the financial viability of the league, and that's what FA are working on at the moment,” Pignata said.

With the support of the APL and A-League clubs, the largest hurdle that faces the second division is creating a structure that is financially viable for the inaugural teams, as they evolve from semi-professional to fully professional outfits. This journey has happened in reverse previously, as the former National Soccer League clubs joined their state leagues at the A-League's inception.

One idea currently being floated at Football Australia is a structure similar to the current Champions League format -  32 teams divided into groups of four, followed by a knockout stage. The attraction of this format is to reduce costly away days for the clubs, limiting them to just three away games, unless they proceed to the knockout stages.

Whether this would be embraced by clubs within the second division – and the A-League teams who would eventually become a part of the competition through promotion and relegation – remains to be seen. The concept is seen as a stop-gap between bringing the second division into reality and creating a sustainable professional league.

With plans for the structure of a second division still in the works at Football Australia, it is important they deliver a structure that ensures the long-term financial viability of not just the second division clubs, but also those A-League teams that are relegated.

Pignata mentions that some of the hesitancy towards promotion and relegation from the current A-League clubs is due to the potential lack of representation for a state in the Australian top division.

“I'm talking as a football purist. The only issue that the A-League clubs are raising is if Perth Glory gets relegated, and a New South Wales team gets promoted, there is no team in Perth. If Adelaide gets relegated, then there is no team in Adelaide, and that is an issue," he said.

"But saying that, we have to make sure we don't get relegated, and that is what you need to fight for."

Pignata believes that for football to reach its potential in Australia, the challenges of promotion and relegation need to be embraced by the professional clubs, despite potential issues that it would present for current clubs.

“I think in years to come, that is how it will be played, and we have no fear. We shouldn't be a closed shop. If we want to make football here in Australia as in Europe, then we need to have promotion and relegation, and clubs need to make sure they don't get relegated.”

Relegation could potentially mean a loss of income that could prove fatal to A-League clubs. One solution to this would be cash payments to relegated teams from the first division into the second, a concept that is currently employed in major leagues around the world such as the English Premier League. These 'parachute payments' would protect against the financial shock of relegation, ensuring clubs aren't forced to fold.

There are several issues that Football Australia, the AAFC, and the APL will be required to resolve before a national second division becomes a reality. Unlike in the past, it is clear there is the will and desire for a national second division like never before.

The post National second division finds support within the A-League’s top brass appeared first on Soccerscene.

The Oakleigh Cannons are a club who are a staple of the top tier of Victorian football.

The Cannons have competed in the Victorian National Premier League consecutively for the past 17 years, gaining promotion when they lifted the State League One Championship in 2003.

Since then, the senior men’s team have won one minor premiership in 2006, however have fallen to three grand final defeats in 2011, 2012 and 2016.

After eight games this season, the club currently sits in fifth place in NPL Victoria and are well placed to once again be up there at season’s end.

General Manager at Oakleigh, Aki Ionnas, believes the club can finally break their grand final hoodoo this year.

“I do believe that we can win it,” he told Soccerscene.

“Chris Taylor has put a very good squad together; all the boys are fantastic. We’re confident these boys can take us all the way.”

If it eventuates it will be a great reward for the club, based on the events of the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Like any other club, it was obviously hard,” Ionnas said.

“For players, kids, juniors, the committee…it was a hard season with no football.

“Kids are used to going to training and playing soccer, your supporters, your sponsors, your members are used to going down to the club, and before you know it, you’re at home in a lockdown.

“So, it was very hard mentally for a lot of people.”

The club was established in 1972 and currently plays its home games at Jack Edwards Reserve, a facility which seems like a perfect setup for a club who plays in the top level in Victoria.

The venue has a capacity of 4,000-5,000 people with upgrades over the years continuing to lift the overall standard of the facility.

“About six years ago our facilities got upgraded with a brand-new synthetic ground as well as a junior pavilion. That was done all through hard work from our chairman Kon Kavalakis, who was responsible in liaising with council and other key parties to get these facilities.

“We’ve recently had a state-of-the art scoreboard that’s gone up last year and started using it this year.

“There’s always work going into the improvement of facilities. Even though the synthetic ground was done six years, we’ve resurfaced it again only a year and a half ago to reach top FIFA standards."

Ionnas revealed that the club was in the progress of talking to council in regards to further developing the ground, something that the AAFC partner club sees as a priority in the future.

Oakleigh’s General Manager is relatively confident that the club is ready to take the next step and enter a national second division when it eventuates.

“Look, it all depends once we see the final model that it’s financially viable," he said.

"If it’s financially viable, then yes.

“It all depends on what the model is going to look like and what it’s going to cost. Speaking to a lot of clubs, that’s what they are all waiting for.

“We are an ambitious club, we would always like to compete at the highest level, we’ve got very good sponsors, very good backers, a very strong board who are all business minded and great infrastructure which we will eventually develop further.”

According to Ionnas, the strong affiliation the club has with the local Greek community has positively impacted the fortunes and finances of the club over their history.

“We’ve got very strong support obviously in the Greek community,” he said.

“We’ve had strong support for a long, long time. We’ve had a major supporter in Delphi Bank who has been our sponsor for 15 years I believe. It’s a massive thing for that to happen continuously.”

Ionnas hopes the club continues to be consistently competitive in the near future, across all aspects of the sport.

“Obviously, we want the club to be a strong club irrespective where it is playing, we want to be up there both on and off the park.

"Our chairman and president Stan Papayianneris have done enormous work, each in their own way, to get the club to where it is now. Oakleigh should remain a strong club because it’s got enormous support away from the field.

"We can’t thank everyone enough for supporting the club."

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AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas has outlined his plans for the organisation for 2021, with the continued pursuit of the introduction of a national second division at the top of his list.

Speaking with Soccerscene, Galatas explained that at the core of the organisation’s work on a national second tier, is the importance of producing the best outcomes for the sport.

“It’s about having the best possible national second division,” he said.

“That is front and centre of what we have put forward. What we’ve asked our clubs to put forward is not the minimum they can do, but the maximum they can do. Yes, we can always do less than the best, work below our capacity and set low targets that we can achieve.

“But we think we can do better than that.

“The clubs are assuming the risk, they are putting up the money and their resources, they think they can make it work from within their capability. Let’s use it, why wouldn’t we tap into that resource?”

FA CEO James Johnson recently spoke with Simon Hill on the Shim, Spider and So Much Moore podcast, praising the AAFC’s model and philosophically agreeing with the concept of a national second division with 12-16 teams.

However, Johnson believes that a more pragmatic model is a two-phase system where clubs will play out their local NPL season, with the best sides to then progress into a national-based “Champions League” group stage competition at the back-end of the year.

Galatas believes it is up to AAFC to convince Football Australia that the research they have conducted, in their feasibility progress report, will ultimately show that their model for a national second division is the appropriate way forward for the sport.

“Our job is to show Football Australia what they philosophically think is better, is in fact better and does in fact work,” he stated.

"We are not rejecting the outline of what James put out the other day, it may turn out to be better. We will explore that further and try and look at that and imagine it to its best level and work on that in good faith. If it looks good, and the risk associated with that is so much lower to make it more viable, then great.

“But, our work to date shows that it is not the case.

“The cost to the revenue side of a more limited model and the difficulty our member clubs will have in selling that to their own people, in terms of generating the relevant interest, isn’t worth it, as the savings it involves doesn’t compensate for the forgone revenue and interest. We look forward to seeing the FA model James mentioned in more detail when it’s ready, but we have anticipated such a model in our progress report before settling on our preferred model.”

AAFC hopes to complete its final report on its national second division plans by April, with Galatas anticipating a lot of the year to be occupied by Football Australia’s modelling of the second tier, something the organisation expects to play a notable role in.

Alongside this, they will look to navigate through all the changes to the game that directly affect the NPL clubs they are representing.

The organisation intends to conduct some work on advancing the women’s game in the country in the build-up to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, whilst also keeping abreast with recent announcements from the governing body.

