The former Melbourne Victory gloveman has been linked with a move to NPL Queensland outfit Olympic FC at the completion of the A-League season.

Theo already has a strong link with Olympic, holding a host of coaching clinics at the Yeronga-based club.

Theo’s expected exit will be among a host of Roar departures at the end of the season, with 17 players coming off contract.

Champion Brisbane Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo nearing end of stint with club | The Courier-Mail

Second division aspirants aim to prove their worth on the pitch

The Victorian National Premier League kicks off this weekend.
The Victorian National Premier League kicks off this weekend. Photo: Peter Psarros, Smile For Peter
The push for a second tier and promotion and relegation in Australian soccer will not go away, and while it divides opinion it ensures a lively debate about the finance, economics and future structure of domestic soccer.

While the A-League clubs have forecast a meltdown of catastrophic proportions if the governance issues surrounding the professional game are not resolved in the next few months, those at the semi-professional level have few such fears, arguing that the game at grassroots level is strong enough to survive any further setbacks.

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The A-League clubs' apocalyptic warnings have added further pressure to the discussions taking place in Sydney in recent days between their representative group, officials from FIFA, FFA and several other stakeholders over the future control and direction of the game.

But the National Premier League clubs in various states and territories continue with their primary push – to create a second tier and ultimately a pyramid that rewards those who succeed with the ability to climb to the top of the tree, and punishes those who fail with relegation to the lower levels.

Several of the clubs who would aspire to be founder members of any national second division get their 2018 campaigns under way this weekend with the kickoff of the NPL in Victoria.

Australia's strongest team outside the A-League, Heidelberg United, will look to build on their success in what was a remarkable season for them and coach George Katsakis last season.

The Bergers reached the quarter finals of the FFA Cup – losing to Adelaide United – won the NPL Victoria premiership and the National Premier League title, where they came out on top in a post-season tournament involving all the champions from the nation's other NPL competitions.

The only blot on the Bergers' record was their grand final loss to Bentleigh Greens.

South Melbourne not only aspire to be part of any national second division: they argue that they should be in the conversation when it comes to A-League expansion.

South's penchant for PR activity and their constant insistence that they deserve a seat at the top table because of their support base and history grates with some, but there is no doubt that everyone in the game knows their ambitions.

They could do their case a lot of good by regularly getting crowds of 5000 or more to its Lakeside Stadium and boosting attendances at away games in a season when the powers that be will be considering the claims of all aspirants for potential A-League expansion in 2019-20.

They have signed Greek defender Christos Intzikis and Brazilian Oliver Minatel to bolster their stocks for the new season.

The Melbourne Knights, for so long a powerhouse of the old National Soccer League, have more modest targets these days, consolidation of their spot in the NPL being one of them.

But they have signed one of the most high profile coaches in the league in the shape of Aljosa Asanovic, who played in the Croatian side that finished third in the 1998 World Cup as well as at club level in the Serie A and the EPL.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/second-division-aspirants-aim-to-prove-their-worth-on-the-pitch-20180222-p4z19y.html

NPL Victoria season preview South Melbourne Melbourne Knights Heidelberg

THE highest calibre coaching duo in Australia may well be situated in Victoria’s NPL coaching dugouts this season.

Adelaide United’s Marco Kurz is the only one to have coached in one of the world’s ‘big five’ leagues, but Aljosa Asanovic and Dean Racunica boast imposing collective CV’s headlined by lengthy spells in the Croatian national team set up.

Melbourne Knights’ stunning coaching coup owes much to its decorated past and while the NSL has been airbrushed by sections of Australian soccer, Asanovic and his assistant Racunica have not forgotten.

Certainly no other coach in Australia boasts a playing CV as decorated as Asanovic’s, having played in four of the ‘big five’ — Napoli (Italy), Derby County (England), Real Valladolid (Spain) and Metz, Cannes, Montpellier (France) — and winning 62 caps for Croatia including a stunning 1998 World Cup semi-final assist.

But after assistant coaching spells with Croatia and Russians Lokomotiv Moscow and a technical director’s job in Slovakia, he’s taken a step back for his first head coaching role.

“We’re delighted to be here, even if we shocked a lot of people — they didn’t believe we’d come until we touched down,” Asanovic said.

“We’re overwhelmed and grateful with the way we’ve been received. We came here to do as good a job as we can at the Knights. We have an opportunity to progress.

“I’m preparing to be at the Knights for five years, but we’re also readying ourselves to eventually — if there was an opportunity to progress, Australia or abroad — we would look at it.”

Both paid tribute to Knights president Pave Jusup while Racunica, who was a classy player himself, earning two caps and scoring a goal for Croatia, said the club’s history was a lure.

“It’s a club that’s achieved a lot and contributed much to Australian football. They’ve had around 38 internationals,” Racunica said.

“It caught people by surprise. We took a risk, but we’re quietly confident of producing results and we’re prepared.”

