Maybe it's time we get off the keyboards, start putting an agenda together & a conference of stakeholders to reform football.
Say in October this year.

Invite Govt, Councils, Federations, PFA, AAFC, HAL, AFC (who knows they might rock up).

Don't think the current administrators have an appetite or exactly know what to do.

How about we start with the following :

National Football Reform Conference

Date: October 2017

Venue : TBA

Football Reform discussion points :

-Decide model & rollout date of a 2nd Div with Prom / Relegation 


-Transfer fees between ALL clubs 


-Aleague clubs run their league only under a unified pyramid model

-Rollout Semi pro contracts, (with no need to register contracts to FFA & pay them fees for the privilege)


-2 Visa spots per all clubs (whether HAL, NPL, State Leagues) to assist to promote Aussie players. Would make a fairer FFA Cup Competition too :)


-We limit all federation administration fees to a fixed % of league turnover. Say 5-8%. Presently FFA charge 28% of their turnover in salaries (around $ 24 million on turnover of just over $106m !!! ). Internationally its off the scale ! 


-Federations only manage football under an outsourced service model e.g. Administer Fixtures, Tribunal, Player contract Admin, Referees.  


-ALL clubs can have as many junior teams as they can carry so they can lobby councils/governments for more/better facilities


-Coaching licences at cost recovery fee structure only. Presently Australia has the MOST expensive coaching licence system on the planet. It’s a revenue centre for the FFA. Guess who ultimately pays for that, parents!! 


-Transfer compensation payments to be paid directly to clubs rather that put the onus on mum & dad volunteers having to chase up FFA to see what they are owed. Incredible !

-Scrap NPL Player Point system.

- Increase woman's WLeague clubs & player pathways

-AFC Champions League spot for NPL finals winner (playoff with 3rd Aleague team)

What else do u think we need to add?

Key points to consider :

1. We hold conference
2. Decide the reforms
3. Hand agreed reforms to administrators with timelines for implementation
4. Administrators are there to run what stakeholders want to see for their code
5. The game cannot be focused around private business franchises
6. We need to galvanise & mobilise a reform movement to help realign the game to international standards.

I disagree with 2 visa spots. We need to fall in line with Asia. Not do our own thing all the time

I would add:
. Independent clubs (they own name, brand and IP)
. Independent body to run AL, 2nd div, w league and youth league
. Fixed % of revenue to go to FFA (ie- 10%), fixed $ for running the league (ie- $5m), with all other funds divided between AL, div2 and W League clubs (ratio of 3:1:1)
. No salary cap or other balancing mechanisms aside from 3+1 rule
. No concessions, player payments or other unbalanced payments from a central pool to individual clubs
. Clubs keep their own revenue including finals, big name club tours and merchandise
. ACL spot for FFA cup. Either finals (winner, gf, semi loser play offs) or league finishing position (1st, 2nd, 3rd) to determine other spots
. Model to be developed that demonstrates how the A League will expand, include a second tier, unconditional P/R, eventual 3rd tier, and finally conditional P/R to NPL. This becomes the bible that must be followed. Not new leadership / new direction as we currently see

I'm not a big fan of clubs keeping finals revenue. I would rather see prize money in the form of a profit percentage.

What would stop a team like CCM choosing to play away when they host a GF to get more profit?

If AU would be allowed to move a GF to AO then other clubs should be able to also (in theory)

In an open and competitive model, its unlikely a club at the top would be so short on cash they need to shift venue just to make money

Besides, with a multi tier structure we cant have wandering teams anymore. There needs to be regulations in place about where teams can and cant play games

When revenue is being split across so many teams, being able to keep GF revenue is an incentive for those who are investing more than they can hope to make back from the central pool. I don't see why CCM should get money from MV making the grand final

We Kick Harder

Good insight Bluebird.