“Going on to the domestic transfer system and the white paper FA has introduced, we are definitely looking at that. We’re preparing our position and contribution to that,” Galatas said.

“Football Australia also recently put out its domestic football calendar, so we are getting our heads around that as well and where we fit in.”

Possible reforms are also set to occur to NPL competition structures across Australia.

“We’ll be working with the member federations and with Football Australia in continuing to evolve that,” he said.

“There have been reviews into structures in Victoria, NSW and one now happening in Queensland, so we are constantly working on that part of it because most of our member clubs are involved in that.”

Galatas, based in Melbourne, believes on the back of the enthusiasm and movement on the second division front, strong crowds should turn out for the NPL season in Victoria.

“A lot of people want to see their teams play, practice match crowds are up from what I’ve heard and hopefully there are bumper crowds for the season.”

The post AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas: “We want the best possible national second division” appeared first on Soccerscene.

Melbourne Knights president Pave Jusup believes there is no reason why Football Australia or any A-League side should attempt to block the plan to implement a national second division.

AAFC released a feasibility report for a national second tier last week, detailing a financial model which forecasted that the league will cost up to $3.3 million a year to operate, with participating clubs to pay a $200,000 fee each season and require an annual budget of $1m - $1.8million.

The clubs interested in playing in a second division (such as the Knights), believe based on their current financials and the research undertaken for AAFC’s report, the figures listed can be met.

Jusup took to Twitter to explain that since a number of clubs are willing to fully fund the competition, Football Australia should green light a national second division for next year.

“I've been personally involved in football administration since 2007 and talk of a second division has been a constant topic, a faraway land, a dream and a hope. Since then, we've gone from hope to consensus among nearly all stratas of the sport…It’s time to unleash, unshackle and breathe life into the sport we love by healing old wounds, providing new opportunities and actually unifying the sport into a football family," he concluded.

The post Melbourne Knights president: No reason for FA to block national second division appeared first on Soccerscene.

AAFC have released their progress report into a feasible national second division, believing the competition can get underway by 2022.

According to the document, the organisation says the league could initially start with 12 clubs, but hopes to eventually rise to 16 teams through promotion and relegation from state NPLs, as long as those clubs meet certain standards.

"This report is about what our member clubs can contribute to Football Australia in establishing and operating a true national second tier," AAFC chairman Nick Galatas said.

"It is about the best possible. Not about a notional 'best' or the merely 'possible.' It identifies the most viable and financially responsible model for a true national second tier to be able to both start and, as importantly, to grow."

AAFC estimate that the league will cost up to $3.3million to operate each year, with participating clubs to pay a $200,000 fee each season and require an annual budget of $1m-$1.8m.

Most of the costs are due to travel, however partner clubs involved in the interim report have made it clear the figures listed are achievable due to the expected additional revenue they can generate.

The report outlines the proposed second division would be played in alignment with the A-League season, whether that is winter or summer.

Promotion and relegation to the A-League is not an immediate goal for the second division plans, however AAFC envisions a scenario which could see it introduced by 2028.

The organisation has also targeted 2025 for the commencement of a national second tier for women, recognising the importance of the female side of the game.

“Currently, like the men’s second tier, the women’s second tier is comprised of the Women’s National Premier Leagues run separately by each Member Federation. AAFC considers women’s football vital to the overall health of our game. Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 presents us with a wonderful opportunity to grow women’s football, including through the introduction of a true national second tier,” Galatas said.

“We have pressed for a NSD for women from the outset, but this measure has not received the same measure of support from our governing bodies and other stakeholders, so our report addresses it in that context.”

AAFC will now consult with relevant stakeholders in the game including Football Australia, before finalising the final report by Easter to present to the governing body.

The post AAFC releases plan to introduce national second division by 2022 appeared first on Soccerscene.

As always in Australian football, 2021 is set to be a big year.

After a year which was continually disrupted by a global pandemic, the game’s future seems to be much brighter in 2021. Here are some of the reasons why:

An Independent A-League and W-League

After years of infighting, the A-League and W-League were finally unbundled from Football Australia on the last day of 2020.

A new organisation of A-League club owners, under the moniker of Australian Professional Leagues (APL), will now take over the operational, commercial and marketing control of both leagues.

Essentially, the league’s power brokers will now have more incentive to invest and market the leagues as they now have the impetus to attract and organise their own business dealings.

Chair of APL and co-owner of the Western Sydney Wanderers, Paul Lederer, spoke of the importance of the deal: “This is an historic moment for the future of football in Australia – for the fan, for the player, for the whole game.

“It’s now time to earn and deliver the future our game deserves. The handbrake on the game is off; owners can finally invest in what they own and create value for the entire footballing ecosystem.

“Players can plan their careers in Australian football, fans can reconnect with the game that they love, and clubs can create meaningful moments for the whole Australian football family.”

Domestic Transfer System

One of Football Australia’s ‘XI Principles’ outlined the need to stimulate and grow the Australian football economy, with the establishment of a new and modern domestic transfer system mooted as a proposed measure.

Last week Football Australia released a Domestic Transfer System White Paper, which will set the wheels in motion to revamp the current model into one which falls in-line with the rest of the global game.

It’s an area where Australian football is falling behind, with FIFA reporting in 2019 that Australian clubs only received US$1.9 million in international transfer fees, compared to other Asian nations like Japan who garnered US$29.4 million.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson has placed significant importance on the issue and the implementation of a proper domestic transfer system will finally reward a broad range of clubs across the Australian football pyramid.

“The establishment of a modern Domestic Transfer System in 2021 by Football Australia will seek to remedy the ‘gap’ that has been created in the Australian football ecosystem by providing opportunities to progressive clubs at all levels of the sport to generate new revenue streams which can be deployed into the ongoing training and development of players, and the clubs themselves,” he said.

“We believe that the implementation of a fit-for-purpose system will have transformational benefits for football in Australia and particularly our professional and grassroots clubs by reconnecting the game and stimulating growth,” Johnson concluded.

National Second Division

The Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) is set to release a report on the progress of their plans for a national second division in the coming days, in a move which should enthuse the Australian football public.

A national second division (eventually with promotion and relegation) will bring a range of benefits to the football system here and will be a unique identifier which separates the game from a range of other sports played on our shores.

There does seem to be some hesitance from A-League clubs however, to immediately green-light a national second division.

Chair of the APL, Paul Lederer, recently stated that a national second division wouldn’t eventuate within the next two years, claiming that expanding the A-League to 16 teams was a more urgent priority.

Speaking with Box2Box, AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas responded to Lederer’s comments. “It doesn’t really bother us much because I don’t think the issue will come down to Paul in the end. It’s not really about him”, he said.

“I was surprised to hear the comments, I’ve got to say, but equally had he said the opposite, it wouldn’t have mattered much either.

Ultimately, the decision will come down to Football Australia as the APL does not have the appropriate regulatory functions.

The current FA administration is much more willing than previous administrations to introduce a second tier, previously listing the need to continue the development of a framework for a national second division, in their ‘XI Principles’ document last year.

New Broadcast Deal

Fox Sports re-negotiated their TV deal with the A-League and other Australian football properties when the competition went into shutdown during the COVID pandemic.

The deal was reduced in both dollars and length, with Fox Sports paying just over $30 million for a one-year agreement which runs out in July of this year.

There is a possibility that Fox may pass on extending that deal, but that does present the game with opportunities to seek out a new broadcast partner or to take things into their own hands and build up their own streaming service.

The game’s TV deal with the ABC is also set to expire this year, with the need to find the right balance between free-to-air exposure and broadcast revenue becoming increasingly important.

New potential broadcasters that may be interested in striking an agreement include:

Optus Sport: Currently have the rights to competitions such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, J-League and K-League,

Stan Sport: Recently entered the market by signing a deal with Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition and are reportedly interested in securing the NBL rights in the future.

DAZN: Have started to dip their toes into the Australian landscape through other sports, after broadcasting football in multiple countries across the world.

