It's so confusing. The VFA was around originally then some bigger clubs split and formed the VFL which became the biggest league and de facto world governing body, renamed to AFL, then made the VFA change their name to VFL. Money can buy history, I guess.

It's not a bad analogy.  At the end of the day, the NSL existed for so many years, we want the second division to be national, we're hoping the old clubs will get into it, why not continue using the name?

Put it this way, if the new second division was as big as the old NSL, would we all not view that as a huge success?  Many may not be aware that at one point, the NSL had 24 teams in it. 

Making even the most oblique positive inference towards the split conference top tier system should be a life ban.

As we struggle along to 11 teams for the 2nd time in our 15 year history, it's worth remembering that at its peak, the NSL had 24 teams (and took less than 10 years to get there)

NSL has too much baggage, rightly or wrongly, attached to it.

A2 would do me but whatever, just get on with it.

“

It will be the main focus of the FFA over the coming years with control of the A-League and it’s revenue set to be relinquished by Australian football’s governing body.

The committee includes Women’s Football Council Committee member Sue Crow, Football Federation South Australia President Sam Ciccarello, Football Victoria President Kimon Taliadoros, Newcastle Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna, PFA Chief Executive John Didulica, Australian Association of Football Clubs Chairman Nick Galatas and AAFC Treasurer Christo Patsan.

“Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold and FFA Technical Director Rob Sherman will also be co-opted onto the committee as advisers to technical matters.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/new-national-second-division-championship-moves-step-closer/news-story/ea7478f860ed5636dbfa8ffc6630d86e

“It will be the main focus of the FFA over the coming years with control of the A-League and it’s revenue set to be relinquished by Australian football’s governing body.”

Even though these are the writers words it is a sorry state of affairs if true.

Implying FFA is looking to squeeze as much money out of it as possible instead of creating something to produce the best players/competitive environment.

The FFA’s involvement in this is quite frankly alarming and makes a mockery of the threads title. Let’s hope they don’t stuff it up and, unlike the HAL, when the clubs decide they would like to go independent they can do so without the FFA putting them through a 5 year acid bath. 

Surely the FFA realise that The Championship isn’t some cash cow that can be exploited...

The bloated game playing politicking FFA bureaucracy always needs something to fuck up on regular basis.  The A League, Socceroos, the Matildas so it's only logical that they turn their inherent incompetency to the 2nd Division.  

Apparently not LOL

So true libel. Slap in face etc

On the one hand, it makes sense the FFA would use its resources to kickstart the concept, but the fact that they think it will become some sort of cash cow, for them, is surprising to say the least.

It's bizarre how things have changed for FFA.
Once they were dead against a second division.They didnt want to dilute the value of the HAL.
Now?
If you consider that the FFA is primarily run by state federations it actually makes sense to run their own competition.

Pay walled

”Herald Sun Ambitious clubs will be welcomed to submit bids for a national second ... Herald Sun-för 3 timmar sedan ... second tier indicates that the number of submissions could exceed the 15 Football Federation Australia received for the recent A-League expansion process, ...”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/a-league/ambitious-clubs-will-be-welcomed-to-submit-bids-for-a-national-second-division-to-sit-beneath-aleague/news-story/30842b72c8a403d82e3750356714232b

