Oh well leave them behind.


What do you think about the FourFourTwo article Rebel clubs stare down FFV's NPL?
FOOTBALL Federation Victoria is facing a revolt ahead of next year’s National Premier League launch with some of the State’s biggest club boycotting the competition.

Have your say.

It'd be ridiculous not to have them. FFV is going to need to back down on some of the more contentious issues.

Oh well, reform will happen with or without them.

Stupid of them, it just means they get left behind and no one will want to play for them because there not in the premier comp, and they will fade away into the sunset

I can not believe that they are making the same mistake as they did with the Aleague. It hearts me to see these grand old clubs slowly die due to their own stupidity.Get on board or be left out again.My advice is if you think you have something to contribute do it from with in rather than be 100% right and left right out.

It would be very sad if these great clubs were not included. However it seems it is their stubborness letting them down here

It's very easy to say that those who don't join will be left behind - and are stupid - etc., but if you actually note the points they are making, and more specifically if you look at the difference between the Victorian NPL and the other NPL's, you can see a lot of validation to their stance.

FACT - the NPL system in Victoria WILL exclude youngsters from playing at the better clubs

FACT - the NPL system in Victoria WILL increase costs to clubs, which will out of necessity be passed onto the players

@krones3 - out of interest, what mistake did these clubs make with the A-League?

Make no mistake - this is about politics and power and has nothing to do with the interests of young players and the future of the game. While the boycotting clubs (a minority of present day VPL clubs) has some legitimate reasons for concern at the proposed reforms, they are not the ones listed in these comments. The issues that are legitimate (junior separation and facilities access) can be resolved in my opinion, but boycotting the process in an attempt to re-define it on your own terms is not the correct strategy. Like many here it saddens me to see this. The Knights are my local club these days. I should be a member, however after moving to the region I determined that South Melbourne FC offered a more progressive, sustainable, ambitious, 'football first' option for my family and I. As an Australian with no cultural links to any former NSL club (both of my former NSL clubs folded years ago) the decision about which VPL team to support when moving to Melbourne was one I took seriously. Ultimately the future is what matters and the FFV need to stay focused on it. To the extent that we can take historic clubs with us we absolutely should - but the game has changed and all stakeholders interests need to be protected - not just the big clubs.

Ben:

FACT: Juniors in Victoria will choose which club is best (not you) and are likely to appriciate the elite pathway presented at NPL clubs.

FACT: You can assert the NPL will increase costs, but as boycotting clubs keep making the argument that they are allready better than what the VPL will offer I can't see how that is true. It is simply illogical - but nice try.

From FFV FAQ on NPLV

http://hosting4.sportingpulse.com/www.footballfedvic.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Competitions/NCR/NPLV_-_Frequently_Asked_Questions.pdf

---

ADDED – 16 MAY 2013:
What happens to a boundary if no clubs put their hand up?

Based on the EOI’s we have received we do not see this as being a problem. If the situation does occur, we will adjust boundaries accordingly.

---

lol : with all these clubs opting to enter the community competition rather than NPLV, SMFC's talent pool bourdary just grew 500% to include all of metropolitan Melbourne's .

SMFC to be the first NPL team to be promoted to the A-league in a few years.

Clubs from the old NSL being combative and derisive - and taking the stance that a national competition without them wouldn't be as good?

What. A. Shock.

They WILL be left behind. Whether it's 'right' or not. The sooner they realise this, the better for their supporters.

Boycotting the NPL will do nothing for these clubs but cause them to fade into obscurity. It'll acheive nothing, I expect its a ruse to try and force FFV to change the comp to suit them but if they don't the clubs will fold and join anyway

Leave them in the dust. Most people couldn't care less what happens to them.

As a fellow SMFC supporter, and as one who backs our club in its progressive transformation, I'm not arguing that boycotting is right or wrong - simply that it's not black and white. There's good and bad in the NPL system.



If you look at the Knights' statement, it's quite obvious that they believe it is in the best interests of the club, its members and its juniors, to remain outside the NPL system. One could also argue that having survived outside the A-League, these clubs probably feel that they can survive in whatever environment they find themselves.

Also - when referring to your shock at "clubs from the old NSL being combative and derisive - and taking the stance that a national competition without them wouldn't be as good?" - please note that the Knights initial stance on the A-League was to form Melbourne United and try very hard to be a part of the HAL, meanwhile South Melbourne's current stance is to be fully supportive of the NPL system. I'd hardly refer to Green Gully as a former NSL club (3 years in the 80s hardly counts).