Whatever the case, Australian football does seem to have options outside of Fox Sports, who have broadcasted the A-League for the past 16 seasons.

With many exciting possibilities to look forward to, the game should be in a stronger place by the end of 2021.

The post A new year brings optimism for Australian football appeared first on Soccerscene.

James Johnson has faced unprecedented challenges during his first 11 months as Football Australia CEO.

But despite the global pandemic impacting almost every facet of the game, the code appears well-placed to thrive under his leadership moving into the new year.

In an exclusive interview, Johnson spoke with Soccerscene to discuss the unbundling process, the state of sponsorship, infrastructure challenges, and the growing push for a national second tier.

Q: With the unbundling process nearly finalised, how is Football Australia planning to reform its business model, and what will those reforms look like?

James Johnson: So, we’ve principally unbundled but have not formally unbundled. The clubs are operating the leagues and the league is already responsible for its own sponsorship deals, so the unbundling is already happening day in day out.

The actual written documents – we call them longform agreements – have not been signed yet, but they are close. We have agreed on all the main points principally, but there is still negotiation the fine details of the agreement. We are very close to being able to sign this off and very confident to get this finalised in time for the beginning of the A-League/W-League season.

It is going to be a different model post unbundling. It is a model that is not complicated, but sophisticated. It demonstrates that the sport is maturing.

Football Australia's role post-unbundling will be as the regulator of the professional game. This means we will regulate the transfer system, the player status rules, we will regulate club licensing, and the domestic match calendar.

We will still have a very important role, but the league will become the operator of the competition, so all of the operation matters will be for the clubs to run.

This has been a long journey for clubs, and it is a big opportunity for them to step up – and I am confident that they will. I think they will do the game proud and will be there to regulate the competition but also to support and grow the competition.

[caption id="attachment_8052" align="alignnone" width="800"] "It is a big opportunity for clubs to step up - and I am confident that they will."[/caption]

Q: Has Football Australia considered partnering with private enterprise to develop football related infrastructure projects to combat the shortage of grounds, but also prepare for the Women's World Cup?

James Johnson: Infrastructure is key to us. If we go back to our 11 principles, infrastructure is an important part of that vision.

Infrastructure for the game across the country is a challenge. At the top level of the game, we have some issues of non-football specific stadiums, which affects the elite level, but the bigger challenge for us is actually at the grassroots.

We have such as large base of participants that simply, there is not enough fields for children to play, and that’s not ok. But it is a challenge that we recognise. Our opportunity is to leave a legacy in relation to the Women’s World Cup for our infrastructure at community level.

We see a big opportunity for participation growth in the women’s and girl’s space. Currently, girls make up only circa 22 per cent of the overall participation base, but we believe this is going to grow substantially over the next seven years. We believe that by 2027 we can achieve a 50/50 split, which would see a considerable growth of our base.

This means participation will rise, but there is no point in these numbers rising if we do not have new facilities to support children to play the game.

This is going to be a key part of our ask to government. Football is the biggest participant sport in the country and our children, in particular our young girls, need support as they will be playing more football, more often.

Q: Due to the recent decline of sponsors as reported in the Australian, could we see an expanded footprint of commercialisation opportunity?

James Johnson: With the unbundling occurring in the league, our business model will change. If we look at broadcast, the most economic value in the broadcast revenue stream is through the professional leagues, which provides the most content to fans week in and week out. Post-unbundling, the league will be licensed the rights associated with the professional leagues. Naturally, Footballl Australia's own business model will change.

Football Australia won’t be as reliant on broadcast as we have in the past. This will be something for the clubs and the league as that will be their big revenue source. It means we will change and have a bigger focus on two key focus areas, sponsorship, and government.

To touch on sponsorship, it’s at an interesting point. As a result of COVID-19, we are seeing a lot of interest in investing into the community and investing into women’s sport. This is because businesses want to be seen as being part of the resurgence of the community post the pandemic.

On top of that, we have got the Women’s World Cup coming to our shores in 2023, so there is huge interest in sponsoring the women’s game, particularly the Matildas. We’re very excited about the sponsorship space, it’s a different market today than what it was eight months ago and we are well-positioned due to the strength of our community and brands of our national teams, coupled with the interest of the 2023 Women's World Cup.

We have really focused on creating strong links between our national teams, in particular, our Matildas and our community – this is a great strength of our sport and positions us well against other sports in Australia.

We’ve got a lot of big sponsors knocking at the door. We announced a deal with Priceline just last week and we’re looking forward to announcing several new sponsorship deals by early 2021. We are very confident and very well placed in the sponsorship space.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] "We've got a lot of big sponsors knocking at the door."[/caption]

Q: How can Football Australia utilise digitalisation and O.T.T to improve revenue streams for the game?

James Johnson: This is not a new discussion. When I was at FIFA a few years ago, there was talk of moving to O.T.T platforms and when I was at Manchester City last year, we were talking about it with other European Clubs.

It is going to happen one day within the industry, the question is when. We are developing the knowledge inhouse, so we are ready to go when the transition in the market starts. Whether that is this year, next year or three years’ time, that is a question mark at the moment.

If you go back to the 11 principles, it is in there. We spoke about potentially creating a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the purposes of trying to bring capital into the sport because O.T.Ts require substantial investment. The SPV was a practical consideration on how we get money invested in the creation of an O.T.T. This could be something we could partner our new professional league with or it could be something we look at ourselves.

What we’re doing in the meantime is really pushing our digital networks. We saw a big opportunity during COVID, while there was no professionalised live sport, to really push great historic matches and other content.

The overall approach resulted in record numbers across Socceroos and Matildas digital channels, with over 48 million video views across the network. We believe we can build on that in 2021, with Australian national team fixtures coming back online across the globe.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="813"] Johnson supports the idea of a national second division, but says the conversation is still largely conceptual[/caption]

Q: What is your opinion on the growing momentum for a National Second Division, and has Football Australia done any modelling as to how the division may look?

James Johnson: A second tier competition on a national level can work. Circa 75 per cent of the 211 FIFA National Associations have second tier competitions, so it should work, but we have some very specific challenges in Australia. We are similar to countries like the United States, Brazil, and India. We live on a continent so the logistical costs for a competition are extremely high.

If I look at the A-League budget, there is a lot of spend on travel and accommodation. There is a huge cost to run national level competitions in Australia. So, there are challenges with having a second national competition in Australia, but there are certainly opportunities as well.

We want a second-tier competition, we think at the moment it is still a theoretical conversation, a conceptual conversation. Where we want to get to with this conversation – and this is our continual message for the clubs that would like to participate in a second-tier competition, as well as the AAFC – we want the conversation to be practical. We need to see how this can work in a practical sense.

We want work to be done around how much each club can put on the table, not only to run a second-tier competition, but also how much additional funds can clubs put into centralising the administration. We are yet to see this practical work.

It can work. I hope we get there, and I think that we will, because there is a lot of strategic football objectives to gain out of a second tier.

There are more opportunities for players, coaches, referees, and administrators, and more meaningful match minutes.

This is what we want but we need to crunch the numbers and we need to make it practical. That’s what we haven’t done as a code yet.

We have taken a strategic decision this year (in 2020) to really focus on the unbundling process, and that’s almost done. That will then free us up, because the other competition related time has been spent on changing the FFA Cup, because these are existing competitions and they’re good competitions, because it is the only open national level competition in our country

I think a lot of the interest in having a second tier we’ve started to shape within the parameters of the FFA Cup. Things such as having access to the Asian Champions League and the open draw. These are all very football purist dreams and we’re already starting to realise them through the FFA Cup.

We are an organisation that has established and operated competitions in the past. Thus, as we get the FFA Cup up and running again in 2021 and as we unbundle the A-League, we are going to have time and resources to focus on the practicalities around a second tier.

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Former South Melbourne FC President George Vasilopoulos has provided his insights into the National Second Division, stating he believes many issues which prevented its formation in the past still exist.