ROUND 1 FIXTURE

THURSDAY

Bentleigh Greens v Dandenong Thunder, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, 8.15pm

FRIDAY

Melbourne Knights v Oakleigh Cannons, Knights Stadium, 7.30pm

Green Gully v Avondale, Green Gully Reserve, 8.30pm

SATURDAY

Port Melbourne Sharks v Heidelberg United, JL Murphy Reserve, 6pm

Pascoe Vale v Northcote City, Hosken Reserve, 7pm

MONDAY

Kingston City v Hume City, The Grange Reserve, 8.30pm

Bulleen Lions v South Melbourne, Vento Club — David Barro Stadium, 8.30pm

THE TEAMS

AVONDALE

MANAGER: Anthony Barbieri. Assistant: Zoran Markovski.

LAST SEASON: Elimination final

Kaine Sheppard from Avondale. Picture: Richard Serong
Kaine Sheppard from Avondale. Picture: Richard SerongSource:News Corp Australia

THE SQUAD

Ross Archibald, Liam Boland, Evan Christodoulou, Chris Dossis, Jeff Fleming, Petar Franjic, Jonatan Germano, Christian Inglese, Dillon Jakupi, Elvis Kamsoba, Joey Katebian, Evan Markogiannakis (GK), Chris Oldfield (GK), James Riccobene, Phil Riccobene, Kaine Sheppard, Anthony Strano, Ramazan Tavsancioglu, Yitay Towns, Stefan Zinni.

FIRST 5

v Green Gully (A)

v Kingston City (H)

v Hume City (A)

v Port Melbourne Sharks (A)

v Bulleen Lions (H)

THEY SAY

“We have recruited some young exciting talent to the club. Overall I feel we have improved the depth and quality of the squad. We’re really looking forward to getting started.” Coach Anthony Barbieri

Jonatan Germano from Avondale. Picture: Richard Serong
Jonatan Germano from Avondale. Picture: Richard SerongSource:News Corp Australia

BENTLEIGH GREENS

MANAGER: John Anastasiadis. Assistant: John Gabrielson

STADIUM: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

LAST SEASON: Champions

Bentleigh Greens celebrate their NPL title success. Picture: Mark Avellino
Bentleigh Greens celebrate their NPL title success. Picture: Mark AvellinoSource:Supplied

THE SQUAD

Stipo Andrijasevic, Pierce Clark (GK), Rilley Dillon, James Doyle, Marcus Duncan, Charlie Fry, Dimitri Hatzimouratis, Jason Hicks, Tyson Holmes, Marco Jankovic, George Kalas, James Kelly, Chris Lucas, Josh Meaker, Velibor Mitrovic, Ryan Scott (GK), Mattias Seisdedos, Blake Thompson, Matthew Thurtell, Nishan Velupillay, Jack Webster, James Xydias.

FIRST 5

v Dandenong Thunder (H)

v Oakleigh Cannons (A)

v Pascoe Vale (H)

v Northcote City (H)

v Melbourne Knights (H)

THEY SAY

“This is going to be the toughest NPL season for a long time. Teams like Dandenong and those who have come up from the second division, they’re going to be very strong. So if you’re not at your best on the day you’re going to get punished and that’s what happened to us (in the Community Shield).” Coach John Anastasiadis.

Bentleigh Greens coach John Anastasiadis is back for another season. Picture: George Salpigtidis
Bentleigh Greens coach John Anastasiadis is back for another season. Picture: George SalpigtidisSource:News Corp Australia

BULLEEN LIONS

MANAGER: Aaron Healey

STADIUM: Veneto Club — David Barro Stadium.

LAST SEASON: 9th

THE SQUAD

Will Abbott, Leo Athanasiou, Pablo Caceres, Stefan Cardamone, Wyatt Chant (GK), Braedyn Crowley, Jayke Cuschieri, Alex Dao, Luke Gallo, Lewis Hawke, Eli Luttmer, Andrew Mullett, Bonel Obradovic, Brendan Richardson, Paul Scopelliti, Corey Sewell, Jordan Templin, Shane Viitakangas (GK), Nicholas Voulgaris, Austin Wong.

Former Melbourne City striker Braedyn Crowley (blue) will be a key player for Bulleen this year.
Former Melbourne City striker Braedyn Crowley (blue) will be a key player for Bulleen this year.Source:News Corp Australia

FIRST 5

v South Melbourne (H)

v Heidelberg United (A)

v Green Gully (A)

v Kingston City (H)

v Avondale (A)

THEY SAY

“We’re excited to welcome Braedyn Crowley for the 2018 NPL Victoria campaign. Braedyn shot onto the NPL Victoria scene in 2016 while at Northcote City FC. A return of 13 goals in 19 matches caught the eye of Melbourne City FC, who he then went on to sign for, making three senior team appearances. The young Queenslander will add much needed firepower to our front line.”

DANDENONG THUNDER

MANAGER: Andrew Vargas. Assistant: Matt Gordon.

STADIUM: George Andrews Reserve.

LAST SEASON: NPL2 East, champions.

THE SQUAD

Brandon Barnes, Alon Blumgart, Josh Bragg, Samuel Catherine, Christopher Dib, Brendan Elmazovski, Zois Galanopoulos, Nick Glavan, Nashir Hussainy, Sevdim Ismaili, Veton Korcari, Fraser Maclaren (GK), Theo Markelis, Mersim Memeti, Hamish Millar, Nick Modaffari, Godfrey Okello, Sermin Sadikovski (GK), Rodrigo Vargas, Iljan Zekirija.