Competition won't be substandard for long, players will want to be a part of the second tier as they know HAL clubs would be looking at players in the NPL more than they'd be looking at the other state league players.

In theory, agree 100%. But the key issue is how clubs finance themselves. At state level it tends to be more about who you are than what league you are in. This year we've got Heidelberg and Moreland in State 1 outpaying several VPL clubs. Next year boycotting clubs will most likely be able to pay even more to 1st team players as State 1 fees are likely to be lower than current VPL fees (if not you'll get an even bigger split between clubs/FFV and most likely some kind of break-away comp). If we end up with a breakaway comp featuring Gully, Knights, Bentleigh, Thunder, and a few other likely boycotters of the NPL, we may find that the best players are actually playing outside the NPL. In theory this won't be a disaster as it will open up more places in the NPL for young players - but it will stunt the development of those players if they aren't playing against the best players in the state.

And a breakaway group will last for how long.....sure these clubs should be able to negotiate with the FFV in good faith, if the FFV so desire...but at the of the day the FFV runs the show and not a handful of clubs.....if anyone thinks these clubs abstaining will adversely affect the NPL....they're dreaming.

So many people commenting who clearly do not have a clue. It's the same old "any club who disagrees is just being difficult"

How many of you have had a close look at the NPLVic criteria?

These clubs havent 'boycotted', they've just decided that it will not be feasible for them to join. There are a wide variety of reasons for why they have come to this conclusion.

If they've done the sums and cant see how they can survive in the new environment then they've done the right thing by their members in pulling out.

I'm still not sure how any of the old NSL clubs are making the same mistakes as they did with the A-League. Many of the NSL clubs didnt bother applying for the A-League because they knew it wouldnt be viable for them to do so. It wasnt an anti A-League stance, it was a pro-survival stance.

But this is FFT, so you'll always have a large amount of idiots posting on matters they know very little about

Like I've said to you previously, that's no way to run an organisation. Especially one that should be there for the benefit of its members... you know, the same ones who fund that organisation through their annual fees

The fact is that the FFV ignored concerns the clubs had. Key concerns such as not having backing of their local councils and losing access to their fields.

The mistake is to think that these clubs hope to adversely affect the NPL. They are looking after their members and youths - they feel they are best served doing that by remaining outside the NPL.

As for FFV running the show... They run the VPL show, they'll run the NPL show, but don't be stunned if these clubs join another competition away from the FFV and start their own league.

Well, no they wont "choose" which club is best. They'll be limited to what club they can play for due to the zoning system that will be put in place. An elite pathway is already present, many players have gone through the VPL to A-League and/or overseas

Clubs like the Knights have faith in their facilities and development abilities enough to feel that they dont need to be part of the NPL to continue to develop great players.

You cant see how the NPL will increase costs? Have you read the criteria? You dont need to be a CA to work out that costs will increase for clubs.

Spot on... but the default stance for most idiots on here is "any ex-NSL club who doesnt tow the line must be anti-reform and only out to damage the game"



"Running the show" is probably stretching it a bit. The FFV has shown itself to be quite incapable of effectively running anything. Yet another reason why clubs are hesitant to put their financial future in the hands of an organisation that is apparently looking like posting a $1mil deficit for the last year

GREEN GULLY & SMFC to join the A-League by 2015 everyone knows that.

I said "running the show", I didn't say they would run it well. ;)

Way too many experts in here.. :-({|=

The Melbourne Knights are not missed in the A-League, so won't be missed in the FFA NPL. Bye, bye.

Another arm chair expert with fountains of knowledge after watching a couple years of A-league and EPL :-({|=

When can we see what teams submitted a bid, i would like to see the regional teams.

FFV will not release names of clubs who has submitted an expression of interest :-$

I wouldn't get hung up on the name of a single club that is involved in the dispute - I'd be more concerned about the number of major state league clubs that don't want to get involved. I'd be even more concerned about the number of EOI that may never go beyond that level.

This isn't a case of clubs having petty squabbles with the authorities - this is a major dispute about the future of the game in Victoria, in which you have the FFV on one side, a handful of clubs wanting to work with them, and a whole raft of clubs wanting nothing to do with them.

I'd be looking at the fact that many clubs have already said that if the VIC plans matched the NSW plans, they would have submitted an EOI - and I'd wonder why the FFV felt the need to make their plans so different to those in other states.

Wave goodbye to a single club, yeah, not a problem... Wave goodbye to the majority of clubs in the state - big problem.