Here are the clubs who are protesting against the current NPL requirements as outlined by the FFV.

Bentleigh Greens

Box Hill United

South Melbourne Womens

Dandenong Thunder

Fawkner Blues

Sandringham Womens

Northcote City

Heidelberg United

Box Hill United Womens

Oakleigh Cannons

Moreland Zebras

Heidelberg Womens

Pascoe Vale

North Geelong Warriors

Bundoora United Womens

Port Melbourne Sharks

Gippsland Soccer Assoc.

Ashburton United Womens

Bundoora United

Altona City Womens

South Melbourne

Altona Magic

Casey Womens

Southern Stars

St Albans Saints

Preston Lions Womens

Green Gully Cavaliers

Western Suburbs

Cairnlea Womens

Hume City

Peninsula Strikers

Malvern City

Melbourne Knights

Collingwood City

Kingston City

Langwarrin

Cairnlea

Seaford United

Fawkner Sporting

Whittlesea

Northern Roosters

Preston Lions

Don't know enough about it=\, what i do like is the regional clubs and other consortiums coming through.

I voted on the side of the clubs. (Impending wall-o-thoughts)

I don't really follow State League football (have a passing interest in Melb Knights, as a few schoolmates are part of the main fan club), but I do think a prospering State League is vital to player development.

A few people have referred to the formation of the A-League as an example of why the clubs should back down - despite the clubs then claiming it couldn't work without their existing foundations, it began with new franchises and prospered.

However, for a State League that has a significantly lower potential supporter base, a re-done league with new consortium clubs (which FFV would need to do if nearly everyone from the VPL and SL1 pulls out) would struggle to gain popularity, from new fans and fans of "rebel" clubs, and would run at a loss.

That's not to say that the clubs can hold the Federation to ransom; if the FFV think something needs to be done to improve the game, it has to consider moving on from the clubs. But there's already a precedent, from the very same competition as is being brought in, for a model that works well for both Organising Body and clubs, so I think they're being reasonable.

Clubs. The FFV has been pinching money for a number of years and it is evident in the fees charged for registration.

Pinching money?

Isn't it obvious? Who'd give a fuck about the clubs that have nearly killed off the VPL the same way they killed off the NSL. Is this some joke?

Not many clubs in the VPL that represent the broad community so I offer no more comment.

Ask anyone involved at any club out in the 'burbs' about the FFV and I can guarantee that 99.99% of them will have nothing positive to say about them. They are incompetent fools of the highest order. Recently one of the FFV commissioners or whatever these clowns call themselves stated that he would like to see clubs have under 18's, 20's, 22's, 24's, 26's etc etc sides. That's the type of morons and mentality clubs have to put up with. So those ignorant and biased types that have absolutely no idea about the goings on in the local scene and just spew out the usual ethnic crap, just fuck off. If the vast majority of clubs are against the FFV's flawed and unworkable NPL model then they have every right to protect themselves.

So why are you posting in here?

-PB

#-o

Don't see a huge groundswell of support voting for either side

I honestly don't see how anyone can read the plans for the NPL-V, compare them to the plans for the NPL-NSW, read the clubs list of concerns, and then see any reason to support the FFV's stance.

If the 'rebel' clubs were standing up to the FFA's competition review, or if the NPL-V was set up the same as the NPL-NSW and the clubs were complaining THEN I could understand people backing the FFV, but there is simply no logical reason to believe that the FFV are right when confronted by...

FOR:
- FFV
- Max. 8 clubs who are still in the application process (only one of which has any record at the highest level in the state - and they are currently sitting dead last in the league).

AGAINST:
- 47 clubs who have either previous expressed support for the NPL, or have the facilities and means to operate within a correctly established NPL structure
- Several local councils
- The Parks & Leisure Dept (who control the vast majority of playing fields)


Edited by Benjamin: 6/8/2013 05:31:54 PM

Well I'm from Ballarat and as such would like to see top flight state football in regional Victoria. We Ballarat City Council need a justification for pouring millions of dollars into the new state of the art Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility. The current bid Ballarat bid is very keen to get involved in the new NPLV so I'm in favour of the FFV. In this franchise model it would be nice to see football outside of Melbourne.

You already have a team sitting down near the bottom in state league 2, why should they get an easy passage to the top?

We also has a team close to the top of state league 5, what's your point? It's a franchise model. While the Red Devils will be spearheading the bid as it has the facilities the bid itself has the support of the B&DSA which represents the Wimmera, Daylesford Spa Country, Ballarat and Maryborough Goldfields, the Central Highlands and the South West Coast. From Horsham to Ballarat. From Maryborough to Warnambool. The basis of the bid it to represent a region where the sport is well established and still has great potential to grow. Basically the bid is similar to the Melbourne Victory in the A-League which initially represented Victoria not one previous club.

So in effect you're greedy and want to shortcut your way to top level state football and see the NPLV model presented by the FFV which based on the severe disengagement with the football community, has seen a focus on "consortiums" as opposed to predominantly using established clubs and their infrastructure, as a means to get there.