Draft 2 of National Reform Conference Agenda now reads:

(Remembering at this stage we are developing the Agenda items that will be covered at the Conference. 
I suggest at the Conference, we will workshop the items and hand over solutions to the football administration functionaries (Federations) to implement on a generous timeline)


1. Decide model & rollout date of a 2nd Div with Prom / Relegation.
Model to be developed that demonstrates how the A League will expand, include a second tier, unconditional P/R, eventual 3rd tier, and finally conditional P/R to NPL. Independent body to run AL, 2nd div, w league and youth league

2. Transfer fees between ALL clubs. Clubs are independent (they own name, brand and IP)

3. No salary cap or other balancing mechanisms aside from 3+1 rule. No concessions, player payments or other unbalanced payments from a central pool to individual clubs

4. Clubs keep their own revenue including finals, big name club tours and merchandise

5. A-League clubs can run their league ONLY under a unified pyramid model.

6. Rollout Semi pro contracts in addition to current player contract system

7. Visa spots to match Asia system, 3+1 for all clubs (whether HAL, NPL, State Leagues). Would make a fairer FFA Cup Competition too 
. Perhaps consider inclusion of 2-3 U20-U23 players in squads. E.g. China has implemented such an approach.

8. We limit all federation administration fees to a fixed % of league turnover. Say 5% Presently FFA charge 28% of their turnover in salaries (around $ 24 million on turnover of just over $106m !!! ). Internationally its off the scale ! 
Federations only manage football under an outsourced service model e.g. Administer Fixtures, Tribunal, Player contract Admin, Referees   or   Fixed % of revenue to go to FFA (ie- 10%), fixed $ for running the league (ie- $5m), with all other funds divided between AL, div2 and W League clubs (ratio of 3:1:1)

9. ALL clubs can have as many junior teams as they can carry so they can lobby councils/governments for more/better facilities


10. Coaching licences at cost recovery fee structure only. Presently Australia has the MOST expensive coaching licence system on the planet. It’s a revenue centre for the FFA. Guess who ultimately pays for that, parents!! 


11. Transfer compensation payments to be paid directly to clubs rather that put the onus on mum & dad volunteers having to chase up FFA to see what they are owed. Incredible !

12. Scrap NPL Player Point system

13. Increase woman's WLeague clubs & player pathways

14. ACL spot for FFA cup. Either finals (winner, gf, semi loser play offs) or league finishing position (1st, 2nd, 3rd) to determine other spots


We need to start an Agenda and process somewhere, open to other suggestions for additional items :)

Have already heard about the ACL spot for FFA Cup. Apparently there is a rule in the ACL that only first tier clubs can take part, so that's why the FFA Cup isn't allowed a spot.. Yet. I might have to follow up where exactly I heard, and what exactly I heard. I'm paraphrasing from memory here, but I think it was Adam Peacock on a Fox Sports podcast once?

Thanks NiCarlbel,
We can contact AFC direct & find out.

Furthermore we all need to remember that we are not re-inventing the wheel.

Moving to international recognised structures (FIFA endorsed obviously) has proven to succeed everywhere else on the planet. So no need to boil the ocean as they say.

Lynch in The Age today made some fine points:

http://amp.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/australias-junior-malaise-expanded-aleague-more-competition-needed-in-soccer-20170527-gwehd9.html

It probably is a good idea as i don't see how lower division clubs could pay for the cost of travelling throughout Asia.

Looks like the AAFC is already in solution mode.
Good to see.

It can certainly dovetail to a wider reform agenda.

This from Sydney Morning Herald today

http://amp.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/tom-rogics-heroics-for-celtic-prove-need-to-widen-development-pathways-20170528-gwesa6.html

Excellent post.
I'd like to take this opportunity to post what a final completed goal should be, and give a rough idea of how to get to it.

Ideally, we should be looking at a pyramid consisting of three tiers:

Tier 1: A-League Division One

Tier 2: A-League Division Two

Tier 3: State Leagues

A-League Division One: 16 teams, fully professional, 30 round regular season, top eight finals series, bottom two teams relegated. Top two teams qualify for AFC Champions League.

A-League Division Two: 16 teams, fully professional, 30 round regular season, top team promoted, eight team finals series for promotion playoff, bottom team relegated.