‘Hellas’ Melbourne celebrates 60-year anniversary As one of the most historic football clubs in Australia celebrates an important milestone, we step back to look at its most significant accomplishments Alex Anyfantis As one of the most historic football clubs in Australia celebrates an important milestone, we step back to look at its most significant accomplishments It was back in 1959, when former president of Hellenic FC, Theo Marmaras suggested the merger of his own club, alongside Yarra Park Ajax and South Melbourne United, in order to create a team with a stronger supporter base. That team was dubbed “South Melbourne Hellas” in honour of the majority of the fans that came from the Greek community, and went on to write its own history in the annals of Australian football. Since then, South has gone on to become a powerhouse in its own right, lifting a number of trophies up until today and becoming the foundation upon which a number of players built their careers. The fact that they won their first piece of silverware in their inaugural participation within the Victorian First Division North Championship in 1960 was only evident of the huge success that was to follow, as they went on to win the Victorian State League (VSL) in 1962, in what was just their second year in the state tournament. ‘Hellas’ then went on to win back-to-back championships for three consecutive seasons (1964, 1965, 1966), yet what followed was a long dry spell for the club, that saw them missing out on the championship title for the next eight years. One of the first ever South Melbourne teams that took part in the Victorian State Leagues in the early 1960’s. Yet the introduction of Bill Curran as head coach saw him inject new blood into the team, with players such as Jim Armstrong, Steve Walker and Ulysses Kokkinos leading the pack. READ MORE: South Melbourne pays tribute to NK founder… but greatness never dies The club returned to its natural place in 1972, clinching the title ahead of rivals George Cross, a feat they would repeat in seasons 1974 and 1976. South also won their first Dockerty Cup in 1974, beating Wilhelmina in the final, 4-1, a feat that they repeated the next season, this time against Sunshine (2-1). The year 1977 however, brought many dramatic changes both inside the club and out, with the departure of key players such as Armstrong, Walker, Jim Mackay and Peter Bourne among others, who had played a crucial role in solidifying South’s position among the best of Australian football. As if that wasn’t enough, this was the year that the National Soccer League (NSL) was introduced to the Australian Football Community, leaving the club in a highly vulnerable position in its first seasons within the tournament. It’s worth noting that up until 1984, their highest achievement was finishing in third place (1978). Yet with the arrival of John Margaritis at the helm of the club, things slowly began to change. He brought a number of new players to South, including Branko Buljevic, Alun Evans, George Campbell and Alan Davidson, that started to turn things around and heralded a winning spirit into the dressing rooms. This all escalated during the 1983/84 season, which coincidentally was also the season when the play-off procedure was first introduced into Australian football. South Melbourne took first place in the regular season, going on to beat Sydney Olympic 4-2 on aggregate in the double finals. Yet, despite their great success, the following season saw them knocked out early in the play-offs, putting an early end to their success. The end of the 1980’s saw South struggling in the middle of the table, with the only exception being the 1987/88 season where they finished third and made it all the way to the semi-finals, only to be knocked out by Marconi. That same season, the club was also awarded the Dockerty Cup, after Melbourne Croatia attempted to use an ineligible player in the final. READ MORE: Hellas is not a dirty word – reply to Chris Nikou’s open letter to ‘soccer family’ Brazilian legend Romario besides Paul Trimboli, as Vasco Da Gama and South Melbourne players come out of the dressing rooms for their game during the FIFA World Club Championships. What followed however could only be described as the club’s “golden age”, as during the 90’s South Melbourne won three championships (while participating in the play-offs another six times), four Dockerty Cups and on Charity Shield, featuring players and staff members such as the late Ferenc Puskas, Paul Trimboli, Angelos Postecoglou, Kimon Taliadoros, Peter Tsolakis and Steve Blair. The pinnacle of their success came on the 1998/99 season that saw them win the Oceania Championship in a final against Nadi, then go on to represent the continent in the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil. Speaking to Neos Kosmos, former club treasurer Peter Skrepetis fondly remembers those days: “In my 28 years with Hellas, that was the greatest thing that ever happened to the club. We went there with Angelos (Postecoglou) as our coach and we had a very good team, we played against teams like Manchester United and Necaxa from Mexico and even though we lost all three games we played, it was only by a small margin. “We had overall good results. Those were very good times. The chairman then was Mr Giorgos Vasilopoulos and he took with him almost the entire board of the club. We had a fantastic time. “For us that served South Melbourne for all those years, that was the greatest gift to have the opportunity to travel to Brazil”. However the next few years weren’t met with a similar level of success and in 2005 the foundations of the sport in Australia were shaken to their core with what many people consider to be a huge step back for the sport: the A-League was introduced, bringing with it a slew of entirely new franchises to Australian football, while the clubs that belonged to the NSL were forced to return to their respective State Leagues (now dubbed “National Premier Leagues” – NPL). Since then, South Melbourne has won the NPL a total of three times (2006, 2014, 2016), yet now the club seems more focused on finding its rightful place within the Australian football community. South Melbourne chairman Nick Maikousis points out his most important moment with the club to Neos Kosmos, while also stating their intentions for the future: “For me personally it had to be (Ange) Postecoglou’s first championship with us (1998) and the reason for that is because my father had passed away a week leading up to the final. He was the one that took me to the club when I was two-years-old. I also recall then-president George Vasilopoulos draping a scarf over my father’s coffin. So that was a very big, emotional week for me,” Mr Maikousis says. “It’s all very good to talk about our history, but frankly it’s all about us writing our own history moving forward. We need to be recognised as a significant football brand in this country and broader Asia and we hope to accomplish that through The Championship, which is the new Second Division.”

https://neoskosmos.com/en/144825/60-years-hellas-melbourne/

And a couple of years or so to dismantle after it started. Conference produced poor teams and even a poorer league that it was.

