4 years ago this thread started, and still nae second division.

It seems like the different parties at that meeting came back with very different perceptions of what was said in it. Still, here's hoping they go with an actual second division rather than the Champions League style thing the FA is proposing, or at the very least that an expanded NPL finals series in 2022 is just a prelude to a proper league in 2023.

For what it's worth, here is how I think A-League expansion and the NSD should pan out:

2022: NPL "Champions League"
2022-23: A-League expands to 14 teams (26 rounds)
2023: NSD starts with 12 teams (22 rounds)
2024: NSD expands to 13 teams (24/26 rounds)
2024-25: A-League expands to 16 teams (30 rounds)
2025: NSD expands to 14 teams (26 rounds), promotion-relegation with NPL begins
2026: A-League switches to winter (with June-July break for the World Cup), NSD expands to 15 teams (28/30 rounds)
2027: NSD expands to 16 teams (30 rounds), promotion-relegation with A-League begins

Then we have a fully integrated footballing pyramid! If the FA just announced this as the strategy for the next 5-6 years it would make a lot of people in the game very happy. NPL clubs have a pathway to promotion to the A-League, new A-League franchises for spots 13-16 know when they need to be ready, and A-League clubs have half a decade to plan so that they can avoid relegation. With 16 teams in the top tier, the chances of one of the big teams dropping down or a major city going unrepresented in the A-League are pretty minimal.

For my money, A-League expansion slots should go the following:

13-14: Canberra (new entity backed by state federation)
13-14: Gold Coast (either GCU or a new entity)
15-16: Hobart (new entity backed by state federation)
15-16 Auckland (either Auckland City or a new entity

NSD spots would be:

1-12:
Sydney Olympic
Sydney United
APIA Leichhardt
Manly United
Wollongong Wolves
South Melbourne
Heidelberg United
Melbourne Knights
Peninsula Power
Sunshine Coast Wanderers
Adelaide City
ECU Joondalup

13: Geelong (new entity) 
14: Ipswich (Western Pride or a new entity)
15: Avondale or a directly promoted team
16: Marconi or a directly promoted team

https://kick360.com.au/key-progress-made-in-creation-of-national-second-division/

Kick 360 still pushing the extended NPL playoffs angle but AAFC are very very buoyant ......  Maybe JJ isnt a clown after all...... :)

Ummmm ...... not sure what to make of this but ..........

https://greekherald.com.au/sports/football-australia-and-aafc-reach-historical-agreement-for-the-foundation-of-second-division/?fbclid=IwAR3KkYOunEGu7Dm2SFZ2jsTTrBOcEmme6b20Y-7cBNYAbRC8CTUyw_U6PNo

If true.... I think I just got very very excited...... will hold my breath ... AGAIN .... and see what happens but word around the grounds now is that its on.........

It all depends on how they present their plan. If they say they are doing this odd NPL champions league thing in 2022 with a promise/plan to launch a full fledged 2nd div in 2023, then it'll be fine. However if it's more of a, "we'll do this and see how it goes and then make a decision at a undetermined point in the future", then this will be a complete waste of time. Football fans are sick and tired of everything being half-arsed in this country. In most cases, doing nothing is actually better than half-arsing something.

Does anyone running football in Australia know what they are doing?

Gotta sell them franchise licenses at ALL costs.

Monorail ...... monorail ..... monoraaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiil

Agree but then again what options is there when your entire football structure is designed to be Pan-Continental rather than National 

Lucky JJ and Townsend are "football people" ...... farcken clowns.
Hope the whole thing comes crashing down around them and their "uniqueness" ..... and they all condemned the Euro Super League the hypocrites.... 

 Told you so! but the again we all knew this was the case when we got wind when NSW planned to got rid of state finals

https://www.reddit.com/r/Aleague/comments/pbux91/the_fa_will_make_a_final_decision_on_the_national/

MMM Adelaide (of all places) with the scoop?  Obviously their sources are Frank Brunoskevic and his mate Janakan but this makes my blood boil..

Extended NPL playoffs(which weve had since 2014) IS NOT a second division...........

Correct, FFA got $500K for the national deal (fantastic deal for Sony), none of which made it back to the states or the clubs.

It is Coles Express (petrol stations) - not Coles supermarkets. Still fairly large.

I think all the NPL leagues were sponsored by PS4. 

Coles is a pretty big company, so it's not a bad sponsorship to have.

I know, but for a sport that is somewhat inferior even to us in this country they at least have a sponsorship deal organised by head office for their state leagues.... NPL Vic had Playstation 4 naming rights a few years ago and rumour was that each club got an actual playstation console for their clubrooms as payment, that was it.   .....

Yeh, true, not too dissimilar.
Looks like they no longer run the SE Aust BL.  I've occasionally thought in the past that the SEABL would have been a good model for at least kick starting a 2nd division, if money was an issue.
Interestingly, remember Schwarzer and some of his ex socceroo team mates canvassed the possibility of running such a conference system for a football 2nd tier.
I think the idea was knocked on the head very quickly.

hmmm... about as national as our NPL...

Meanwhile, Second division basketball in Australia are announcing naming rights partners!!!!!

https://basketballvictoria.com.au/coles-express-signs-on-as-nbl1-naming-rights-partner/

Don’t blame corporate. The clubs were going to do it with or without the FFA...............lol

It seems the new mantra of corporate speak is to say nothing and paddle like crazy behind the scenes and to spring an "event" type announcement to garner all the hype. Its a pity that people don't just do their job and keep the "stakeholders" (for want of a better word) in the loop. Isn't that what we were told was the way to do things? I guess I'm showing my age here!

Original article written by Cockerill.
Seems an eternity ago now.

Now do the :Western United stadium is shovel ready" one please ............lol

4 years ago.  https://forum.insidesport.com.au/2498372/National-second-division-is-kicking-off-with-or-without-FFA?PageIndex=1

Just bumping this for shits and giggles.

Basically a reminder of how Football is fucked in Australia with endless amounts of talk and absolutely no action.



No I take that back we have 2 new clubs that no one cares about and no one attends. Congratulations FA.

Did y’all just forget about this

This my concern also.

I know, I'm referring to what should happen, not what is likely (or even remotely possible) to happen.

Aboloshing state feds isn't about to happen without the mother of all civil wars.

Have the states exist as subordinate branches of FA, rather than autonomous federations that exert most of the political power in the game. Day to day operations can be done at a state/local level, but decision-making power should be centralised otherwise you get the kind of aimlessness, in-fighting and turf warfare that we've seen in abundance throughout the history of the game.

Straya is not unique