State Leagues: Varying teams depending on state, pro/semi-pro/amateur, varying regular season, national playoffs to determine promoted team.


The A-League moniker should remain across the top two tiers to keep things consistent and make it clear that there's a uniform connection (like how tiers 2, 3, and 4 of the English pyramid all have the consistency of the "EFL" moniker) plus it's easier to market by keeping the same competition name.

Here's an overview of the top tiers:

Competition	Weekly matches	Pro Players	Champion	Playoffs	FFA Cup Qualification
A-League	16	<576	Grand Final Winner (A1) League Table (A2)	Finals Series (A1) Promotion (A2)	All teams (32)
State Leagues (NPL)	~32	Varied	Challenge Cup (National Playoffs) League Table (Regular Season)	Promotion (National Playoffs)	League Winners (8) Playoff Winners (8)

It's also worth noting that once such a pyramid is established and the number of pro teams increases, the FFA Cup will expand to include an additional round-proper (the Round of 64). The breakdown of teams in the cup will be 32 (across both divisions of the A-League), the 8 State League winners, the 8 playoff winners from each state league's end of season cup qualification playoffs (essentially like the league playoffs in England), and then a further 16 teams from the qualification rounds as we see in the present.

RULES AND REGULATIONS (what we should aspire to implement in the A-League as soon as possible):
·         Transfer fees between all clubs nationally
·         Spending should be controlled by a system like Financial Fair Play, but with a "three strikes" approach. Simply put, if the club is in the red for more than three consecutive years, it will be hit with sanctions such as a transfer/spending ban and possible points deductions. This gives some degree of financial flexibility and doesn't punish the club for the occasional year or two when they make a loss. 
·         Foreign players should allowed under the uniform 3+1 rule (3 foreign players of any nationality, plus an additional player from an AFC nation). This equates to 128 available foreign player spaces (96 general foreign spaces and 32 AFC-specific spaces) collectively across both divisions.
·         A mandatory youth player quota of at least three players aged 19 or under in the matchday squad each week (for a total of <96 youth players) should be implemented. This rule doesn't interfere directly with starting lineups, but ensures that at the very least young players will be seeing gametime as substitutes at minimum (since each club currently has to have five substitutes available each matchday). As a league that needs to improve gametime opportunities for young players, this is a short-term rule that can be implemented to improve the current situation.
·         No salary cap, no salary floor. If teams want to spend as much as they can afford (within their own financial boundaries) they should be allowed to. Likewise, if teams want to be cost effective by operating as quasi-youth teams with players on minimum salaries (that can back themselves up with results on the field) then they should be allowed to. Clubs should have greater control over their finances, and not be held back by regulations that force them to spend or not spend within a particular range. Importantly though, this particular rule needs promotion and relegation to justify it, so clubs with limited financial resources can at least have something to aspire to (being promoted and subsequently surviving in the top division with the bigger clubs).
·         All clubs should be independent and determine their own brands, property, operating models, salaries, spending, merchandise, and pre/post-season games. In the rest of the world, this is already the case. In Australia it's not, and it needs to change.
·         No specific squad size rules, instead squads should be anywhere from 18 to 30 players in size. This ties into the previous two points about the control the club's have over themselves. With this rule implemented, if they want to be a super club with star-studded players and a full healthy squad with lots of depth, they can. If they want to be an Ajax-style youth talent factory stacked with young talent, they can. If they have a tight budget and believe they can survive with 18 players, they can. Clubs should have the right to control their squad sizes.

How to reach this point?
1)    Implement the above rules and regulations to give clubs greater financial freedom and create a more cost-effective operating model
2)    Begin with a national second division of 16 teams (A-League Division Two), at semi-pro level at first if necessary, in the 2018-19 season.
3)    Promote the top two teams from the second division to the A-League every two years (an expansion system based on merit), and replace the promoted teams from the second division with eligible teams (such as new clubs, expansion bids, and former NSL clubs) that enter at A-League Division Two. Repeat this until each division has 16 teams (a six-year process, 12 teams by 2019-20, 14 teams by 2021-22, 16 teams by 2023/24).
4)    After a stabilisation season in which each division of the A-League has 16 teams operating under the desired model, open the pyramid by allowing the most eligible NPL team (typically the champion of the playoffs, or the next best team that meets the criteria) into the A-League Division Two. This completes a connection of the pyramid from the top two divisions to the semi-pro state leagues.

