-   Several officials at prominent NPL Clubs are going around the country openly telling people that, due to pressure from FIFA and Asian Confed, that there will be promotion/relegation in the A-League from 2016. It is understood that Gallop is offering several clubs a ‘nod and wink’ that promotion/relegation will happen, and that the NPL clubs spoken to will take Legal Action if Promotion/Relegation is not provided. It is understood that Sepp Blatter himself has backed at least one NPL club to ‘not be denied the right to have a crack’ at A-League entry.
-   Lowy is known on record from telling some NPL club officials that ‘under my watch, you won’t get in’ to soccer’s elite (refer to Lowy’s 2015 retirement and the strongly rumoured promotion/relegation from 2016)

Just thought I’d make it interesting before the World Cup.



Edited by wamackie: 16/5/2014 09:58:49 AM

This probably deserves it's own Forum title:Conspiracy Theories.
The logistics of this happening now or in the near future ,make it nothing more than fantasy.
Clubs have fixed licences,which mean they are guaranteed to stay in the HAL.So none of the teams with a licence can be relegated.WP could be removed and replaced with an NPL team,but how could it be relegated from the HAL if it didn't finish last?
How could a Capital City team be relegated if that Capital City was no longer represented in the HAL?Think of lost TV revenue and TV deals which require big rating teams to be in the HAL.
As much as I like the concept,I just can't see it happening without a strong and popular second division being in place at the very least.

Unless the A-League teams are safe, and they bring in 2 NPL teams in 2016, and then only the NPL teams can be promoted/relegated...?

Just thinking out loud. It's a logistical nightmare, but a fascinating concept! It would certainly make each A-League season unique. :)

Several high level NPL club officials are openly saying this around the traps, if you ask them nicely enough.

If true, that's an interesting one.

Personally, I don't think that Pro/Rel will work well in a couple of years time. I agree with crimsoncrusoe, we'd need to see a very strong/popular 2nd div. And, licenses are also an issue.

In saying that, I wouldn't be surprised to see "promotion" happen...because the league would want to be expanding in the near future. A future that I think is much closer than real Pro/Rel.

Why would Blatter have a say or even care about what's going on here? He's got far more important things to do like selling the hosting rights of the WC.

I just can't see pro/rel working in 2016, the current clubs still aren't making money as it is and the FFA is barely making ends meet. There just isn't enough money in the game yet to have pro/rel.

There are so many reasons why i think we are still a good 10 years away from thinking about pro/rel.

What were the figures for this year? If the clubs aren't making money how are they still in existance?

Promotion and relegation gives rise to better quality and more sponsorship potential. I also believe if it became more like an epl league more people and companies will become interested in investing. Plus teams will get tv rights.

It's a flow on affect but for the first few years it'd have to be promo only. No more expensive franchises at ridiculously expensive stadiums.

How does it improve quality?

And I'm not saying no to pro/rel, I'm just saying not in 18 months time.

And where would the team that gets relegated go? We don't currently have a national second division.

Thinking about it further,I think a diluted promotion / relegation is possible if money can be found for two teams to be added to the HAL.The new teams would be admitted purely from the NPL and on the proviso a licence would be issued to both promoted teams on a number of conditions.These would include the following:
1. At the end of each HAL season the lowest placed promoted HAL team would have to playoff against the highest placed NPL team,with the winner getting the last HAL spot.Hence promotion / relegation
2.No NPL team will challenge the right of long term licence HAL teams to remain in the HAL regardless of their final position on the ladder.
3.Financial stability requirements for any team to be promoted.
In time maybe the HAL could end up with 14 teams,four of which are vulnerable to relegation.Furthermore over time a clear second division could be created from top NPL teams and with increased prominence in the media landscape,so that all HAL teams become vulnerable to relegation.
When a time comes where all HAL teams are able to be relegated ,a transition period could exist where a long term licenced HAL team could only be relegated if it was bottom of the ladder for two consecutive years.In this scenario surely they deserve to be flushed down for at least a year,because I am sure no one will be watching them if they are this bad.
From my point of view the important thing is that there are transition steps to allow for a gradual ,palatable and affordable change to promotion/ relegation.
The first step of limiting relegation to teams that have been promoted from the NPL in the first place seems more manageable if incorporated into a new TV deal.

1. It improves quality by exposing talent that would otherwise would not get the opportunity to play in the top tier. FFA Cup is a good start but it's just one game do or die.

2. Not arguing on that one. In fact, like I said, it should be a one way stream. Promotion to make the teams.

3. Well at the moment we have the NPLs. Like previously said for the first few years it'll need to be one way. Promotion should make up the numbers and get people used to the idea.

Money can be made from the academies like what is currently being done.

No Sauce?



-PB

So a NPL team that gets promoted how would their squad look? The teams are full of guys with other full time jobs, would they all have to quit them in order to maybe have 1 season in the a league? Or would a whole new squad be brought in, then if that's the case, the desire for the NPL players to get promoted goes out the window.

In the current set up, the gap between a league and NPL is to great.

I've hinted above at club officials (as in, plural and at moer than one club).

I can't break their trust by naming them individually.

Edited by wamackie: 16/5/2014 02:04:13 PM

Actually just read this :lol:

As if clubs would file legal action if pro/rel doesn't happen in 2016.

Chortle.

-PB

By 2016? Complete rubbish. When we have another million regular supporters... Maybe.

Why do I feel that Sep blatter commenting on our pro/rel situation is complete bullshit.

A lot of players would earn more from their day jobs too.