But despite the financial and geographic barriers, Vasilopoulos remains optimistic that the inception of a promotion/relegation system could reignite Australian football.

“People have been wanting to do it since the National Soccer League was established in 1977. Can you imagine how exciting it would be? People would fill up stadiums to see their team challenge for promotion,” he said.

“It would give football fans a new lease on life. There would be more sponsorship, more members, and more support.”

Reenergising the A-League is a current priority for the game’s leading administrators. With average crowd numbers stagnating over recent seasons despite growing participation, Australian football is at somewhat of a crossroads.

“The A-League started very well. I was so pleased to see large crowds attending the games but over time hit a bit of a downturn,” Vasilopoulos said.

“It takes time to build things and I am keen to see how it will play out, but recently crowds have gone down. This naturally leads to a reduction in sponsorship and money. Administrators have to work harder to find dollars which creates pressure.”

As an administrator for almost 30 years, including a 13-year period as President of South Melbourne FC from 1989-2002, Vasilopoulos attended many meetings to brainstorm a second division’s viability.

Unfortunately, the league never materialised, and he believes many of the issues that administrators faced then are still obstacles today.

“The second division has always been discussed. It would be a huge benefit for the sport, but the issues today are the same – there is a tyranny of distance in Australia and the key question remains, how will it all be funded?” he added.

“We could never come up with a legitimate strategy to make it work. Flying teams and their staff regularly over long distances is extremely expensive, not to mention accommodation and all of the other costs associated with it.”

The feasibility of a National Second Division may lie in modern solutions, with a conference style system touted to minimise travel proving a popular idea.

“Conferences with the winners playing off in a tournament is a brilliant idea. That would generate interest for fans and viewers who would know there is a massive prize at the end of it all,” Vasilopoulos said.

“You see how people react to knockout football with the popularity of the FFA Cup. There’s a lot of interest in seeing lower league clubs challenge for the cup but having a prize like promotion at the end of it would take it to another level.”

With a conference system a legitimate option to solve travel concerns, administrators are beginning to piece together a realistic model for the division. Although much work remains to be done, the formation of the Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) Championship Partner Group will only bolster funding and support, with the group's 35 member clubs aiming to launch the second-tier in 2022.

"Having these strong, historic clubs like Marconi, Sydney Olympic, South Melbourne, Heidelberg and so on supporting the division will only help to get it off the ground. Generating that interest in the grassroots is important but if these clubs want to go up, then someone must come down and creating a system that involves relegation may be a real challenge," Vasilopoulos said.

“Relegation may make it impossible financially. There are a wealthy people behind these clubs who contribute a lot of funding. Would a person want to put money into a club, millions of dollars if they are at risk of being relegated?”

“It’s difficult because there is definitely merit to a second division with promotion and relegation, but clubs would need financial support.”

Vasilopoulos added that a short-term solution could involve promotion without relegation, at least in the interim to top up the league and build momentum before eventually bringing in relegation down the track once the system has matured.

“From this season there will be 12 teams in the A-League. If they want to bring in a system slowly, they could have promotion playoffs for the first few years without team’s in the top league facing relegation,” he said.

“In the old National Soccer League there were 14 teams. We could create a system where for the first few years the winning second division team gets promoted and builds the league’s numbers up. This would give FFA time to create a sustainable system over time.”

For more information on the Championship Partner Group, visit here.

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Relocating from a traditional home will usually mark the start of a new era for a football club. Modern facilities provide dramatic improvements for players, fans and other stakeholders to enjoy, and a new environment can often create an uplift of atmosphere.

For Caroline Springs George Cross FC, the mid-2019 move to the state-of-the-art City Vista Pavilion and Sports Field has done all of the above – but also far, far more.

The club has used the transition to revitalise its football program and open an industry-leading hospitality precinct, increasing opportunities for income diversification and the creation of an intimate sense of community.

“Prior to the move we utilised three different venues. It has been enlightening for the club to amalgamate all of our teams and for the first time in a while, the club has been united from a participation point of view. We are now all at one venue where teams and families interact and watch each other play and train. It also means we can have community and NPL Juniors all at the one club,” said Mark Sultana, Caroline Springs George Cross FC President.

Formerly Sunshine George Cross, the club has a rich 74-year history and a deep connection to Melbourne’s western suburbs.

“We are a very old, but very progressive football club. In 2019 we had a change of name to match our new home. We have created a really special culture and are highly united across all areas,” Sultana added.

From a business standpoint, the hospitality precinct, dubbed Georgies on Vista, has allowed the club to build a sustainable income stream which is not solely reliant on traditional methods like sponsorship.

“It’s a full hospitality precinct including a bar, function room and restaurant. It’s a fully functional business but we also use it to give back to our community. We offer specials for members and players, while kids eat free,” added Liza Djuric, General Manager of Caroline Springs George Cross FC.

“Parents have a comfortable space when they are waiting for their kids and it really unites people during training and on matchdays.”

[caption id="attachment_7500" align="alignright" width="300"] The precinct features two synthetic pitches and two grass pitches. Credit: Dorian Mifsud.[/caption]

As well as the hospitality facilities, the City Vista complex features cutting-edge amenities for players and coaches. The $13 million reserve boasts two synthetic pitches and two grass pitches, with space for 4000 fans.

Although project was heavily funded by the Melton City Council, the Georgies also made a significant contribution of approximately $1 million.

While securing funding was an enormous achievement, the relationship the club shares with its council is very much a two-way street. The club has approached its relations with the broader community much the same as it has with its members, promoting inclusion and engagement to great effect.

“It’s a testament to our venue that Western United FC chose us to base themselves out of. They use our facilities six days per week to train, but we also support the local community,” Sultana said.

“The school across the road uses our facilities for their P.E classes and we support other local schools by hiring out our grounds. The public can also use our grounds when we aren’t using them and there’s times over summer where the grounds are booked out for tournaments.”

The club has a 20-year lease on the complex, with an option to extend another 20 years beyond that.

With the deal undoubtedly a huge win for the club, Sultana and Djuric emphasise that it was a result of hard-work and dedication from many past and present administrators.

“A lot of people over a number of years have sacrificed a lot to have this facility granted to us. People like Eddie Gauci, who was integral to our conversations with council. He has sadly passed away, but his legacy will not be forgotten. Countless other people including committee members, coaches, presidents and volunteers sacrificed a lot for our club to be where it is today,” Sultana said.

Importantly, in addition to supporting its members and the surrounding areas, the reserve was also designed in a gender-neutral manner, something which is increasingly important in the modern football ecosystem.

This has allowed George Cross to heavily promote female participation in the area and offer genuine career development pathways for women who are eager to pursue coaching or administrative positions.

[caption id="attachment_7503" align="alignleft" width="300"] Georgies on Vista has created a sustainable revenue stream. Credit: Dorian Mifsud.[/caption]

“We have female-friendly change rooms and access and gender-neutral facilities. The club is committed to drawing female participation across the board. We have girls from all age groups and ensure our women’s teams train and play on our main pitch,” Djuric said.

“We are committed to this even across the board and committee. We have female coaches and self-nominated to the Change Maker Project, a Football Victoria and Vic Uni led program which is all about driving football clubs to achieve 50/50 participation.”

With a state-of-the-art facility now in place to complement the club’s passionate fanbase, the President believes Caroline Springs George Cross FC is in a prime position to compete in the highly anticipated National Second Division.

‘We have taken this club from being mainly comprised of part-timers into a professionally run organisation. When the Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) put out the expression of interest for the working group, we took it upon ourselves to contribute,” Sultana said.

“We are an old NSL club with a strong brand and supporter base. We have one of the best facilities and believe we are in a good position to be issued a license when the time comes. The licenses need to be given on a criteria base and from a capability standpoint, we will have all of the components ticked-off.”

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Long before the ‘Golden Generation’ went on to achieve stardom and represent the Australia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, many modern household names earned their stripes during the 1990s in Australia’s National Soccer League (NSL). The division was unrelenting and highly competitive – factors many successful Socceroos credit with shaping them into the players they became.