Where will these teams come from?
Here are the current expansion bids:

Former NSL/current NPL teams	New clubs	Mergers/Undetermined
Brisbane City Brisbane Strikers Wollongong Wolves South Melbourne Sunshine Coast West Adelaide	Geelong Patriots Tasmania FC	Southern Expansion Casey-Dandenong

Other possible expansion locations:
·         Northern Fury
·         Gold Coast
·         Southwest Sydney
·         Canberra
·         Ballarat
·         Second Perth (Black Swans Project)
·         Second Tasmania (Launceston)

Existing AAFC members that could function as low-cost expansion teams in a second division:

City	Club
Melbourne	Avondale FC
Melbourne	Bentleigh Greens
Melbourne	Bulleen Lions
Melbourne	Green Gully
Melbourne	Heidelberg United
Melbourne	Hume City
Melbourne	Kingston City
Melbourne	Melbourne Knights
Melbourne	Northcote City
Melbourne	Oakleigh Cannons
Melbourne	Pascoe Vale FC
Melbourne	Port Melbourne
Melbourne	St Albans Saints
Sydney	Bankstown City
Sydney	Blacktown City
Sydney	Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Sydney	Eastern Suburbs Hakoah
Sydney	Leichhardt Tigers
Sydney	Manly United
Sydney	Marconi Stallions
Sydney	Parramatta FC
Sydney	Rockdale City Suns
Sydney	St George
Sydney	Sutherland Sharks
Sydney	Sydney Olympic
Sydney	Sydney United 58

Hypothetical second division:


(Example) Over the six-year process, Brisbane City, Wollongong Wolves, South Melbourne, Geelong Patriots, Tasmania FC, and Southern Expansion get promoted to the A-League Division One by finishing in the top two of the A-League Division Two, raising the number of teams in A-League Division One to 16. Meanwhile, Leichhardt Tigers, Marconi Stallions, Melbourne Knights, Bulleen Lions, Second Perth, and Launceston all get promoted to the A-League Division Two as eligible expansion teams (these are only examples, it would likely be different teams based on the circumstances in reality, or entirely new teams we have yet to know about).

By the end of the six-year process, the A-League’s two divisions would look like this (as an example):

A-League Division One	A-League Division Two
Sydney FC Western Sydney Wanderers Central Coast Mariners Newcastle Jets Brisbane Roar Adelaide United Perth Glory Melbourne Victory Melbourne City Brisbane City Wollongong Wolves South Melbourne Geelong Patriots Tasmania FC Southern Expansion Canberra	Brisbane Strikers Sunshine Coast West Adelaide Casey-Dandenong Sydney United Blacktown City Manly United Bentleigh Greens Heidelberg United Oakleigh Cannons Leichhardt Tigers Marconi Stallions Melbourne Knights Bulleen Lions Second Perth Launceston

And there we have it, the A-League is now a competition consisting of two tiers, with connection to the NPL State Leagues. Everyone in the NPL has something to aspire to, while the A-League clubs (particularly those in Division Two) have impetus to perform on the field each season, preventing the competition from going stale or teams being stuck in a rut with no hope of changing. The promotion and relegation battles (all marketed under the A-League competition) as part of an open system of meritocracy provides a unique key selling point and differentiates the competition from the rest of the Australian sporting market. Additionally, there are three separate end-of-season playoff tournaments (the A-League finals series, the Division Two playoffs, and the NPL playoffs) which provide the entertainment and drama that the Australian sporting audience clearly loves. This is the endgame project we should be striving for. This is the future of football in Australia. 

And the FFA is blowing hundreds of thousands on Consultants !!

Excellent summation of an Australian football landscape end point Mr. Holding Bidfielder. Hard to fault :)

Just goes to show the calibre of thinking outside the 'full-time staff' we're funding at the FFA.

