Any idea how P&R between NPL and NSD could work?
There are 8 NPL comps. So I imagine some sort of play-off tie comp would need to be created to decide the promoted club(s). Pretty easy as there are an even number of clubs. I'm assuming NSD criteria would still apply, so some clubs may need to forfeit if they don't meet and have no way of meeting the requirements in time.
Then the is the relegation side of things. Hypothetically, let's say it's a 1 up / 1 down scenario. If you have a VIC club going up and a NSW club going down, it makes the respective NPL leagues unbalanced. This could introduce bye weeks. Alternatively, they would need to promote an extra club from NPL2 to NPL1 to make up the numbers.

It's what already happens when clubs fold or amalgamate

Not an issue.

I agree it won't happen any time soon under the current structures

BUT the way I see it happening if/when it does occur will be if there is only promotion for the first 4+ years (likely only if criteria are met too so possibly 6 or so seasons)

This can be offered as a buffer to current owners.
If the A-League is 16 teams and at least 4 are new entrants from the NPL and you have had 6 seasons to prepare for it and take their best players it is far less likely an "original franchise" will get relegated.

Not saying it's fair etc just the only way I imagine it. The plan will be for the new entrants to be the yo-yo clubs for a while

Sounds reasonable but what happens when the "stars" align and a licenced franchise finishes bottom? Do they avoid relegation like South did in 1979? 
Only way the leagues are ever going to combine is if some sort of license fee is established for clubs in NST and below which, by the very nature of these clubs, will have to be significantly lower than the 18+ million the going rate is now.... Cant see that happening for decades mate.

The mechanism(with past years NPL finals series) is my preferred but agree the lopsided draw it may create could be a worry.. Your solution is elegant and could work???? 

it wont, keep the pro and semipro/amature seperate  it took a country like Japan  at ~10 years before after the creation of J2 for the JFL became J3 

NST is going to be full time pro by FA's insistence though?

Yeh, but if they continue to insist, they will end up backing themselves into a corner.
Really, if a club gets promoted to the NSD down the track (one day), it's completely unrealistic that we would expect them to jump from amateur to fully professional in a few months.
The more I think about, the more I think it's an impossibillity that these criteria can remain so stringent permanently.

Its just paying a 12 month wage instead of an 8-9 month one which most NPL clubs do now anyway mate... Dont think it is that much of a jump considering the boost in revenue these clubs will get.... 

There are only two types of player registration, Professional and Amateur.
Amatuer relates to hobby as per ATO regulations, that means your expenses are covered, if i'm not mistaken the figure is $8,000 pa.

Professional is any figure above that.

So effectively you could have a player on $1,000 per month, plus Super, with workcover.

Paying monthly and 12 months a year just means a player can have a guranteed income, as apposed to the current practice of match payment, sign on fee and small training payments.
So for example a player in NPL who received $2,000 per match and played 26 games totalling $52,000 would now get paid $4,333 per month.
Or a base salary of say $2,000 a month plus bonuses.

Hope this helps

If you're saying that under this current criteria they would accept players being paid $8.001 pa as meeting that criteria, then that would be a good outcome.

But I'll be honest, I cannot see the PA accepting that number as being sufficient to be accepted as a professional wage.

I'm just trying to make the point that at some stage in the future, when there's' P&R with the 3rd tier, that clubs getting promoted must be given every opportunity to compete at a cost structure not too far above where they have come from, otherwise, I can't see it working for too long.

Aren't the minimum wage rules at play here ?

Hours 'working' will dictate minimum Salary I would have thought.

I'd would also assume that there may be a CBA in place as professional footballers are unionised. 

$25 an hour min. wage or thereabouts. 40 hrs a week = $1000. 52 weeks.

$52k min wage. Squad of 20. $1 040 000.00 required.

A-League min wage is $45k for 16-19 year olds as per the CBA. I'd assume we'd see a very similar figure for the NST as the players are most likely going to be within that age group.

That on average appears about right. You'll have the odd star that will get paid more and then of course the junior / youth players that will get paid less.

In the 70's there was a particular Victorian club paying $200 / week. Allowing for cost of living increases, inflation etc the $1,000 / week does sound a little light in comparison however.

Everyone is making an assumption that every player will be on fulltime hours.

Players can also be on part-time hours.

Training 3 times a week = 6 hours at 40 weeks a year = total hours 240 hours

Match day and travel = 8 hours 26 games = 208 hours

Total Hours 448 hours @$35 an hour (includes Super) = $15680 for hours worked.

So I could do it two ways divide the $15680 by 12 months $1307 per month

Or pay a monthly retainer of say $1,000 a month plus the $15,680 for hours worked = $27,680

And of course I can do it minimum wage paid monthly or Salary a player on $60K at $5K a month.

Haven't included bonuses which I think Clubs will be doing.

There's not one way to pay and there's fulltime professional and part time professional (which should be an option if a player is also pursing a career or higher education.

Arthur
I hope you are right that there is that sort of leeway.

But, the wording was something like "full time professionals".

And with the PA involved, I just can't see it coming out as cheap as you reckon.

I too have calculated an annual wage bill of at least $1 mill, just like Muz did (and even then, you are assuming every single player is on rock bottom wages, which is rarely the case).

I'm currently calculating annual costs of at least $2.5 million, noting that clubs must have 12 month access to a facility AND have full-time office staff.

By the way, I don't think that's an impossibility to cover, but I do think many NPL clubs would baulk at that.

My final point on this, is everyone assumes that what the FA has put out is the final word.

As if no more negotiation can occur, negotiation and prodding over the last 6 years got the FA to this point.

Now they have to deliver, many things are still on the table.

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; 

Requirement & Salary doesn't sound very negotiable but I guess we'll see.

Seems tricky for clubs to decide whether to enter the process if something like this can be ignored.