South Melbourne FC president Nick Maikousis believes the introduction of a National Second Division will promote home-grown talent in a similar vein and play a significant role in resurrecting Australia’s youth development pathways.

“The reality is with the number of Visa players in the A-League there isn’t as much opportunity for young Australians compared to what used to exist. The view of South Melbourne and the Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) working group is that the second division will predominately be made up of Australian talent,” Maikousis said.

“Introducing a second tier will mean exposing young Australian talent to regular competitive football. The quality of the game will improve as young boys and girls are given exposure and experience – the results can only be positive.”

Australia has still enjoyed recent periods of success, most notably winning the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, but during the past decade there has been a tangible decline in the number of Socceroos playing in the world’s top leagues.

Experts argue a multitude of reasons for this downturn, but a trend has emerged of young talented players moving overseas early in their careers only to become lost in the cutthroat European system, ultimately stagnating in their development.

[caption id="attachment_6889" align="alignleft" width="220"] SMFC sold a young Kevin Muscat to Crystal Palace for £35,000 in 1996. One example of many homegrown NSL players who went on to succeed in Europe.[/caption]

“There were obviously inherent issues with the competition in those days, but if you look at our success during the 2006 World Cup campaign, most of the squad was produced locally before they went on to the highest levels of European football,” Maikousis added.

“Ange Postecoglou’s South Melbourne teams that won back-to-back titles in 1998/99 and then went to Rio de Janeiro for the FIFA Club World Championship in 2000 were full of Aussie players. The model that we are to create will also promote home-grown talent in the same way.”

Maikousis and others in the football world are also optimistic that a second division will lead to a mature domestic transfer market through the unification of the game into one linked football pyramid. This would allow FFA to regulate and encourage player movement, paving the way for a model that mimics those in many international environments.

“Clubs would have a financial incentive to develop their young talent as they would be compensated if A-League clubs or rival clubs acquired their players,” Maikousis said.

“Again, going back to the NSL, South Melbourne sold so many players overseas and we believe that would become part of the model in addition to player pathways, the idea that clubs develop players and are remunerated for it.”

Many football administrators would be excited by the prospect of an operation transfer market which rewards youth development, but a potential second tier would also create many additional financial benefits for Australia’s clubs.

From South Melbourne’s point of view, Maikousis believes the club already has the foundations and fanbase to compete at a higher level.

“South Melbourne would grow exponentially. We have done a lot of modelling when we were putting together our official A-League bid. In terms of sponsorships, memberships, gate attendances, and player development we believe the club would generate significant revenue,” Maikousis said.

“In our research we established through our social media channels that we have roughly 100,000 followers. This figure already ranks comparatively with some of the A-League clubs and we’re comfortable we would convert a percentage of these into members.”

“I think the critical thing to understand is the capability of these potential second division clubs. There will be significant long-term benefits because it allows South Melbourne and other clubs to better themselves and also puts pressure on the A-League clubs to continue to better themselves as it will create a competitive environment.”

During recent months there has been considerable speculation about what a potential National Second Division will look like. AAFC has formed a working group of clubs supporting a second tier, dubbing the division ‘The Championship’.

To date, 35 clubs have officially joined the group, including South Melbourne FC. The working group has publicly stated it hopes to see the second division implemented in 2022.

[caption id="attachment_6890" align="alignright" width="266"] Maikousis (L) with SMFC captain Brad Norton and Greece legend Giorgios Karagounis.[/caption]

“Progress has been very productive. We’ve had a number of AAFC meetings. The first was an invitation to all NPL clubs across Australia to see who is in a position to play in a potential second division and also to see who is prepared to fund the work that’s required,” Maikousis said.

“There are various working groups this week as well so there is more to come.”

Although the concept is still in its infancy, momentum is growing and The Championship working group is modelling and consulting with game stakeholders to provide recommendations to FFA.

“FFA is very much accepting that this is going to happen. It has been working with all the stakeholders to make sure we create a model that works for everybody. James Johnson and Chris Nikou have a chance to unify the game and I cannot think of a better way to unify football in this country than to build a system which acknowledges everyone and every club,” Maikousis said.

“FFA have asked us to consider a conference system instead of a broader European-style system. I can say from South Melbourne FC’s point of view, our preference is a traditional European-style national second division but the working groups will do the relevant work to provide recommendations based on what is best for the majority.”

While there is still much work to do, the official formation of the National Second Division now appears an achievable prospect. For more information on The Championship, please visit HERE.

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Football Queensland (FQ) CEO philosophically backs the concept of a National Second Division but maintains his key priority is to ensure the prosperity of Queensland's domestic clubs and competitions.

Robert Cavallucci, FQ CEO, spoke exclusively to Soccerscene following the release of the federation’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan 2020-2024 to discuss the document, and share his views on the growing impetus behind a potential national second tier.

[caption id="attachment_6779" align="alignleft" width="150"] Cavallucci was appointed CEO in 2019.[/caption]

“A National Second Division ideally is something we should have, it’s a missing piece of Australia’s football ecosystem. But before deeper considerations can be made, we are going to listen to our stakeholders to determine whether it’s ultimately a priority for them or not,” Cavallucci said.

“The financial stability and ongoing viability of our clubs is our primary concern. We are the governing body of 317 clubs, and we want to know what our stakeholders think and what they want to be involved in.”

While the notion of a second division is extremely popular, the counter argument is the Australian football pyramid requires a stronger foundation at its base before its limited resources are funnelled into another elite competition.

For Cavallucci, this means ensuring the grassroots of the game is catered for before setting his sights on a small but exclusive group of clubs.

“It’s important not to get fixated on the idea of forming the National Second Division in the short-term because realistically there is probably only three or four clubs out of 317 in Queensland that would have the infrastructure and resources to compete at that level,” he said.

“There are far greater issues that we currently need to address. Our current responsibility is to ensure the growth and continuity of Queensland’s competitions, youth pathways, participation rates for men and women, and infrastructure delivery for the Women's World Cup.”

“At FQ we absolutely feel like these things are the biggest priority. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t open to having a conversation with our stakeholders to canvas their views on the subject, develop relevant models and provide any feedback or recommendations to the FFA,” Cavallucci added.

[caption id="attachment_6784" align="alignright" width="300"] Gold Coast United, once of the A-League, are one of 35 clubs which form The Championship working group.[/caption]

To date, the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) has formed a working group of 35 clubs from around the nation which have dubbed Australia’s potential second division ‘The Championship’.

The working group, which started with 25 clubs in August, was formed to act as a means to consult club officials and provide insight and recommendations to Football Federation Australia (FFA). The group has publicly announced its aspirations to see The Championship come to fruition in 2022.

“We always welcome the opinions of our stakeholders, but ultimately any decision about models or an official second division has to be driven and delivered by the FFA and the federated system,” Cavallucci said.

“For now, FQ’s obligation is to make a tangible difference to football in Queensland by building women’s football and having high performance centres in our regions. This is absolutely fundamental for participation growth and the technical development of our kids.”

“There are approximately 180,000 participants in Queensland and it's my role to deliver outcomes for them and all of the 317 clubs operating within our federation, not just the top few.”

FQ’s commitment to growing all levels of football in the state is evident from the release of its Strategic Infrastructure Plan.

The plan provides a detailed overview of the federation’s aims for the next years and was published after thorough data-driven and needs-based analysis.

“We were doing a truckload of quantitative and qualitative research and gained the opinions of our stakeholders through a consultation process. We have spent countless hours of research to come up with the final product,” Cavallucci said.

“The feedback so far has been extremely positive from clubs and stakeholders. FQ has never produced a document based on data and research on this level. The plan outlines what football needs right now to meet demand and what we need to do for the coming four years to ensure funding and infrastructure keeps up with the projective growth of the game.”

“We’ve brought that together along with unlocking the enormous opportunity that the FIFA Women’s World Cup presents and crucially, what legacy we hope the tournament will leave.”