I think we have our 3rd Agenda Draft for our National Reform Conference in October.

So your big plan starts off by disenfranchising the whole country except for NSW and Vic.  What a wank.

Good for laughs though.  Keep it up.

Feel free to post an alternative model SWandP

What would you recommend?
or
Are you happy with the way things are?

Thanks, I appreciate the praise.
Feel free to use my comment in any documents, drafts, and info sharing you want. The more people that can see it, the better!

That's why the expansion process needs to be based on merit rather than metrics, with the system I put forward (that others have suggested too) implementing a second division containing the clubs most eager to join the A-League, with purely promotion to the top flight as a means of expansion.

An additional tidbit of info that I forgot to include in my first post is that an ideal goal across both divisions of the A-League is to have at least two professional teams from each state before fully opening the pyramid. That way, every state has representation in both divisions OR there's a derby/state rival in the same league. For example, WA would have Perth and another team, Adelaide would have AUFC and West Adelaide, Tasmania would have Hobart and Launceston teams, NSW and VIC would naturally have plenty, and Queensland would have Roar, Strikers, City, and Sunshine Coast (plus possible Gold Coast and Northern Fury teams). Of course, there's a chance that a team could theoretically be relegated down into the state leagues, but they'll have a shot at bouncing back fairly quickly, AND by directly linking the NPL teams to the existing national playoffs as a means of promotion, every NPL state league will have a fair shot at getting into the top two divisions via end of season playoffs.

I imagine Cairns (Heat), Townsville, Western Pride and GCC would all be interested entering the 2nd division. BC, BS and SC all have A-League ambition atm and perhaps even Lions (if they don't purchase Roar) would want to enter the 2nd div.

I see a real problem with a conference comp. mainly because the Northern conference should be bigger.

I'll start and finish here.

Where the hell do you get off excluding most of the country from your grandiose vision?
I congratulate on at least attempting to do something rather than sitting on your arse and sniping, but do you really think that you are going anywhere at this point?

Go back and remove Victoria from your plan and replace it with Queensland.  There is every reason to.  It's a bigger football state, produces great players and teams and has a stable organisation in place already.
Next job - explain to the Victorians why they can't be in your grand plan. Should go well. Then explain to all the other people across the country why they should give you more than a passing spit because you sure as fuck don't seem to care about them or their ambitions.  Second rate football citizenry has been declared just because.....?
At this point, at best, you'll have created a concept that most of the country don't care about.  More likely, you'll have created a vision that most of the country hate and will work actively against.  On the first page of your manifesto you have created enemies across the country.

Why would anybody support an idea that excludes them?  At least the FFA understand their role and actively support football for Australians wherever they are in the country.
Keep up the good work.  Can't possibly imagine what you'll come up with next to attract support.

Thanks for your advice SWandP.
Some more detail would have been helpful but nevertheless we'll take your advice on board.

Remembering we're tabling points to raise in an Agenda for a Reform Conference.

What I'm confident in is that over the course of the next weeks or few months, we'll notate with significant consensus a range of reforms that will improve the football landscape & unlock its potential finally in Aust.

There's a wealth of experience, insight & analytical brain power in the hundreds of forum contributors that aren't being seriously taken noticee of.

Some may not wish to contribute others may see some merit.

Couple of items that can be reviewed

1. A National Coordinated facilities development Program. Each Level to have a Facilities Department

Align FFA - State Federations - Clubs = with Federal Govt - State Govt - Council

We need a Boutique stadium in every state and territory Controlled by Football

2. Feasibility study into Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to deliver coaching courses.

Not sure the States and FFA are delivering the courses so that participants are actually learning and developing. More about churning.

3. Implement Tom Byer Philosophy from U4 to U12
Our future has always been about Grassroots. We need programs that actually engage PLAYERS and PARENTS.
Many parents just accept the crap feed to them because they don't know and have limited football culture.
Feed up with seeing so many kids just boot the ball as far as they can and parents clapping because tahts what they know from AFL or ARU or NRL

Excellent points Arthur.
I'll add to Draft 4 shortly & table it.