FIRST 5

v Bentleigh Greens (A)

v South Melbourne (H)

v Heidelberg United (A)

v Green Gully (H)

v Kingston City (A)

GREEN GULLY

MANAGER: Arthur Papas Assistant: Shaun Ontong

STADIUM: Green Gully Reserve.

LAST SEASON: Elimination final

Matthew Breeze is back for another season at Green Gully.
Matthew Breeze is back for another season at Green Gully.Source:News Corp Australia

THE SQUAD

Joshua Barresi, Zayden Bello, Jonathan Bounas, Matthew Breeze, Alex Caniglia, Valli Cesnik, Nathan Cook, Mitch Cooper, Jay Davies, Kieran Dover, Joseph Franjic, Nick Krousoratis, George Lambadaridis, Dane Milovanovic, Sam Mitchinson, Callum Richardson, Aaron Schille (GK), Lucas Spinella (GK), Jye Spiteri, Nick Symeoy, Billy Tsiamis, Michael Tzoutzidis.

FIRST 5

v Avondale (H)

v Port Melbourne Sharks (H)

v Bulleen Lions (H)

v Dandenong Thunder (A)

v Oakleigh Cannons (H)

THEY SAY

“We’ve got a great squad and we’re really going to be pushing to win it. Looking at our team and the way that Arthur has got us playing, every individual knows their role. And the way we play, when it all jells, I think it’s going to be frightening, just with the way that we move the ball. I think we’re going to be really hard to beat.” recruit Joseph Franjic on Football Nation Radio.

Green Gully coach Arthur Papas. Picture: Nigel Hallett
Green Gully coach Arthur Papas. Picture: Nigel HallettSource:News Corp Australia

HEIDELBERG UNITED

MANAGER: George Katsakis. Assistant: Jeff Olver.

STADIUM: Olympic Village

LAST SEASON: Australian NPL Champions, lost NPLV grand final, Dockerty Cup winners, FFA Cup quarterfinals.

Sean Ellis was one of the stars of Heidelberg’s huge 2017 season. Picture: Hamish Blair
Sean Ellis was one of the stars of Heidelberg’s huge 2017 season. Picture: Hamish BlairSource:News Corp Australia

THE SQUAD

Luke Byles, Tom Cahill, Andrew Cartanos, Les Doumbalis, Sean Ellis, Andreas Govas, Lewis Hall, Kosta Kanakaris, Mathiang Mathiang, Harry Noon, Paul O’Brien, Steven Pace, Christian Pavlidis (GK), Jack Petrie, Alex Schiavo, Chris Theodoridis (GK), Reuben Way, Josh Wilkins, Adrian Zahra.

FIRST 5

v Port Melbourne Sharks (A)

v Bulleen Lions (H)

v Dandenong Thunder (H)

v Oakleigh Cannons (A)

v Pascoe Vale (A)

THEY SAY

“The reality is that a lot of teams, after a successful season go through a hangover. I don’t want to think we’re in that phase, some of our friendlies suggest we may have something along those lines, so it’s up to me to change that mentality.” Coach George Katsakis

Heidelberg United players celebrate their 2017 NPL league win. Picture: Natasha Morello.
Heidelberg United players celebrate their 2017 NPL league win. Picture: Natasha Morello.Source:Supplied

HUME CITY

MANAGER: Nick Hegarty. Assistant: Robert Taylor.

STADIUM: ABD Stadium

LAST SEASON: 8th

Hume City’s Ersin Kaya gets past Davey Van't Schip. Picture: Mark Wilson
Hume City’s Ersin Kaya gets past Davey Van't Schip. Picture: Mark WilsonSource:News Corp Australia

THE SQUAD

Karl Baricevic, Bradley Blumenthal, Darby Dexter, Blair Govan, Nick Hegarty, Ersin Kaya, Joseph Konyit, Oliver Kubilay, Benjamin Lyvidikos, Jheison Macuace, Jackson Morgan, Atilla Ofli, Andrew Pawiak, Zachary Sukunda, Gideon Sweet, Gian Tapia (GK), Mele Temguia, Hayden Tennant, Mitchell Trajcevski, Michael Weier (GK).

FIRST 5

v Kingston City (A)

v Northcote City (H)

v Avondale (H)

v Melbourne Knights (H)

v Port Melbourne Sharks (A)

THEY SAY

“Throughout the process of interviewing coaches on our shortlist, it became clear that Nick was the right person to lead the club in 2018. (Last year’s review) allowed the club to take a step back and look at our football model, and restructure both our structure and core values going forward. The club’s long-term ambition is to have a senior squad made up of 80 per cent home grown talent, for us to achieve this our football philosophy had to change.”

Nick Hegarty is now Hume City’s coach. Picture: Ashley Perez.
Nick Hegarty is now Hume City’s coach. Picture: Ashley Perez.Source:Supplied

KINGSTON CITY

MANAGER: Nick Tolios. Assistant: Bill Theodoropoulos.