[caption id="attachment_6750" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Strategic Infrastructure Plan contains FQ's detailed goals for the next four years.[/caption]

The Strategic Infrastructure Plan includes the requirement to significantly improve government funding into the state’s footballing facilities.

FQ is seeking to achieve this goal through the formation of the Queensland Government Infrastructure Fund, a structured approach which aims to raise $60 million for infrastructure development projects over the next four years.

Although chronic underinvestment has caused a raft of issues for football across Australia, greater collaboration between administrators and government is starting to see a shift, something Cavallucci is hoping will continue.

“The timing of the document’s release is perfect. The state election is coming up and we will now have an official document that will help us to advocate for football at all levels,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic document and a testament to FQ as an organisation. It shows how far we have moved in a short space of time. There will be more to come over the next few weeks.”

To view FQ’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan, please visit HERE.

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Following the news of the AAFC’s plans for a national second division, Australian football seems to be moving into a new era, as the game manoeuvres around the challenges of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Alongside the national second tier, FFA CEO James Johnson continues his push towards adopting the global standards of football in this country, flagging an integrated transfer system as a priority in the coming months.

In what will be a critical development, clubs throughout all tiers will finally be appropriately rewarded for developing young players.

The local football economy will grow and should lift standards across the board, with ambitious NPL clubs provided with an extra incentive if they are able to be promoted to the A-League.

Clubs will look to invest in resources to improve their operations overall and give them an edge, on and off the field.

Global football resource InStat, currently partners with the FFA, A-League and W-League clubs, as well as a handful of NPL clubs, providing statistical breakdowns of matches for performance analysis.

This improves factors such as game day preparation and player development, through the use of on demand video review.

Australian Manager for InStat, Oliver Civil, claims the product is suitable for many clubs around the country.

“Our mission is to enhance performance, save time, money and resources for professional, amateur and collegiate teams around the globe," he said.

“Thanks to technology, there is no reason the ‘Moneyball’ concept of analysis, evidence-based scouting & on-field performance can’t also be applied to second division or semi-professional clubs.”

Football Tasmania Technical Director, Michael Edwards, believes platforms such as InStat are important if we want to lift coaching and player performance in Australia.

“I think if we are looking at more professional or high-performance type coaches to improve our leagues, we’ve got to actually support them with platforms, data and different learning opportunities," he said.

“Not just for the coaches but for the players as well.

“Quite often, you can communicate with a player verbally about what’s happening, but they go ‘oh no, that’s not me, I didn’t do that’, but then to be able to instantly see it on a video clip associated with it, it provides a different aspect to that player’s development."

Using another example, Edwards said: “You can look at an opposing team and make an analysis: Where are their goals coming from? Who’s the most influential player in their side? So those sort of insights into the way a football match actually pieces together, I think is really good.

“That’s where I see InStat’s value, the fact that it’s almost instantaneous, within a day you can have data available to you and your club, it just improves where we are heading as a sport.”

From a business standpoint, the company’s scouting platform provides users with the tools to support the buying and selling of football talent, a vital service if the game is to introduce an improved transfer system.

“Using our global database, we cover hundreds of leagues and 960,000 players,” Civil said.

“Via our video platform, using statistical analysis, we provide information on key skills, chemistry and characteristics of identified players.

“If your club would like our insight, we also offer current squad assessments, player recommendations and prospective newcomer analysis.

“We can also help support any football department with their scouting analysis & assessment of a player.”

Edwards explained there are a range of scouting options, depending on the outcomes the club using the service seeks to achieve.

“You can use a local only database if you like, or, if you’re at a club at a level that is looking for a quality international player to bring in, it’s there for you to assess in a worldwide database."

The information gathered by the service is also effective for managers and agents wanting to highlight their player’s abilities, for possible future transfers.

“I think even for the individual player, to have that (information) out there to showcase the player to different clubs at different times, helps the process,” Edwards stated.

When quizzed on the affordability of the service, the Football Tasmania Technical Director claimed he “had been really impressed with the platform and to see this on a regular basis and have it in your club, is just invaluable.

“I think if you value it enough and say we want to progress as a football club, the platform is definitely affordable.”

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The Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) have created a partner group involving 30 NPL clubs across Australia, with the aim of beginning a national second division by 2022.

The list of clubs includes former NSL powerhouses such as South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights, Adelaide City and Sydney Olympic.

AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas believes the partner group is an important step in the process towards a connected football pyramid.

“The Championship is about creating stronger clubs and expanding the football footprint throughout our country for the benefit of our entire sport,” he said.

“The oldest club in the partner group was established in the 19th century and another two early in the 20th century, while the youngest club was established in this century. That says so much about the longevity and popularity of our sport in this country.

“Of surprise to many, perhaps, are that the three oldest clubs are from Newcastle, Hobart and Brisbane.”

The AAFC will now sort through the issues of the proposed competition, with a final report needing approval from those at FFA HQ.

Galatas claims promotion and relegation is necessary throughout the tiers of football in Australia, however A-League clubs may not be relegated immediately, once the second tier begins.

“AAFC’s view is that we cannot be properly considered as a ‘football nation’ without it and having it in place is our ultimate objective,” he said.

“While promotion and relegation with the A-League will hopefully occur (a) little later, we aim for it to start immediately with the NPL below.

“We also recognise a need to get the code back on track and financially viable and that is what we believe the Championship will help in achieving. Connecting clubs from bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom will help unite the game which will help it achieve its potential.”

The 30 clubs involved in the partner group can be viewed here.

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Representatives from NPL clubs around Australia attended a Zoom meeting on August 25 to discuss the next steps required to formally establish a national second division (NSD).

At the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) meeting, club representatives expressed a strong interest in progressing to the next steps of implementation, including forming a NSD Partner Group to provide recommendations to Football Federation Australia (FFA).

“The meeting went extremely well, we are gratified to have had 63 clubs from around Australia attend,” said Nick Galatas, AAFC Chairman.

“I think everyone agrees that NSD is no longer in the realm of ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must have’ as an important means of improving the quality and level of football, but also our credentials and viability as a football nation.”

The NSD Partner Group will consist of at least 25 clubs that have a strong interest in participating in the proposed division. The group will aim to finalise detailed design, modelling, and criteria development which will form the basis of consultation with football’s stakeholder groups and submission to the FFA Board.

“This isn’t about the AAFC going off and forming the division by ourselves, but as we anticipate the division will comprise mainly of member clubs, we are working to assist the FFA by providing insight and recommendations,” Galatas said.

Galatas added that club representatives have been encouraged by recent statements from FFA CEO James Johnson and other board members.

“James has stated since day one that he is a strong supporter of forming a NSD, so we have no concern regarding the FFA’s willingness.”

Although the football community is optimistic and much work has already been done, uncertainty caused by COVID-19 could provide an obstacle moving forward.

“The coronavirus pandemic has been a significant factor in changing the environment of sport generally, but particularly community and professional football,” Galatas said.

“We also now have a Board and senior management group at FFA who more football-savvy are and want to see a NSD succeed. That’s in sharp contrast to the immediate view when we launched our initial discussion paper almost three years ago.”

The clubs heard that a number of matters are still to be finalised with FFA in accordance with its XI Principles document, as well as other stakeholders, including:

• The merits of a national vs conference-based league
• How promotion and relegation will be implemented from tiers below a NSD
• The viability of a NSD for women – a measure supported by AAFC
• How clubs will be selected into the initial season of the NSD
• Summer vs winter season (alignment with the A-League), and
• The appropriate governance and administration of the league.

“A NSD gives all clubs that are interested in it something to aspire to,” Galatas said.

“It will help smaller clubs that are not interested in a NSD taking part in a competition that is more relevant to them at state level. It will help galvanise football fans around the country. It will expand our national footprint. It helps the code put more pressure on all levels of government for funding support. And it gives a potential ‘FFA TV’ – as advocated by The Golden Generation – more quality content that connects all levels of the game.”