As always you tell part of the story. The governance and stakeholders were also the NSL club executives who selfishly looked after their own club rather than what benefited the game. Then you have the clubs themselves who simply catered for their own mono ethnic community.

At the end the NSL was represented by only 3 ethnic groups (out of 200) across the board - Croatians, Greeks and Italians. The mainstream clubs that came on board showed the potential however they were in a basket with rotten apples.

The NSL had it's place and deserves it's place in history but we must learn from the past.

Would you consider the HAL clubs now mainstream clubs? 

So you combat with generalisations. 

You're desperate. Build the fucking pyramid. 

Are they anything but that?.

Did you expect a 10,000 word essay to a two line comment? LOL

Yes.

Hurry the fuck up and send it.

“Why NPL needs to fix finals flaws

Updated 1 hour agoAPIA became champions for the first time since the competition started seven years ago with a 2-1 victory over their old rivals thanks to a winning goal from captain Sean Symons in extra time.Paul Galimi had given APIA a first-half lead before Matt Bilic equalised for United just before the hour mark.Yet the euphoria surrounding APIA's triumph was mixed with disappointment because their gallant effort in a superb contest that would not have felt out of place in the A-League will not be rewarded with a tilt at the seventh Australian NPL finals that kick off on September 21-22.The reason is because Wollongong Wolves, having won the premiership, earned the right to represent the NSW federation in the eight-team national finals. This is just not right.It has nothing to do with the age-old controversy surrounding the merits or otherwise of winning the premiership or the championship.It is all about Football Federation Australia's obligation to encourage consistency, especially since it considers the winners of the A-League grand final and not the winners of the Premiers' Plate as the national champions.If the winners of any of the NPL grand finals around Australia (except Tasmania which does not have a finals series) are considered the champions of each respective federation, then it should be them who should play in the national finals not the premiers.If, on the other hand, FFA is happy to reward the premiers with a spot in the national finals it should ask th3 federztions to declare them and not the grand final winners as champions."I'm obviously delighted with the win but disappointed we cannot progress any further," APIA chairman Jim Apostolovski said later. "As champions of NSW we should be the team to represent our federation in the national finals."FFA HQ should fix this glaring discrepancy by either making the grand final more meaningful by giving the winners a spot in the finals or by rewarding the team finishing first past the post with the championship.A point worth remembering, too, is the team that wins the Australian championship gains automatic entry to the last 32 of the following FFA Cup so APIA as new champions are denied this opportunity.You could tell by just looking at the faces of the players and their supporters how much victory meant to APIA, who had lost the previous two grand finals.

Yet the fact that APIA won't test themselves at the next level in the national finals as a natural progression from winning the league made their triumph a bit of an anti-climax.

The FFA, as the body responsible for the NPL, has given the A-League the autonomy the professional clubs have sought for years but the game's governing body will hang on to the NPL even when a second division comes to fruition.The ownership structure of a second-tier competition has yet to be determined but it is likely to be an asset that is wholly or majority-owned by the FFA so the NPL will be under the control of head office for the foreseeable future.The FFA admittedly has other more important issues to deal with at the moment - not least the negotiations for the next television deal that seem to be going nowhere - but it could do much worse than have a  look at the NPL rules so the grand final is given the importance it deserves.And should head office believe that winning the premiership carries more weight it should say so and encourage the federations to to declare the premiers as state champions.It'a pretty straight-forward, really.

AUSTRALIAN NPL FINAL SERIES

Quarter-finals
Match 1: Lions FC v Campbelltown City
Match 2: Maitland v Devenport
Match 3: Wollongong Wolves v Canberra Olympic
Match 4: Heidelberg Utd v Perth SCSemi-finals
Winner 1 v Winner 2
Winner 3 v Winner 4”

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/why-npl-needs-to-fix-finals-flaws

More tripe from Micallef.

It is an obvious error. 
I expect when we get a second division the logical thing will be for both grand finalists to be promoted.
To make it more interesting if the second division premier doesn’t make the grand final, they could play off against the third bottom team of the top division