STADIUM: The Grange Reserve

LAST SEASON: 10th

THE SQUAD

Faisal Aden, Jack Atkinson, Daniel Bennett, Adrian Chiappetta, Domenic D’Angelo, Stephen Hatzikourtis (GK), Damian Iaconis, Chris Irwin, Simo Jovanovic, Kile Kennedy (GK), Chris Lambiris, Cooper Legrand, Jordan Liaskos, Keanu Moore, Sami Nour, Faisal Sakhizada, Ali Sulemanovski, Nathan Tidmarsh, Joao Varudo, Oliver White, Erhan Yalaz.

Kingston City's Damian Iaconis celebrates a goal. Picture: Jay Town.
Kingston City's Damian Iaconis celebrates a goal. Picture: Jay Town.Source:News Corp Australia

FIRST 5

v Hume City (H)

v Avondale (A)

v Port Melbourne Sharks (H)

v Bulleen Lions (A)

v Dandenong Thunder (H)

THEY SAY

“We don’t want to just make up the numbers. Last year we established a foundation that we can really build upon this year. We’ve brought in some experienced players and added some depth to our team, so this year I think we should be striving to, yes to survive, but to shake up the top six if we can.” Coach Nick Tolios on Football Nation Radio.

MELBOURNE KNIGHTS

MANAGER: Aljosa Asanovic. Assistant: Dean Racunica.

STADIUM: Knights Stadium.

LAST SEASON: 12th

THE SQUAD

Milan Batur, Josh Brekalo, Ayden Brice, Harry Cakarun (GK), Marijan Cvtikovic, Marcelo de la Plaza, Anthony Dezic, Anthony Duzel, Louis Fenton, Nate Foster, Jordan Gifkins (GK), Kym Harris, Luke Jurcic, Nicholas Jurcic, Nikola Jurkovic, Caleb Mikulic, Timmy Purcell, David Stojic, Ben Surey, Adrian Tardio, Brody Taylor, Shaun Timmins, Tomislav Uskok

Melbourne Knights player, Tim Purcell.
Melbourne Knights player, Tim Purcell.Source:News Corp Australia

FIRST 5

v Oakleigh Cannons (H)

v Pascoe Vale (H)

v Northcote City (A)

v Hume City (A)

v Bentleigh Greens (A)

THEY SAY

“The players have been working hard and we’re confident of making an impression. What’s crucial is that they enjoy their football. It’s a simple game, but sometimes people complicate it. Simple is the hardest to play. We’ve got a lot of trust and confidence in each other. Our football philosophy is identical. We’re looking to play. Through playing it’s easier scoring.” Coach Aljosa Asanovic

NORTHCOTE CITY

MANAGER: Eric Vassiliadis. Assistant: David Chick.

STADIUM: John Cain Memorial Park

LAST SEASON: NPL 2 west champions

THE SQUAD

Thomas Barforosh, Alberto Belta, Otman Benhaddou, Charlie Beverley, Adrian Boglis, Fraser Chalmers (GK), Lucas Derrick, Daniel Dixon, Andrew Doig, Juan Gallego, Lambros Honos, Thomas Lakic, Jaiden Madafferi, Adrian Mancini, Nenad Nikolic, Alex Petropoulos, Phil Petrovski (GK), Anthony Ramzy, George Stavridis, Gerrie Sylaidos, Anthony Theodoropoulos.

George Stavridis and Trent Rixon in action during the Moreland City v Northcote City 2017 NPL match. Picture: Andy Brownbill
George Stavridis and Trent Rixon in action during the Moreland City v Northcote City 2017 NPL match. Picture: Andy BrownbillSource:News Corp Australia

FIRST 5

v Pascoe Vale (A)

v Hume City (A)

v Melbourne Knights (H)

v Bentleigh Greens (A)

v South Melbourne (H)

OAKLEIGH CANNONS

MANAGERS: Con Tangalakis & Peter Tsolakis. Assistant: Mark Tsirolas.

STADIUM: Jack Edwards Reserve.

LAST SEASON: Semi-finals

THE SQUAD

Shayan Alinejad, Dusan Bosnjak, Wade Dekker, John Honos (GK), Stefan Karac, James Karvelis, Evan Kraloglou (GK), Giuseppe Marafioti, Tom Matthews, Abdalla Okud, Ryan Paczkowski, Steve Pantelidis, Dean Piemonte, Tom Podaridis, Anthony Rizk, Mehdi Sarwari, Janiel Silva, Kostas Stratomitros, Wayne Wallace, Goran Zoric.

Oakleigh’s Wayne Wallace in action. Picture: Richard Serong
Oakleigh’s Wayne Wallace in action. Picture: Richard SerongSource:News Corp Australia

FIRST 5

v Melbourne Knights (A)

v Bentleigh Greens (H)

v South Melbourne (H)

v Heidelberg United (H)

v Green Gully (A)

PASCOE VALE

MANAGER: Vitale Ferrante

STADIUM: Hosken Reserve.

LAST SEASON: 7th

Pascoe Vale’s Joseph Youssef makes a run. Picture: Mark Wilson
Pascoe Vale’s Joseph Youssef makes a run. Picture: Mark WilsonSource:News Corp Australia

THE SQUAD

Matteo Ballan, Philippe Bernabo-Madrid, Ethan Docherty, Ali Eyigun, Michael Ferrante, Nicholas Gonzalez, Stephen Hatzikostas, Matt Hennessey, Jonathan Koutroulis, Matt Lazarides, Gonzalo Munoz, Amir Osmancevic, Alex Pavlidis (GK), Luka Prelevic, Luca Santilli, Yaren Sozer (GK), Adrian Talarico, Davey van’t Schip, Joseph Youssef.