​Galatas stated that the final report to the FFA Board will be submitted before November 2020, with a view to implementation of the NSD by 2022.

The post Nick Galatas: National Second Division now a ‘must have’ after 60 NPL clubs meet appeared first on Soccerscene.

The Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) will take the next step towards its plans to have a national second division in place by 2022, holding a meeting this week with interested member federation clubs.

Over 50 clubs across Australia are set to be a part of the discussion on Tuesday, which will centre around the criteria of the proposed second division, with a working title of ‘The Championship’.

AAFC will provide a public statement on the progress made throughout the meeting the following day.

This is welcome news for football fans who have been pushing for a proper football system, with AAFC also providing possible timelines, something the game has been crying out for.

The organisation would have been heartened to hear of Melbourne Victory owner Joe Mirabella’s comments recently, who fully backed the implementation of a national second division.

He told The Age: “We need it (a second division) because it is a point of difference to our game and to other sports. We need competition in the A-League. We need our grassroots to eventually play into a B-League and then play towards winning a spot in the A-League."

"I don't care if it is Victory, Sydney FC or Melbourne City. It is about merit."

Mirabella’s comments are not revolutionary, but are significant, because of who he is.

A Melbourne Victory owner publicly admitting the game needs promotion and relegation might go against his own interests, based on the current A-League model, however, he realises it is for the betterment of the sport in this country.

It will provide the game with more opportunities across the board and will embrace what makes football unique.

"I have discussed this with a lot of football people,” he continued.

"When you get journalists, commentators and fans of the game, ex-players who have played for the country and they are all in favour of the second division then you can see there is a groundswell of support going.

"My family is a football family. But when they are saying the A-League has become boring you have to do something."

Ultimately, the decision to implement a connected football pyramid will come down to the FFA, who continue to be in discussions with AAFC.

The ‘XI Principles’ document which was released at the start of July, highlighted various agenda points in the game that the governing body would look to fix or improve.

Detail on the second division was light, with just one passage of the document stating “consider the development of a second-tier competition”.

In saying this however, the XI Principles is a living document, meaning amendments will be made to it in the future, as the FFA assesses the best way forward for the game in financially difficult times.

Following the results of a survey of the Australian football community based on the XI Principles paper, showing 99% of respondents insist the game undertakes a major overhaul, FFA CEO James Johnson spoke about the possibilities of a national second division.

“Could there be a second-tier competition, with 10 or 12 teams that play 20-odd rounds home and away or do we look at a second-tier competition with conferences based in different states around the country that play half the season at state level and then end up playing at national level in a group stage, similar to how the Brazilian league operates,” he told News Corp.

“There’s two parts to the season that starts at state level, then a qualification process that goes into a national level of competition.

“This is something we could look at because someone of our challenges in Australia are similar to Brazil – where you have competition that are strong at state level and you have a very big country geographically, so their solution was to use this sort of format.”

Whether you believe the Brazilian system is suitable for Australia or not, it is important for football fans to see those in charge of the game continue to debate the merits of various models, led by an administrator who is a football person.

With the greatest respect, what was the likelihood of former FFA CEO David Gallop speaking about the Japanese footballing model as opposed to the Brazilian model in the public eye?

The national second division is coming, in what form we are unsure, but the consensus seems to be when and how, not if.

The post Support grows for National Second Division ahead of AAFC meeting appeared first on Soccerscene.

The Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) has released a response to Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) XI Principles, supporting the call for a more inclusive governance strategy moving forward.

Speaking exclusively to Soccerscene, AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas believes the FFA’s new ‘living document’ is a step in the right direction to building a “vertical, democratic model” which will ultimately help to unify the game.

The XI Principles were publicly revealed on 2 July 2020 in release titled ‘XI Principles for the future of Australian football’. The discussion paper is intended to outline 11 key strategies to drive the growth of Australian football.

“The AAFC welcomes the FFA’s XI Principles. From our perspective it demonstrates a recognition that there are currently issues within football that need to be addressed, so we believe it is fantastic that they are inviting discussion and comment,” Galatas says.

“To the FFA’s credit, they have stated that it is a ‘living document’. This means they have opened the bidding to everyone involved in the game by encouraging them to participate and contribute.”

The AAFC represents National Premier League clubs from across Australia’s state federations and the ACT. The association advocates for the clubs and their more than 40,000 players around the country.

In its official response to the XI Principles discussion paper, the AAFC called on the need for a linked football hierarchy that will act as a fluid pyramid. This, according to Galatas would help to create a competitive system where ambition is rewarded, and clubs can earn progression based on merit.

“Unifying the game sends the message that people, and clubs are not categorised into positions. They should not be labelled and should not be given a function. Clubs should aspire to be the best that they can be and what the club’s members want them to be,” Galatas says.

Football Federation Australia today released a discussion paper detailing eleven proposed principles to underpin the future development and growth of football in Australia ⚽️🇦🇺

— Football Federation Australia (@FFA) July 2, 2020

The FFA’s new message under CEO James Johnson appears to be one of collaboration, an approach which differs to the previous strategy which inadvertently created a divide between the A-League and state-level clubs.

“We all want to see our top tier thrive. Unleashing the potential of our clubs, providing a linked structure, offers the best chance for our struggling A-League to be re-energised and become the top-tier we all want it to be, at the top of a linked, inclusive, fluid football pyramid,” Galatas said.

The idea of a linked system would likely lead to a stronger collective outcome from Australia’s football clubs, which would lay the foundations for a stronger national team.

One of the goals of the AAFC’s desire for a linked system would be the implementation of a national second division. He believes the creation of a competitive second division would reinvigorate the A-League and strengthen all levels of the game.

“Ultimately creating a linked system could lead to promotion and relegation. I say ultimately because we need to create that over time, but we want to see a real second tier that the strongest and most aspirational clubs can form,” he says.

“The remainder of NPL clubs can then form a tier below that. This would alleviate them from the burden currently imposed on them and make football more accessible for kids to participate at a junior level.”

In terms of governance, the seventh principle proposed by the FFA is to ‘Transition towards a modern, fit-for-purpose governance framework for football in Australia in line with global standards and best-practice sports governance in Australia.’

Although this model has not been clearly defined yet, Galatas says the ideal solution would be to implement a “vertical integrated democratic model” which clubs have direct representations in their federations.

“Clubs are members-based. They are run by the people who elect a committee to represent them. Since 2006 clubs are not members of the federation so we are aiming to achieve the implementation of a vertically integrated democratic model where there is linkage and representation from top to bottom,” Galatas says

This fits one of the AAFC’s key visions, to secure voting rights on FFA Congress. The body is already a congress member and considers it important to create a system that is not exclusive and involves those at the grassroots rather than isolates them.

The release of the XI Principles comes a little over a year since the FFA scrapped the controversial National Club Identity Policy (NCIP), a policy which Galatas believes alienated people, clubs and the link strong link between tradition, multiculturalism, and football.

“The NCIP was a slap in the face to the history of the game. Australia stands for inclusiveness and welcoming migrant culture and legacy. It smacked of a totalitarian approach. Abolishing the NCIP was the first step towards demonstrating inclusiveness,” Galatas says.

View a full list of the FFA’s XI Principles here.

The post Nick Galatas: “XI Principles a step in the right direction to unify the game” appeared first on Soccerscene.

The A-League may be independent, but that won't get in the way of the big plans for a second division with promotion and relegation.

While it may seem like a barrier, Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) chairman Nick Galatas is an optimist.

He has recently spoken about how these changes should be considered, despite the A-League being independent. There's no reason why it shouldn't be put on the table, with a revamp for Australian soccer not outside the realms of possibility.

“We have no reason to believe that the A-League owners will do anything other than support what we’re trying to do with a national second division,” Galatas said.

“We think it will help the whole game. It will create great excitement throughout the country when it’s formed.

“We see what the A-League is doing and we see that they are trying to raise the profile of their competition and of football and we believe that what we are doing will assist that and help to expand the game throughout Australia.