This can't work until the 2nd div is fully professional i.e. won't happen

This is true but contracts could be adjusted to compensate for this. The same this is done in most pro/rel situations. Players often the option to leave. The biggest issue is that A-league clubs will simply die if they get relegated. No one will sponsor WPX if they drop into obscurity. When there is no money, they can't pay players at all. CCM can barely cut a cheque for their uniform invoices playing in the a-league. If they drop to A-league 2? C'mon, this is seriously just all horseshit

Nail. Head.

Because it is complete bullshit lol.

-PB

Ha Ha...if only I could name names!

Then we could call them bullshit artists?

-PB

Lowy out SMFC in?

That's what I'm thinking. It would be like a Conference team getting promoted straight to the EPL.

We need to get to 14 a league teams with newly established clubs. Then focus on creating a somewhat professional national second division. Which will be a number of tv deals away if ever.

Could be option B, they're highly credentialed option B though! :)

On what grounds would they have to take the FFA to court?

If promotion/relegation happens that soon, it will only be between the assorted NPL leagues (probably the east coast ones only) and a national second division with HAL still protected above that.

Stranger things have happened dewd.

Exactly. What a load of shit.

So beacuse of a "nod and a wink" that is grounds for legal action if NPL teams aren't awarded a place in the A-league?? Without witnesses that isn't even a verbal agreement.

And for all the reasons stated thus far it's impossible that this will take place in 2016. Just won't happen. At best 1 or 2 NPL teams may get asked to join the a-league but that's it. No a-league team will be able to get relegated before 2020 because they have binding contracts in place with the club owners.

I'd expect threads like this out of the SMFC/MACEDONIA crowd.

-PB

Anyone can make these sorts of claims with these sorts of excuses mate. Either this was some poorly spun bullshit or your mates are having a lend of you...

As far as 'taking the aleague to court'. There no legal precedent for this (trust me, I'd know. I've season two whole seasons of Suits). This sort of shit tends to flow from the assholes of our overly letigious society.

Lowy has more money than an NPL club. Since when does $epp Blatter go AGAINST money?

I'm pretty well connected at a couple of NPL clubs and tend to get the latest 'in the know' information - and I haven't heard anyone I trust/respect saying anything about promotion kicking in anytime soon.



One would assume they would offer full time contracts to the best players, and complete the squad with signings from outside the club. It would be easier to put a squad together starting from an NPL basis than starting from blank.

Depends, how much oil money does South Melbourne have?

Again, I thank you for your observations, but do point out that NPL Club Officials (who will remain nameless at this time), and officials from more than one club also, have advised me of this information.

I will leave it at that.

There's a bit of grease in the souvlaki...

If money is to be found, the above actually makes sense. A national Div 2 with promo/rel underneath it but with the HAL protected above that.

Again, if it's affordable, I would love to see that.

My personal view is that the best way to achieve that is to combine it with the NYL. So take the 9 HAL NYL sides, add the top 3 from NSW and Vic, top 2 from Qld, SA and WA and top side from ACT and you've got the framework for a viable second tier, run over an east and west conference.

East - SFC, WSW, Mariners, Jets, Brisbane, Top 3 from NSWPL, Top 2 from Qld, top 1 from ACT.

West - Victory, Heart, Adelaide, Glory, Top 3 from VicPL, Top 2 from SA, Top 2 from WA.

Two from each conference go into the semis, or four if you want quarter finals.

So according to this there's an NPL club with links to Sepp Blatter..?

:lol: Bullshit man would come in handy on this site

Whilst I don't see any truth to the story, I would argue the bolded point in your response.

First off - the license agreement assures the owner of his place in the A-League. If the new competition is set up as part of the A-League, for example A1 and A2, then the FFA could argue that the relegated franchise IS still in the A-league.

Secondly - the license agreement has numerous KPIs attached, most of the A-league is in breech of at least one of those KPIs, so the FFA have the right to remove them at will. To date the reason they have only exercised this with a couple of franchises is the lack of suitable replacements. It's fair to say that in a promotion/relegation scenario you've already got your replacement lined up.

Third - as has been commented before, if you set the system up correctly you can have a promotion/relegation structure in place that makes promotion/relegation extremely unlikely...

For example, rather than automatic promotion/relegation you have a two legged play-off between champions of second div and wooden spooners of first - but you have already set up the second division with a considerably lower salary cap and tougher visa restrictions, meaning that the top side is going to really struggle to match the playing group of the bottom side in the first division. You can already see the NPL being set up to limit squad potential in the 'second' tier, I've no doubt this will continue when (not if) a promotion/relegation structure is brought in.

Put simply, if your A-League team is so weak that having finished last it is unable to overcome a side from an inferior league, with a far lower budget, over two legs... You don't deserve to own a side in the top division.

Edited by switters: 19/5/2014 06:18:18 PM

It really doesn't matter what they say, unless there is something on paper they have no grounds for legal action. That statement is simply a load of crap. Whilst I believe your buddies may have said this to you, I simply don't believe your buddies...

It just isn't financially possible any time soon. FIFA aren't dummies and neither is David Gallop - he was ruling out promo/relegation as recently as last summer. He knows the dollar sign equation.

That's before we even get to talk about the football - it will take years of FFA cup and other building blocks before the gap between the NPL and the A-league will be filled.

What pressure could FIFA and the AFC realistically put on us anyway? Taking away some ACL spots? They'd be brave to do this when we're having our best season ever.

The only way I could see Sepp Blatter sticking his nose in is if this is some tin-foil hat project out of West Asia to get us on pro-rel because they think it'd sink football in this country and get them easy access to the WCQ spot we've nailed down the last eight years.

Sick bump bro.

-PB

My work is eternal brother! :)