FIRST 5

v Northcote City (H)

v Melbourne Knights (A)

v Bentleigh Greens (A)

v South Melbourne (H)

v Heidelberg United (H)

Francesco Stella takes a free kick against South Melbourne. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin
Francesco Stella takes a free kick against South Melbourne. Picture: Yuri KouzminSource:News Corp Australia

PORT MELBOURNE SHARKS

MANAGER: Adam Piddick. Assistant: George Stefanidis.

STADIUM: JL Murphy Reserve.

LAST SEASON: 11th

THE SQUAD

Feston Azizi, Daniel Clark, Michael Eagar, Kamal Ibrahim, Kris Kioussis, Yuta Konagaya, Amadu Koroma, Perry Lambropoulos, Austin Ludwig, Alan Mulcahy, Jonathan Munoz, Matthew Ntoumenopoulos, Fin Olsen, James Papadimitriou, Dionis Shabani, Branko Skocic (GK), Sam Smith, Francesco Stella, Matthew Symes (GK).

FIRST 5

v Heidelberg United (H)

v Green Gully (A)

v Kingston City (A)

v Avondale (H)

v Hume City (H)

SOUTH MELBOURNE

MANAGER: Sasa Kolman. Assistant: Santiago Escudero.

STADIUM: Lakeside Stadium

LAST SEASON: Semi-finals, FFA Cup semi-finals

Milos Lujic scores in the FFA Cup quarterfinal last year. Picture: Getty Images
Milos Lujic scores in the FFA Cup quarterfinal last year. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

THE SQUAD

Alastair Bray (GK), Andy Brennan, Keegan Coulter (GK), Ben Djiba, Nick Epifano, Ajdin Fetahagic, Matthew Foschini, Josh Hodes, Bardhi Hysolli, Christos Intzidis, Iqi Jawadi, Kristian Konstantinidis, Milos Lujic, Giordano Marafioti, Jake Marshall, Matthew Millar, Oliver Minatel, Leigh Minopoulos, Brad Norton, Luke Pavlou, Giorgi Zarbos.

FIRST 5

v Bulleen Lions (A)

v Dandenong Thunder (A)

v Oakleigh Cannons (A)

v Pascoe Vale (A)

v Northcote City (A)

South Melbourne fans show their support during the FFA Cup semi-final. Picture: Getty Images
South Melbourne fans show their support during the FFA Cup semi-final. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

THEY SAY

“The FFA have announced one of their priorities for 2018 is planning for the expansion of the A-League in 2019-20. South Melbourne has been working proactively with the national federation for a number of years preparing itself for a return to the top tier of Australian football. I am in regular contact with both David Gallop and Greg O’Rouke at the FFA and have a good appreciation of the challenges and opportunities an expanded A-League presents. We are confident South Melbourne offers a proven, reliable and financial sound business case for an A-League licence which recognises the rich, diverse and success history of the club together with excellent world-class infrastructure and facilities at Lakeside Stadium.” South Melbourne’s A-League bid boss Bill Papastergiadis

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/npl-victoria-season-preview-every-club-every-squad-the-fixtures/news-story/3645b882d07cd921efdd588317a48646

National second division

Michael Lynch says that the talk of a national second division and eventual promotion and relegation will not go away. Some on social media who have pooh-poohed the proposal from day one as some sort of power play plot against the game (go figure!) will be especially shocked and saddened to learn that FFA and the state federations have joined forces with AAFC to establish a working group to develop the criteria for a second division competition. Lynch says that aspirants are trying to prove their worth on-the-field, as well as tick all the boxes in the off-field criteria, whatever they may be.

http://footballtoday.news/football-media-watch/ffa-congress-a-league-canberra-bid-national-second-division-craig-moore?utm_content=buffer03a67&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

💩💩

Da effnikx are coming.

No South No APL 

I used to like APL as a name. Not so much nowadays.

Hakoah: Stage 2 DA ‘soon to be lodged’

 March 16, 2017 National News AGM, Allen Linz, development application, Evan Zlatkis, George Farkas, Hakoah Club, Phillip Wolanski, White City redevelopment, Woollahra Council

Good crowd in for MK v OC. Between 1.5-2k. Oh and they have covers in their dugouts. Just quietly.

