Plans for A-League second division competition for 2019 unveiled

• The Australian
• 12:00AM October 28, 2017
• Save
• • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on email
  • Share more...

• RAY GATT

  

  Sports reporter

  Sydney

  @Gatty54

  

After more than 200 hours of research, planning and meetings around the country, the Association of Australian Football Clubs are confident they have come up with the right formula for the long overdue national second tier.

Details of The Championship, a putative main competition below the A-League and which has been given the endorsement of world governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, were released yesterday.

The AAFC will need the approval of Football Federation Australia and member federations, although the head body remained sceptical about the proposal when contacted by The Weekend Australian.

“We have been sent the media release by AAFC but we have not been engaged by them in any meaningful way about their proposal,” the FFA said in a statement. “It is great for people to have aspirations and because of the things that happen globally in football those aspirations are often very big.

“However, aspirations have to be tested against the reality of the local landscape and that unfortunately comes back to available funding and the impact on all the other parts of the game.

“Any second division national competition would need to be sanctioned by FFA and its member federations and have broad support, including from A-League clubs to succeed.

“More importantly it would have to be financially viable and sustainable, particularly as it would involve substantial central operating costs.”

Still, the AAFC remains steadfast and committed and is confident it has the backing of the Australian soccer community.

“This is a significant step forward and one that is needed for the betterment of the game in this country,” AAFC chairman Rabieh Krayem said yesterday.

“Football has made giant strides in the past 15 years or so, particularly in participation rates, but a vital factor for the growth, success and sustainability is the quality and competitiveness of the football on offer.

“The Championship isn’t about a breakaway organisation or league.

“We want to work with all stakeholders and help realise the goal of being the biggest and most successful sport in the country.’’

Krayem outlined three reasons why the game needs a second division: to help improve the quality of football and give young players a chance to develop; to end claims the local game is not fulfilling FIFA and AFC requirements for promotion and relegation; and “bringing back life into the football market”.

Under the AAFC plan, The Championship would be run as a separate legal entity from Football Federation Australia, the member federations and the AAFC. Each participating club would hold a 51 per cent shareholding while the AAFC would retain 49 per cent.

The board, which would have a minimum representation of three male and three female members, will be made up of three directors appointed by the AAFC, one from the A-League, one from Professional Footballers Australia, one appointed by the state federations and one director will be an independent chairman.

Krayem said revenue sources would include club sponsors, gate takings, membership, catering and broadcast rights.

Krayem, who is involved with Northern Fury (formerly A-League club North Queensland Fury), said the AAFC was already in negotiation with potential broadcasting partners.

“We have commenced discussions with broadcasters and we are well advanced in finalising a new and unique broadcasting model,” he said.

The competition, which would comprise between 12 and 16 teams made up of already established NPL clubs from around the country, would run concurrently with the A-League. It is hoped the size of the competition would grow to 20 over five seasons by 2024.

Some of the criteria include a boutique stadium with a minimum capacity of 3000, catering for men’s and women’s teams and capacity to meet an ­annual budget of $2.5 million, including an annual licence fee of $150,000.

Clubs would operate under a $1m salary cap for two squads (men and women) in a squad size limited to a maximum of 20. At least half of the players in each squad must be 25 or younger.

Clubs would be allowed two visa players but they must come from within the Asian Football Confederation or Oceania.

Plans for A-League second division competition for 2019 unveiled

guessing-

Melbourne Knights
Hume City
Blacktown City
Sydney United
Marconi Stallions
SD Raiders
Sydney Olympic
Manly
Bonnyrigg (maybe) 
Brisbane City (incase no ALeague entry)
Sunshine Coast Fire
Western Pride
Townsville team
Cairns team
West Adelaide
Western Australia FA (maybe)
South Hobart
Canberra Olympic (maybe)

http://www.thechampionship.com.au/qa.html

Interesting board structure


The Board of The Championship will comprise:

• 3 Directors appointed by the AAFC
• 1 Director appointed by the A-League
• 1 Director appointed by the PFA
• 1 Director appointed by the state federations
• 1 Director who will also be an independent Chairman.

Some things I have seen of interest.

The HAL player cap only applies to the prior 2 seasons
Promotion relegation in 2024 is targeted - between both HAL and NPL
1 million salary cap is for mens and womens, max squad size 20 each.
Mens and womens matches same venue same day
No Championship match held on the same day of a HAL fixture in that market
Are in discussions with a broadcaster. "unique"... whatever that means. Maybe one of those efnik satellite cos or something internet based?
Bid docs available until March 29, bids close 25 May, Successful bidders advised in September, announced October (all 2018)

November to February	Stakeholder Consultation
1 December 2017	AAFC calls for expression of interest from clubs interest in participation in The Championship
2 February 2018	Expressions of interest close
2 March 2018	FFA endorsement required
29 March 2018	The Championship Bid document made available on payment of $10,000 fee
25 May 2018	Bids close
May to July 2018	Bids assessed by Nous Group
August 2018	Nous Group report to AAFC Board
September 2018	Successful bidders notified
October 2018	Licenses issued
October 2019	Start of The Championship

So the little boys want to play with the big boys, but won't play by their rules.

What a joke! A $1 million salary cap! The local macca's has a higher wage bill!

Mens and womens teams with potentially 40 players all up, so a potential player payment of $25k or less per player. Welcome to Australia's sweatshops kids. I mean really, who comes up with this crap?

If you're an NPL club and you can't afford to go fully professional, MERGE!

Sick of these clubs still trying to hold football back in  this country!

the top division is 3million salary cap
a 3-1 salary ratio from 1sts to 2nd sounds pretty reasonable to me

I wouldn't take any individual part of the plan as set in stone just yet.

