You might want an NSD with pro-rel but I dont really think the new paragons of virtue do, and from the looks of things they will fight tooth and nail to prevent it from ever becoming a reality. No high horse here buddy, I'm just a pleb club member that loves his club above all others and doesn't owe an allegiance to any soccer federation or league structure. I want my club to be able to participate, based on merit, in the highest level in this country and if you want the same I have no beef with you. I get that the "Plastic" tag really grates you so sorry to offend if that's the case but you must concede that a lot worse has been said about "old soccer"

My point is you can get off your high horse a little bit. I want an NSD with pro-rel to the A-League and eventually a complete football pyramid (as long as it can be implemented without sending clubs bust), but shit talking the A-League for being "plastic" is hypocritical from someone whose team happily participated in an equally "plastic" league for more than two decades. The NSL had some pretty dodgy owners/chairmen too, by the way. They make the current lot look like paragons of virtue.

Yeah I dont recall us clamouring fior relegation eitherr althoigh Im pretty sure the club was always voting for increasing teams and promotion from state leagues.  But what is your point? Two wrongs make a right?  What's the point of dredging up the failures of the past when the new improved plastic fantastic system you have now doesn't work either? A famous woodworking teacher once said "don't point out the sty in my eye when you have a f@cken pole coming out of yours" 

Where  is FFA' s  PLAN for  a 2nd  Division ?! The only "plan " i see  is to to reduce the  salery cap. Can you beleive it?! Do  the Suits i n  charge understand  football ??

Funny, I don't remember South Melbourne clamouring for automatic promotion/relegation when they were in the NSL (which was a closed shop for its entire existence except for a few years in the 1980s).

Yeah but sifting through the ashes this time around will be even harder. Lots of pain coming at all levels I think. We should have got our act together 10 years ago and been half way to where we wanted to be by the time this covid shit hit.

People eventually see through Ponzi schemes and that day is coming very soon for the AL (if not there already). 

This forum stated 4 years ago and we are no where near a 2nd division, amazing how hopeless the FFA are.

It's not only the FFA thats holding it back mate... Do you think some dodgy pricks who made their money in God knows what shady ways are ever going to allow a system that would jeopardise their  vanity networking projects. A ponzi scheme only continues to work whilst their is ample supply of suckers wanting to buy in to the dream. Why have a pro/rel system when you can sell ,licenses, profits to be shared by the  "Football but not as you know it" crowd.

And  WHAT is isthe FFA doing about asecond divisoin ?!  Oh now i remembrr, N O T H I N G  becoz they say  its " not our job" !!

Not just European Football, it's pretty much the same globally. 

It is what is great about European football.
If all the people on this forum lived in the same town/city somewhere in Europe we could enter the lowest division there and be part of the system. 

That means if the club club kept getting promoted and met criteria you can one day have the club in the CL. 

Win the CL and you can play in the CWC.

Australian clubs outside of AL cannot get promoted, play in ACL nor CWC.

Even though it would never happen every club in Europe can have that ambition. In Australia it is impossible.

#unique

LOL. While we are scratching our heads trying to work out what hurt the A League the most, FIFA and UEFA provide the clarity needed. Inevitable.

Why start up cheaper clubs, there are already 35 or so existing clubs kicking down the door tying to join? 

You know starting up a bunch of cheaper clubs in div 2  shouldn't be an issue. We should not be reinventing anything, see which clubs can do then go ahead. Div 2 will not receive the same scrutiny of the A-league so small attendances should be fine. Everyone excepts that P/R will take time. I think a huge issue in our country is not glass half full but half empty.,we just don't focus on the football so the cost of error is over amplified. 

- expand to 16 and have the top 8 from an A+ league the following season
- then have P&R between A + and A Leagues in the first season
- Spam the country with cheap A League licenses so that we could have a number of 28 teams across the  A+/A League system in the hope we can have a 14/14 split

Lovely sentiment by Uefa, the absolute perfect example of morality and solidarity. heheheh
But we are unique here in Australia and closed-leagues are mandatory to protect the investment of the privileged few. 

The Uefa president has made it clear on many occasions that Uefa strongly opposes a Super League. The principles of solidarity, of promotion, relegation and open leagues are non-negotiable. It is what makes European football work and the Champions League the best sports competition in the world. Uefa and the clubs are committed to build on such strength not to destroy it to create a Super League of 10, 12, even 24 clubs, which would inevitably become boring.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/oct/20/european-premier-league-talks-held-over-lucrative-breakaway-competition

South Melbourne looking to offer scholarships to talented South Sudanese players... 
https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12766246?__twitter_impression=true

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/ansell-wishes-for-korean-style-second-tier-in-australia

https://www.soccerscene.com.au/can-south-melbourne-fcs-successful-community-model-work-in-a-privatised-league/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Sorry dont know how to post a link yet....

I think you misunderstood my response. I know all about the long tradition of Melbourne's Italian clubs splitting and re-forming and breaking away etc etc.. There is a flow chart floating around on the internet somewhere that is fascinating if your into that sort of thing. I just wanted to say that, as an example, Port Melbourne FC and South Melbourne FC are no more likely to merge just because they are Greek-Australian founded clubs than say Tarneit Gypsies FC and Melbourne Victorious will merge just because they are both plastic. I agree, some clubs may choose to "pool their resources" to make a tilt at getting into the proposed Championship but assuming the wogs all stick together is a furphy. 

Many of those splits are things like board members falling out with each other due to petty personal rivalries (I know, I've seen exactly that happen first hand). They have no real basis and only serve to weaken the club(s) and the game. So don't try to make out that it's the product of some sacred, centuries-long tradition that non-initiates would be incapable of understanding.

Yep.
It would appear many "football" fans just don't get it.

Cant speak for our pasta loving ex Juve cousins (especially considering the hugely comical merger, de mergers shennanigans they got up too over the last 50 years) but not too sure about the assumption that if a club looks and smells like a Greek club then they should just merge...... Maybe in the rarified air of New Football rivalries are manufactured  but in old Soccer local rivalries and bad blood runs deep. 

Yeah i'm fine with that replacing the Y-League.

My personal opinion: A League players playing in the NPL in not a perfect solution but it would be good enough 

If JJ does align the A League with NPL, would the A League players that are part of the extended squads,be sent back to play in the NPL? Would that standard be sufficient for these squad players to further their causes? The NPL can be used as a Reserve Grade throughout the season much like AFL's Victorian teams send their squad players to play in the VFL. It is better than sitting on the pine and not playing I guess, until a second division (cough cough) comes in.    

I think if clubs merge it should be a proper merger, where the whole club comes together, not just a fusion team for the NSD. But there are some mergers that make a lot of sense. For some reason, there are two clubs that are legacies of the old Brunswick Juventus: Brunswick Zebras and Moreland Zebras. They should not only merge with each other, but look into joining with Avondale. Then you'd have an Italian super club in Melbourne's inner north, rather than multiple competing factions. Same goes with West Adelaide and Adelaide Olympic. Why are there two Greek-based teams that are virtually clones of one another, both playing within a short distance of each other in suburban Adelaide? If they joined they could be a powerful force in South Australian football. Same goes for Port Melbourne and South Melbourne.

It might mean fewer clubs in total, but the new clubs would have a larger junior and supporter base, and would be more able to make the step up to NSD level. We need more clubs with the resources to make that leap.

If the clubs see that as the best chance of success, it could well be the way forward. It’s not going to be an easy thing for one club to undertake on their own in some cases, so there may be some Joint Ventures that may well put clubs in the best position to move forward.