A little more info on the AAFC, from the AAFC...
http://footballtoday.news/features/aafc-what-we-want-and-why

AAFC: What we want and why

AAFC Chairman challenges those who say the AAFC hasn't been around long enough to explain exactly what their point is

26 February 2018 | Rabieh Krayem

You’ve gotta love Australian football.I’ve read and heard so much in the past few days that is just so wrong that you almost wonder whether the Russians, bored with the United States, might have turned their attention to #sokkahtwitter.I’d like to deal with a few of the issues around – firstly starting with AAFC directors and advisors.AAFC Directors and AdvisorsLet’s be really clear.We’re not a Trojan horse for former NSL clubs who want to get into the A-League. What we represent is 126 clubs with male and female players, some from under 9 upwards. Five member clubs are women’s only NPL clubs. Of the 126 clubs, 18 played in the NSL at one stage or another. Some were foundation clubs who were there the entire 27 years; others came and went – not least because of a limited form of promotion and relegation that was in place for some of the time.Of our eight democratically elected Directors, not one of them was involved as an administrator with a club that was in the NSL.Our WA Director, former Socceroo Gary Marocchi (pictured), had a distinguished playing career with Adelaide City and managed Perth Glory in the NSL era.In terms of the A-League:

• The deputy chair of AAFC, Victoria Morton, who is President of South Hobart FC declared from the outset that she is involved with the Tasmanian bid to be part of the A-League.
• Two volunteer advisors to the AAFC, Nick Galatas and Tom Kalas, had involvement with South Melbourne FC. They remain our advisors because, in Nick’s case, we need legal expertise and, in Tom’s case, he was instrumental in getting AAFC started. Neither of them are involved in South Melbourne FC today and to the extent that South Melbourne may, or may not, aspire to be part of the A-League, Nick and Tom are nothing to do with that.

Everyone who ‘works’ for AAFC is a volunteer, on top of their already volunteer roles with their clubs or associations.That’s it folks. There really is nothing to see here.AAFC members the ‘cause of all the problems’ in the 1990sSecond, I reject the notion which some are putting about that the clubs involved with AAFC, especially the former NSL clubs, were responsible for the problems in Australian football towards the end of last century. If anything, those clubs were symptoms of what was wrong at that time, such as under-capitalisation and poor management and governance.Those same clubs also helped produce most of what is known as the ‘golden generation of players' as well as great talent before them. Despite being around for up to 13 years, the A-League clubs have gone nowhere near emulating the NSL clubs in this regard.You only have to look at the birthplace of the players who tend to grab most of the headlines out of A-League matches to realise that.National second divisionThe third issue is about a national second division.Frankly, anyone who loves Australian football and wants to see it succeed should want to see a national second division. Why?For one simple reason. If we’re going to be more competitive on the international stage, our young players – male and female – need to play better quality, more competitive games.That is not to say it’s a national second division OR A-League expansion. Quite the opposite actually. I’d like to see A-League expansion – preferably to 18 or 20 teams like a real league – AND a national second division.That is why we knew from the outset – and we’re absolutely thrilled that it’s happening – that we needed to work with FFA, the state federations and the A-League clubs about development of a national second division. That was the purpose of our proposal which we circulated last year: to put a stake in the ground, and give us all something to discuss as a starting-point and to refine and improve. We have now formed a working group with the FFA and state federations to do precisely this.Hopefully, the PFA will also understand the value of a national second division, especially when they realise that they might get more members out of it! More importantly, I’m sure the PFA would be totally committed to giving more opportunities and help Australian football improve its depth and quality. Wouldn’t they?Promotion and relegationAll of us at AAFC would like to see promotion and relegation.We have a target of 2024 but if that’s not feasible, it’s not feasible. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have it as an aspiration. And it certainly doesn’t mean Australian football shouldn’t aim to comply with FIFA Statutes on this, and other, issues.We believe promotion and relegation is an essential and unique feature of football worldwide, and it is a pre-requisite if we are going to have a sustainable football culture in Australia. But, of course, a lot depends on how the game develops between now and our 2024 target year, including and especially with the A-League.Our aim is not to canniablise the A-League but to have a parallel and complementary competition, just as it is elsewhere in the world.At the AAFC, we don’t look at a problem and think ‘Oh, that’s too hard. Let’s do nothing.’ We make no apologies for taking precisely the opposite approach: ‘OK, there’s a problem here. What can we do about it?’We’re certainly not going into it with rose-coloured glasses, but hard-headed analysis and determination.FFA CongressOne of the reasons behind the formation of the AAFC 12 months ago was to get a seat at the FFA Congress.The reason we want to do this is because the 80-plus clubs who travelled to Melbourne from around Australia for our inaugural meeting in March last year felt that they were not properly represented, either in legal status or in practice. We’ve since grown by 58% to 126 members.I’ve heard it so often that AAFC shouldn't exist because the state federations represent the NPL clubs.However, in effect, with some minor exceptions, they don’t. When you think about it, it’s not surprising for two reasons. One: the NPL competition – which stands for National Premier Leagues – was established after the state federations put together their Constitutions. Two: the competition is a creature of the national body, the FFA, so it makes sense to us that we have a voice at the FFA Congress.As our national survey showed, we have more than 41,000 players who play in our clubs; our members’ total annual turnover is almost $56 million; and our volunteers contribute 65,000 hours to the football community every week.One of the more polite reasons I heard during the week for not including us on the FIFA Congress is because we’re ‘only one year old and AAFC hasn’t proven itself’.The association representing the A-League clubs (known as APFCA) is only a little more than one year old itself. Before you think to yourself ‘That’s different, as they’ve been around for 13 years’, I urge you to think a bit more.The AAFC’s oldest club, Edgeworth United from Northern NSW, was established in 1892. The second oldest, Port Adelaide, was formed in 1902. The third oldest, Weston Workers Bears (also Northern NSW), in 1907 – and so on.More than 100 of our clubs were established before 1993, the same year the PFA was formed.Our two youngest clubs, from regional Victoria, were established in 2014 – coincidentally the same year that Melbourne Heart became Melbourne City, which is one of the movers-and-shakers in the APFCA.So I challenge those who say this to clarify exactly the point they’re attempting to make.AAFC’s other prioritiesStarting tonight (Monday 26 February), we’re embarking on a national roadshow to meet with our members, anyone involved with their clubs, as well as anyone else who would like to attend.The issues for discussion include those we also talked with FIFA and the AFC about during the week. These include the costs and requirements imposed on clubs and the cost for kids to play.We have said from day one that one of our highest priorities is to reduce the cost of participation, a point we have also made to FFA, and we intend to keep pursuing that.The football community is more than welcome to attend any of our national roadshow sessions to be held in every capital city, other than Darwin, as well as Newcastle.I will be in attendance with our relevant state Director, to give an update face-to-face on our first year of operation as well as answer any questions. We’ve also invited the FFA and the state federations.For further information about dates, times and venues, please visit our website. I look forward to seeing you there.