I hope you crash and burn in financial mediocrity you sell outs and never ever get to play the South Melbourne you dream of playing as quoted in the article below:

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1485728/soccer-ballarat-red-devils-seek-licence-for-national-premier-leagues/



Edited by southfan: 6/8/2013 08:53:40 PM

Edited by southfan: 6/8/2013 08:54:33 PM

Sell outs? By submitting a tender as per the guidelines, unfortunately many off us do not presume we have a right to rule and are therefore happy to participate in a fair and legal process.


"I hope you crash and burn in financial mediocrity you sell outs" nice turn of phrase, it says much more about you than it does about Ballarat's NPL bid.

Stand by my statement.

No one presumes they have the right to rule. Football grandeur is earned and maintained on the pitch.

With that perspective in mind, the Red Devils stand for undeniable mediocrity and now want to rise to play with the state's football elite via a disengaged process that only sell outs would participate in.

Sell outs exist in all forms of life and society and the mediocre Red Devils who face the prospect of relegation to state 3 have taken the sell out path.

Quite simple.

"States Football Elite" I'll have a glass of what your having, thanks.

I wish you all the best in your irrelevance, long may it continue.

State football elite basically means the current vpl clubs who have earnt the right to participate in the states highest division, under normal circumstances 2 teams would be demoted and 2 would come up to the elite competition....Ballarat are so far off the mark its laughable that they could leapfrog dozens of clubs..some even regional.

Yes I realise what he means. The NPL is not the VPL by another name, structural change is taking place for the betterment of Football, not necessarily for the betterment of any one club.

I just wonder why it's so damn hard to get this up and running when the rest of the country has had an easy transition from most reports.

Frustrating really for the game in this state. Are there too many financial constraints for the game in this state that changes the model? It just doesn't add up.

I've got no problem with the addition of regional sides - a Victorian league, rather than a Melbourne league, WOULD be more appropriate.

However, I think it's a farce that under the FFV's plans (allegedly) the league would consist of 6 metro and 6 regional - because like it or not, the regional sides wouldn't be able to compete with the metro teams at any level (if they could, they would be in the VPL by right). This would stunt the development of players unable to make the higher quality metro squads, whilst giving extra opportunities to inferior players elsewhere in the state.

In a perfect world, I'd LOVE to see the NPL under the same guidelines as in NSW, with two divisions, allowing the best clubs to find their way to the top, and the lesser sides to operate within the same system but at an appropriate level. A couple of weeks ago the FFV had over 40 applicants to the NPL and could have run the league this way - only requiring a couple of minor tweaks to their model in order to have their cake and eat it... Now, they don't have enough sides for a single division.

... And that's the real issue. A couple of small changes to the FFV model and they could have the league tomorrow. It's important to note that those changes would have zero negative affect on regional bids (but quite a bit of positive). So why do the FFV insist on standing by their model - specifically the bits of their model that differ from the NSW model? No one is answering this one - even those who support the FFV have failed to come up with any logical reason why the FFV would act this way.

I'd love to hear theories from those who support the FFV - but the silence is deafening.

It's quite simple really. The 'rebel' clubs have clearly indicated that if the FFV had implemented the NPL model used in other states then they would have been happy to go along with it. Instead the FFV is basing its model on its failed and shit summer zonal league concept. Clubs with an identity, football infrastructure, assets, good deals with councils etc are expected to basically hand it all over to the FFV under the licensing agreement. The financial risks are all on the clubs. And ill informed people on here are questioning why it's so damn hard to get this up and running. Of course complete nobodies like Ballarat are keen on this, they have fuck all fans and fuck all to lose and a place in the top tier handed to them on a platter. Playing in the top tier in any code should be EARNT on the field, otherwise what's the point of competitive sport. It's how its done all over the old except of course in Victoria where the morons at the FFV think otherwise.

Because in the other states they have placed fewer restrictions on teams - allowing for greater income.

Also, in other states whilst there was a degree of bunfighting, the state federations actually negotiated and agreed compromises with clubs - the FFV is steadfastly refusing to do so here in Victoria.

If the FFV changed their model to match NSW, all of the rebel clubs would fall back into line. It's that simple. Which leaves us with the question, as asked before, if it's so easy to fix it, why would the FFV allow it to remain broken?

nobody is going to say openly that their own mother was a whore

Eminem.

Interesting that Ballarat Red Devils initially came out with a statement stating they would not be part of the NPL the a change of President and their position changed.

Its a bold move on their part being on the bottom of State 2 NW doesn't bode well for 2014 in on field performance and if you're getting thumped every week then every thing else gets affected, attendance, canteen, sponsorship, fundraisers.

And I really understand why they are doing it, its a free ride to the top.

Good luck to them and I hope they are still there in 2015 and 2016.

No offence Southfan but if Ballarat want to apply I say good luck to them.

They haven't set the peramitters, that is the FFV.

Ballarat can take the oppurtunity offered them off the pitch just as they would on the pitch if the refs blows for a penalty.

The FFV's plan may not necessarily deliver the quality of football desired though it will probably set the game back here for the short to medium term for several reasons. I hope Clubs don't get burnt along the way.

if there is that many clubs opposed to what the FFV is trying to implement, something must be wrong.