“We see a national second division as a necessary condition for promotion and relegation because we need to fill the gap that currently exists between the A-League and NPL.”

Having been involved in the game during the transition from the old National Soccer League to the A-League, Galatas believes he has a new model will help positively shape the future of soccer.

“No doubt many of our constituents will feel there was a time when they were left behind as the focus shifted on the professional side of the game at A-League level at the exclusion of others,” he said.

“But I’m seeing a lot of goodwill and I think everyone is starting to realise that the game as a whole benefit when everyone is involved and invested.

“Whether you’re an A-League club or a team below that with potential to grow and reach its potential, why shouldn’t that be welcomed?”

Since the AAFC has been formed, it's made massive inroads for the potential of introducing a national second division, which came to light in a meeting between Victorian clubs.

“We always thought that the clubs would bind together because they have a common interest and the environment they were operating in has been difficult for them,” he said.

“I guess I’m pleasantly surprised with the level of commitment over a long period between so many different clubs from all across Australia.

“There are very, very different types of clubs across Australia and the fact that we’ve been able to keep everyone together, informed and moving in the same direction has been great.

“We were new at the time the old board’s tenure was coming to an end.

“I guess we weren’t on the landscape and we were a new organisation and there were a lot of pressures on that board at that time, so perhaps we were last on their mind.

“But we were still invited by them to all the critical meetings in which FIFA was involved so ultimately they accepted us and collaborated with us even before the new board was elected.

“We’re working very well with the new board as well and they’ve been very accepting of us and in particular Chris Nikou and Remo Nogarotto, which has been very encouraging.”

Galatas has had talks with the FFA board, the PFA and other related stakeholders, with the plan being a new second division should come into effect by the 2021-22 season.

“When we started we really sought to have a voice and be recognised on the congress, which we’ve made progress on,” he said.

“That’s obviously opened up the discussions around a second division and conducting and completing a national review of the NPL, so we’ve worked through some of the big-ticket items, I guess now the focus is on doing what we’re here to do and work with our club members and the issues they face from state to state.

“We’re here to make sure the NPL clubs are properly represented at every level, including at the FFA level and making sure their concerns are addressed through the FFA and the state federations.

“In Victoria, we’ve had a lot to do with the new NPL structure there, we’ve liaised with our clubs to liaise with Football Victoria to ensure it’s implemented as smoothly as possible.

“We’re getting involved in state-based issues and each director has an eye on their state.

“We believe a national second division will help in this area because it will help develop stronger clubs and unleash new investment in the game at this level.

“It will encourage greater participation and supporters which will lead to better facilities.

“As we develop as an organisation we’ve been able to put people in place who assist clubs in providing know-how and IP and general assistance we share amongst our clubs to help show them how to access grants and investment from local, state and federal government, the private sector as well as sporting trusts.

“It’s so important to our game because it’s lasting and can lead to exponential growth."

Originally published as Second division dream still alive

The post AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas claims second division dream still alive appeared first on Soccerscene.

The A-League may be independent, but that won't get in the way of the big plans for a second division with promotion and relegation.

While it may seem like a barrier, Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) chairman Nick Galatas is an optimist.

He has recently spoken about how these changes should be considered, despite the A-League being independent. There's no reason why it shouldn't be put on the table, with a revamp for Australian soccer not outside the realms of possibility.\

“We have no reason to believe that the A-League owners will do anything other than support what we’re trying to do with a national second division,” Galatas said.

“We think it will help the whole game. It will create great excitement throughout the country when it’s formed.

“We see what the A-League is doing and we see that they are trying to raise the profile of their competition and of football and we believe that what we are doing will assist that and help to expand the game throughout Australia.

“We see a national second division as a necessary condition for promotion and relegation because we need to fill the gap that currently exists between the A-League and NPL.”

Having been involved in the game during the transition from the old National Soccer League to the A-League, Galatas believes he has a new model will help positively shape the future of soccer.

“No doubt many of our constituents will feel there was a time when they were left behind as the focus shifted on the professional side of the game at A-League level at the exclusion of others,” he said.

“But I’m seeing a lot of goodwill and I think everyone is starting to realise that the game as a whole benefit when everyone is involved and invested.

“Whether you’re an A-League club or a team below that with potential to grow and reach its potential, why shouldn’t that be welcomed?”

Since the AAFC has been formed, it's made massive inroads for the potential of introducing a national second division, which came to light in a meeting between Victorian clubs.

“We always thought that the clubs would bind together because they have a common interest and the environment they were operating in has been difficult for them,” he said.

“I guess I’m pleasantly surprised with the level of commitment over a long period between so many different clubs from all across Australia.

“There are very, very different types of clubs across Australia and the fact that we’ve been able to keep everyone together, informed and moving in the same direction has been great.

“We were new at the time the old board’s tenure was coming to an end.

“I guess we weren’t on the landscape and we were a new organisation and there were a lot of pressures on that board at that time, so perhaps we were last on their mind.

“But we were still invited by them to all the critical meetings in which FIFA was involved so ultimately they accepted us and collaborated with us even before the new board was elected.

“We’re working very well with the new board as well and they’ve been very accepting of us and in particular Chris Nikou and Remo Nogarotto, which has been very encouraging.”

Galatas has had talks with the FFA board, the PFA and other related stakeholders, with the plan being a new second division should come into effect by the 2021-22 season.

“When we started we really sought to have a voice and be recognised on the congress, which we’ve made progress on,” he said.

“That’s obviously opened up the discussions around a second division and conducting and completing a national review of the NPL, so we’ve worked through some of the big-ticket items, I guess now the focus is on doing what we’re here to do and work with our club members and the issues they face from state to state.

“We’re here to make sure the NPL clubs are properly represented at every level, including at the FFA level and making sure their concerns are addressed through the FFA and the state federations.

“In Victoria, we’ve had a lot to do with the new NPL structure there, we’ve liaised with our clubs to liaise with Football Victoria to ensure it’s implemented as smoothly as possible.

“We’re getting involved in state-based issues and each director has an eye on their state.

“We believe a national second division will help in this area because it will help develop stronger clubs and unleash new investment in the game at this level.

“It will encourage greater participation and supporters which will lead to better facilities.

“As we develop as an organisation we’ve been able to put people in place who assist clubs in providing know-how and IP and general assistance we share amongst our clubs to help show them how to access grants and investment from local, state and federal government, the private sector as well as sporting trusts.

“It’s so important to our game because it’s lasting and can lead to exponential growth."

The post Second division dream still alive appeared first on Soccerscene.

On Monday, the FFA announced they had convened a broad cross section of the football community to join the first steering committee of the National Second Division.

A statement from the FFA can be found here:

The Committee met for the first time last week and commenced work towards establishing a process and timetable for a NSD Competition.

Committee Chairman Remo Nogarotto said the objective of the committee was to commence laying out the framework for the competition which will grow football’s footprint and be a significant step forward for the sport in Australia.

“The first task of the Committee is to review the recommendations of the NSD Whitepaper, which was released in June and commence the task of drafting the competition architecture, including a budget, for the national second division, as well as consider an Expression of Interest process and timeline,” Nogarotto said.

The committee will report back to the FFA Board in the coming months, with an Expression of Interest process expected to commence thereafter.

The committee includes Women’s Football Council Committee member Sue Crow, Football Federation South Australia President Sam Ciccarello, Football Victoria President Kimon Taliadoros, Newcastle Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna, PFA Chief Executive John Didulica, Australian Association of Football Clubs Chairman Nick Galatas and AAFC Treasurer Christo Patsan.

In addition to these members, Caltex Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold and FFA Technical Director Rob Sherman will be co-opted onto the committee to advise on technical matters.

Sherman said player development was pivotal for the future success of our National Teams

“I’m looking forward to working with the National Second Division Steering Committee as we seek to develop the national competition structure. A robust competition structure will provide a pathway for not only for players, but for coaches, referees and administrators which will ultimately mean Australian football will be better placed to achieve more success internationally”.

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