Fantastic to see the roadshow happening. Hope a lot of people get out there and clear up any misconceptions that they have.

Adelaide City and West Adelaide want to be part of A-League expansion but the two clubs aren’t on the same page

A-League flags expansion priorities
City hatching A-League plan
Mori says it’s time for expansion
Record FFA Cup entries despite SA snub
New $26 million soccer complex to be built at Gepps Cross
National Premier Leagues SA season preview
ADELAIDE City and West Adelaide want to be part of the A-League expansion in a bid to become Adelaide United’s derby sparring partner.

Frustrated City football chairman Tony Costa expressed disappointment with football’s governing bodies for failing to have the passion, creativity or an element of risk in growing the sport to a level where a second club from this state should have a new level of confidence instead of apprehension.

“Everybody blames the product but the product is an outcome of the leadership,’’ Costa said.

Costa says City has employed an expert, Nick Barbato, to the executive team charged with getting the club ready for expansion.


West Adelaide supporters fans chair goalscorer Vic Bozanic off the ground after winning the 1978 national premiership.
Less than two weeks after Football Federation Australian announced it had planned to increase the number of A-League clubs to 12 from 10 from 2019, City and West unveiled preliminary plans to re-enter the national stage after both clubs became giants in the defunct national soccer league.

West chairman Alex Alexandrou says the club is preparing a sole A-League bid but is always open to talks with City about a joint bid.

A potential jersey for a joint bid is — blue, black and white — modelled around Gremio of Brazil’s striped kit.

“There would be a new name, new branding that relies on the traditional base of the biggest club in SA for a second team,’’ Alexandrou said.

“Our new home base facility at Kilburn will be tailored to service our A-League and local NPL team.”

Alexandrou also believes the love/hate relationship between the two clubs has mellowed over the years.

“There would be a new name, new branding that relies on the traditional base of the biggest clubs in SA for their support to have a second team.”

Alexandrou also believes the love/hate relationship between the two clubs has mellowed over the years.

The tense derbies festered since the 1960s when West came into the picture as a strong new Australian club backed by people with Greek heritage to challenge City which was king of SA football from the 1950s with its fans having mainly Italian heritage .

“The rivalry has been huge and when I was younger I would never consider sitting at the same table as Adelaide City,’’ Alexandrou said.

“But both clubs have that mutual respect and ambition and both clubs believe they have the resources to strive for the highest league.

Costa, however, says an accord with West is not what he had pictured within the club’s strategic planning framework for a future A-League expansion team from SA.


Adelaide City football chairman Tony Costa, middle, is keen to see the club go it alone with expansion into the A-League. Picture: Dylan Coker
Costa say his view is that City is strong enough to make an A-League bid alone but wrote off 2019 as a potential target for re-entry in the national league.

“I told Alex my first impression was that at this stage it is not the direction our club is visualising,’’ Costa said.

“Adelaide City, however, is a club that likes to stand alone and if we’re going to have a crack at it (the A-League) then at this stage we’ll be doing it independently.”

Costa says City can re-energise its fan base after the club lost a core group of hardcore supporters — about 4000 of them — as soon as they pulled out of the NSL due to the financial strain on the club in 2003.

“When we played Western Sydney in the FFA Cup (2014) there was more than 2700 fans that supported us,’’ Costa said.

“We backed that up in the following round when we beat Brisbane Strikers at Marden when more than 2000 came to support Adelaide City, so while those numbers are short of having a sustainable A-League future the foundation is solid enough to build upon.”

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/football/local-soccer-sa/adelaide-city-and-west-adelaide-want-to-be-part-of-aleague-expansion-but-the-two-clubs-arent-on-the-same-page/news-story/626d9f45301f3513bd23e1521df704f6

Struggling A-League needs us, claim South Melbourne

With expansion back on the agenda for 2019-20, the former NSL giants believe they are a “ready made” option with the capacity to re-energize a stagnating competition with their illustrious history, fan base, stadium facilities and ability to provoke extremes of loyalty and loathing.

Bill Papastergiadis, head of the club’s A-League bid team, said: “The A-League needs teams like us, absolutely.

“The ratings are down and crowds are down and we can play our part in turning that around.