Facilities is the achillies heel of the sport.

Melb Victory the biggest club in Aust & has no faciliries / social club & train at a public park where u can take your dog for a stroll. Most HAL franchises are in the same boat.

Begging Stadium operators to protect the shared NRL/AFL/HAL fields for our code's tier 1 matches / finals etc is embarrassing. & we need to start building our own boutique stadia.

Crawford Report identified exactly that many yrs ago. We've wasted a billion on player salaries & not developed club infrustructure /facilities at any level !!

I would mention 4 things.

1. The ranking of football clubs shows how diverse the game of football is in Aust. We have at least one team from each state confederation in the top 36 ranked teams. With a bit of tweaking, this should be the starting point. As mentioned above, derbies are an added bonus to football and should be considered. However, derbies should not be the holy grail in selecting teams for either division.

2. The A League should be separated as an entity that pays a licence fee to the FFA. This should be used to develop the lower tiers as regards to coaching, player conditions, refereeing, and club management.

3. Currently, the national teams are a drain on finance. They should be contributing to the pie. Player wages for representing Aust (men's) are obscene, and should be more aligned with countries of similar stature.

4. The biggest impediment to restructuring will probably be the PFA. They should be its biggest supporters, as there'll be more professional players.

@Footballking55
3. Currently, the national teams are a drain on finance. They should be contributing to the pie. Player wages for representing Aust (men's) are obscene, and should be more aligned with countries of similar stature.
There are definitely opportunities for better returns in these areas.
Quite a few years ago SBS  brought Brazil U20's to Australia to play our Youth team in a copule of challenge matches.
I remember the game at Marconi Stadium was packed and the game televised live around Australia SBS did a fantastic job promoting this.
There must be similar opportunities in todays environment.

FFA and State Federations must write up and make available Business and Marketing Plans for NPL Competitions.
As far as I know not one state or FFA has a plan on how to drive the NPL competition in a commercial sense.

Individual Clubs are doing some fantastic stuff on Social Media the State Federations are playing catch up. Also frustrating that the strategy of the States is ad hoc and changes year to year.
The FFA also have much to do to support the NPL the NPL Championship series at the end of the year is at the moment a dead duck series.

On that logic the A League shouldn't be given a spot due to Wellington

The obvious answer is if a state league team wins, then it goes to the runner up

What do other countries do?

DRAFT 4 : National Reform Conference Agenda now reads:

(Remembering at this stage we are developing the Agenda items that will be covered at the Conference. 
At the Conference we will workshop the items and hand over solutions to the football administration functionaries (Federations) to implement on a generous timeline)


1. Decide A-League expansion model & rollout date of a 2nd Div with Promotion / Relegation.
Model to be developed that demonstrates how the A League will expand, include a second tier, unconditional P/R, eventual 3rd tier, and finally conditional P/R to NPL. Independent body to run AL, 2nd div, w league and youth league
Appendix 1 : Model HB ( Holding Bidfielder )
Appendix 2 : Model JH (Jake Shorter, ThePekingOrder.com.au)
 
2. No salary cap or other balancing mechanisms aside from 3+1 rule. No concessions, player payments or other unbalanced payments from a central pool to individual clubs.
Spending should be controlled by a system like Financial Fair Play, but with a "three strikes" approach. Simply put, if the club is in the red for more than three consecutive years, it will be hit with sanctions such as a transfer/spending ban and possible points deductions. This gives some degree of financial flexibility and doesn't punish the club for the occasional year or two when they make a loss.               
No salary cap, no salary floor. If teams want to spend as much as they can afford (within their own financial boundaries) they should be allowed to. Likewise, if teams want to be cost effective by operating as quasi-youth teams with players on minimum salaries (that can back themselves up with results on the field) then they should be allowed to. Clubs should have greater control over their finances, and not be held back by regulations that force them to spend or not spend within a particular range. Importantly though, this particular rule needs promotion and relegation to justify it, so clubs with limited financial resources can at least have something to aspire to (being promoted and subsequently surviving in the top division with the bigger clubs).
Foreign players should allowed under the uniform 3+1 rule (3 foreign players of any nationality, plus an additional player from an AFC nation

3. Transfer fees between ALL clubs. Clubs are independent (they own name, brand and IP) Clubs keep their own revenue including finals, big name club tours and merchandise.
- All clubs determine their own brands, property, operating models, salaries, spending, merchandise, and pre/post-season games. In the rest of the world, this is already the case. In Australia it's not.