Is that what you got out of this. These clubs are not trying to hold football back, they are trying to get into the conversation.
The only ones holding football back is the FFA. Sure having the right clubs is important but in the long term it wont matter, what is most important is the 
structure of the league and the mechanisms in place. Even though I desperately want pro/rel I don't think this group have got everything they want correct.

I don't believe in quotas, I don't believe in salary caps, I want high standards of course but as little regulation on clubs as possible. You want to get to a situation where the league almost runs on its own, it should be automatic. Whenever you try and regulate things more you tend to over administer and make things complicated, like all the rules associated with a salary cap as a perfect example. 

In what way are they 'little boys' not playing by the rules that the 'big boys' play by?  I assume these are the same 'big boys' who play the 'little boys' in the FFA Cup every year with extra visa players that the 'little boys' aren't allowed.

Just as the HAL salary cap doesn't include payments to women's team - I'd suspect that $1m cap would only be for the men's senior team.  Not covered in the plan, but I'd also suspect that a lot of players will play Championship then go out on loan for the off-season, thus taking money out of the salary cap.  As for who came up with 'this crap' - people more involved and more informed about the game than you - and the PFA support the plan, so they evidently don't consider it to be sweatshop conditions.

As for clubs trying to hold football back in this country - creating increase opportunity and competition doesn't hold anything back - it drives things forward.

Surely at the very least at some point they're planning to abolish the cap? Having P/R with a salary cap just defeats the purpose.

On that topic van Egmond has become the first player to be paid a transfer fee :D

Second div NOW this. 

If they do it on their own, so be it. Let them live and die by their sword.

FFA should not sanction it or have it associated with the A-League including P&R in any shape or form.

A league that only attracts hundreds of spectators is hardly a metric of encouragement for potential success, and if it fails corporate Australia, investors and advertisers will ditch all that is associated with soccer in this country. It will be back to the future.

Like I said, let them try it on their own and watch 99% of them collapse leaving a handful like the NSL did.

I want to see this succeed. I can see where they are going with the age quota but the a league quota seems dumb especially if the player is 22 moving down a league to build game time and experience rather than sitting on the bench. 1m salary cap is very small but not sure what the current wages budget of npl clubs is now? Need a real transfer fee system here so these 2nd div clubs can earn money trying to develop the next mooy or cahill.

Its really out of your control now. 

If they fail they'll just go back to the npl. big whoop. 

Approved by;
FIFA
AFC
HAL Franchises Association
PFA
FFV
FNSW
Disapproved by;
FFA
Mark from Croydon

No problem with that provided they don't suck funds from the FFA or are associated with the FFA and the A-League.

Otherwise all good.

Make no mistake, this is led by a small handful of ex NSL clubs pulling the others from the nose.

The members of the AAFC are made up of only a few NSL clubs maybe 20% and run by a disgruntled former A league board member. 

Your move fuckstick

To reiterate for those who resort to calling names

Make no mistake, this is led by a small handful of ex NSL clubs pulling the others from the nose.

At the end of the day it will be either a Greek, Croatian or Italian club that will be left. Just like the lil ol' NSL.

Because they are the bigger clubs. Just like Brisbane Hollandia, I mean roar, were. 

So the AAFC led by a handful of bigger clubs involving 3 nationalities will once again claim the competition as theirs and bugger the other 200 nationalities.

I go camping for the weekend and miss all the action!

Few likes and dislikes on the surface. Will have a better look through it all later.

Atleast there is progress.

In regards to player quotas etc I'd like to think the A-League player quota is to try and stop the merry go round of players we see each season appearing in 'The Championship' and I'd also like to think it only applies to ex A-League players over 25 year old.

In regards to the under 25 quota at the end of the day it's only 10 of 20 players. I'd like to go through current NPL lists and see what the ages of players are in those squads and see how they ratio out.

At the end of the day, my impression is that the caps on players are initial smoke and mirrors to reinforce that this league isn't a rival to the A-League.

Last I checked they are Australian. 

If that's the way it is so be it, but my feeling is that if new clubs cant come about to usurp these clubs by merit then ANY club should be allowed
to participate. That must mean that these little old corner shop clubs are doing it better than anyone else at the moment. Funny how that goes against 
your thinking. Letting them participate and fail is the only way, as it should be with every club. It should always be based on merit. 

This is the profile picture of the South West Sydney FC (SD Raiders) Facebook page.

It is so odd that since AAFC released a statement there has been only 4 articles I can see that have been written. 

1 from Bossi and VRugari saying water has been thrown on it by FFA, 1 from Gatt stating what it is and one from  Kosima (who is manager of Brisbane City and looking to join the AL)

....Frank, the father, was heralded back into the game as a saviour just a dozen years.

We all know the game was a mess – a shambles at best – and someone of Lowy’s ilk was needed to get it back on its feet. He did and for that we should all be grateful.

He ruffled a few feathers along the way with his autocratic style but then I’ve always believed sport needs autocratic management, especially football, to keep the warring tribes apart.

After years of relative stability, football in Australia and the A-League is entering a time of turmoil | Adelaide Now

From the outside it seems like the Lowys have stopped freespeech because why wouldnt TomS, MWindley, DD, MLynch write something about such a big football topic?

Can someone link articles if they exist and I have missed them

Rather than a salary cap, I see that there should be a minimum salary per player in the second division. The current A League minimum of approximately $55k seems a fair and reasonable amount to me. If you want to specify criteria, specify that.

After all, isn't it about giving players the chance to be fully professional and train full time. To do that, you have to pay them a living wage. If a club can't afford that, they shouldn't be in the second division.

Try telling them that!!!!!!

Back to way it was at the NSL hey.

The future looks bright (not).