“If you look at our TV numbers in reaching the semi-finals of the FFA Cup last season, they were equivalent, if not higher, than many of the A-League games.

“The bottom line is that the competition needs the vitality and credibility offered by a club with our illustrious background coming in and performing a role in bringing new energy and excitement.

“I am in regular contact with both David Gallop and Greg O’Rouke at the FFA and have a good appreciation of the challenges and opportunities an expanded A-League presents.”

A-League expansion top of FFA's agenda for 2018

Football Federation Australia have targeted the 2019-20 season as the start date for two new A-League clubs and will take a "fresh approach" in marketing the competition next season.

The four-time NSL champions, who kick off their National Premier League season on Monday night against Bulleen Lions, have been busy strengthening their squad with imports as they seek to build a compelling case as one of the two teams FFA is looking to bring in.

“We have proven pedigree across all our age groups, in the men’s and women’s games, and reaching the last four of the FFA Cup last season showed what we’re about,” Papastergiadis said.

“What more do we need?”

While there are interested parties in Geelong and Dandenong for a third team from Victoria, Papastergiadis sees a clear advantage for South.

“We’re the only one with a stadium (the 13,000-capacity Lakeside arena), we also won the women’s division last year in the NPL and we have also a strong link into Asia through our connection with Guangzhou R&F and the Australia-China Football Development Foundation. “

South showed their credentials earlier this month in defeating R&F 3-0 in a pre-season tournament, just days after the CSL side had thumped a Melbourne City XI 4-1 behind closed doors.

“We’re ready for the A-League, and are a safe pair of hands,” Papastergiadis added.

“The league can only benefit from having a club which has a strong administration and infrastructure like ours, and consistently wins titles.

“We’ve provided interest wherever we play. We’ve been around for 40 years and are not a manufactured club.

“Let’s face it, the A-League’s franchise model has had mixed success.”

Gallop bemoans poor A-League numbers

FFA chief executive David Gallop has warned expansion will not solve all problems as the A-League suffers through a significant slump.

South also claim to a have a social media reach of around 100,000, with Papastergiadis adamant they would bring enhanced derby fervour, rather than provoke a cannibalisation, of the support bases of Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.

New signings, Greek defender Christos Intzikis and Brazilian midfielder Oliver Minatel, are symbols of the club’s ambitions, according to Papastergiadis.

“They’ve played at the top level in Greece and in Portugal,” he said.

Intzikis featured in 100 matches in Greece’s top two divisions, including spells at PAOK and Aris of Thessaloniki.

Minatel was part of PSV Eindhoven’s youth system, had stints in the US and Canada, while also spending time in Portugal’s top division for Nacional.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/football/local-soccer-sa/adelaide-city-and-west-adelaide-want-to-be-part-of-aleague-expansion-but-the-two-clubs-arent-on-the-same-page/news-story/626d9f45301f3513bd23e1521df704f6

Absolutely....crowds of 4-5k is sure to silence The Select Few for a while.

They arent playing at stadiums that cost millions. 4-5 would be a pass. As it is for CCM.

I dont like seeing vast amount of seats that are empty at a Sydney FC home derby in a stadium you are second class citizens paying millions. 

Pathetic. 

SM would turn a profit at that amount right?

Crowds aren't important. Tv viewers is the FFAs metric.

SM in the league generates a lot of hype. It's the only way to get another team in central Melbourne and it creates many many more stories for media.

Plonking a team in Wollongong for example just gives you a nice trip down once a year.... If your fans bothered. Novelty may wear off after 1 season and weather must be good.

why not both?

Because you dont need both. As long as its sustainable and the tv numbers are high who gives a shit.

Exactly - South can be profitable on small crowds, so even if they don't take off the way we/they expect, they'll still be fine.  Meanwhile, they add an extra 4 derby fixtures to the league, in a city where only the derbies tend to make a ripple in the local media.

It makes sense to a lot of people except the ones who are in charge of making these decisions. 

I meant as in why not have both of Wollongong and SM in the league? FWIW I think Wollongong are probably in front of South anyways as far as likelihoods of getting confirmed for a license 

For second div?

Certainly. I would not bid for al in its current state .

FFT Statement Regarding A-League

Bulleen home match Monday night

Amazing.

Great crowd but no excuses it was a nice night, it's the 8.30pm starts in winter that destroys everyone.

I was thinking about how much the weather changes through the season. 

The first few rounds I can find a nice spot on the hill behind the goals and watch an NPL game as the sun goes down.  Ten rounds in and I've got 7 layers of clothes and still freezing!  That's part of what I love about it though.

No reflection on the strength of the bids but I've got to agree. SM (indeed any new inner Melbourne team) will be blocked by CFG for the foreseeable future. Wollongong also will have problems because of Southern Expansion - but if the people of Wollongong and the South coast in general make it clear they have no interest in Southern Expansion then they have a chance, just maybe not as part of the first two. Southern Expansion and a second Brisbane team meet all the yet to be released metrics. If they don't the FFA will rewrite the metrics.

"West chairman Alex Alexandrou says the club is preparing a sole A-League bid but is always open to talks with City about a joint bid."

Bloody hell.

Joint bids are cancer.

-PB