4. A-League franchises can run their league ONLY under a unified pyramid model.

5. Rollout Semi pro contracts in addition to current player contract system

6. Visa spots to match Asia system, 3+1 for all clubs (whether HAL, NPL, State Leagues).
- Would make a fairer FFA Cup Competition too
- Perhaps consider inclusion of 3 x U20-U23 players in squads. E.g. China has implemented such an approach.

7. We limit all federation administration fees to a fixed % of league turnover.
Say 5%. Presently FFA charge 28% of their turnover in salaries (around $ 24 million on turnover of just over $106m !!! ). Internationally its off the scale !  Federations only manage football under an outsourced service model e.g. Administer Fixtures, Tribunal, Player contract Admin, Referees   or   Fixed % of revenue to go to FFA (ie- 10%), fixed $ for running the league (ie- $5m), with all other funds divided between AL, div2 and W League clubs (ratio of 3:1:1)

8. ALL clubs can have as many junior teams as they can carry so they can lobby councils/governments for more/better facilities

9. Coaching licences at cost recovery fee structure only.
- Presently Australia has the MOST expensive coaching licence system on the planet. It’s a revenue centre for the FFA. Guess who ultimately pays for that, parents!!
- Feasibility study into Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to deliver coaching courses.
- Request National Tech Directors to examine implementing Tom Byer Philosophy from U4 to U12

10. Transfer compensation payments to be paid directly to clubs rather that put the onus on mum & dad volunteers having to chase up FFA to see what they are owed. Incredible !

11. Scrap NPL Player Point system.
A mandatory youth player quota in ALL leagues of at least three players aged, say U20-23 in the matchday squad each week. This rule doesn't interfere directly with starting lineups, but ensures that at the very least young players will be seeing gametime as substitutes at minimum (since each club currently must have five substitutes available each matchday). As a league that needs to improve gametime opportunities for young players, this is a short-term rule that can be implemented to improve the current situation.

12. Increase women's WLeague clubs & female player pathways

13. ACL spot for FFA cup.
  - Either finals (winner, GF, semi loser play offs) or league finishing position (1st, 2nd, 3rd) to determine other spots

14. A national coordinated Facilities Development Program.
- Each Level to have a Facilities Department
- Align FFA - State Federations - Clubs = with Federal Govt - State Govt - Council
- We need boutique stadiums in every state and territory controlled by Football
 

His plan included teams from Canberra, Brisbane, Wollongong, Tasmania, Sunshine Coast, Adelaide and Perth...  Who's being left out?  Darwin?

We've done pretty well in just over 24 hours :)

No doubt we will tinker with the National Reform Agenda points over the next weeks/months.
But the main items needing reform are certainly there.

Draft 4 National Football Reform Conference Pamphlet is attached.
If anyone is a bit more creative in the design area, feel free to improve.

Not to be a downer but way too many points to discuss at a conference (how many weeks were you planning to host this event over??). Also your items are leading, that is you limit your audience. What authority do you have to tell us that your ideas are the best??

Is this a conference to discuss ideas or simply listen to YOU say what you want??

4. A-League franchises can run their league ONLY under a unified pyramid model. 

What if the A-League franchises say no deal. We want full control. Or they refuse to attend the conference because they don't want to be cornered before it even starts!

FFA / current A-League board have already said no too.

Or let's say they say YES to the deal. Then from your points 1, 2, 3 and 6 are moot. The A-League franchises now run the league and determine all those points. Would the majority of their decisions now be based on economics?? What care do they have for the national team / players??