Football Australia concludes phase two of National Second Tier Process

Football Australia has concluded phase two - the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase - of the National Second Tier (NST) Application Process.

The RFP phase, crucial for laying the groundwork for the upcoming NST, has resulted in submissions being received by the deadline on Monday 28th August 2023. Given the confidential nature of the RFP process, Football Australia will not disclose the clubs that have made submissions, nor comment on their submissions' compliance or completeness at this time.

James Johnson, Chief Executive of Football Australia advised "we've taken significant strides towards establishing a robust framework for the National Second Tier. The response and the submissions received are testament to the passion and commitment of the football community to this pivotal initiative.”

With the RFP process now finalised, the Assessment and Review Phase has now commenced. Each submitted proposal will undergo a rigorous evaluation to ensure its completeness and alignment with the set criteria and requirements. Should sufficient proposals be deemed suitable, this phase will be succeeded by the Completion phase, marking the end of the selection process.

Ensuring transparency and accuracy in these crucial steps, Football Australia has appointed BDO, globally recognised accounting and advisory experts, as an independent third party to provide their assistance to the process.

Johnson added "every decision we make during this process aims to guarantee that the National Second Tier is holistic, competitive, and adds immense value to Australian football. Collaborating with BDO assures our stakeholders of the process's integrity and fairness."

Football Australia continues to target a 2024 launch of the NST, aiming to feature a minimum of 10 teams that will compete in a home and away league structure with finals. However, Football Australia may also explore a phased 'group based' model, where the National Premier Leagues would influence the composition, adopting the 'Champions League' model.

Johnson concluded "as we advance, our commitment is to the future of Australian football. Whether we finalise on the conventional league structure or adopt the 'Champions League' model, our vision remains clear - to elevate the stature of football in Australia."

In March 2023, 32 Australian teams submitted Expressions of Interest (EOI) to be part of the NST, which is anticipated to begin in March 2024 with 10-16 clubs.

26 clubs successfully proceeded to the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase after meeting the criteria as Blacktown City (New South Wales), Valentine FC (Northern New South Wales), Peninsula Power, (Queensland), Playford City Soccer and Community Club (South Australia), Bentleigh Greens (Victoria) and Spearwood Dalmatinac/Cockburn City (Western Australia) missed out.

With Blacktown City among the sixclubs not successful with their EOI, Blacktown City Football club issued the following official Board statement in May 2023:

“Blacktown City FC is not only disappointed but shocked that its Expression of Interest (EOI) submission in the proposed National Second Tier competition was rejected by Football Australia (FA).

“Blacktown City FC are the defending NSW Champions, winners of nine NSW Club Championships in the last 12 years (and seventeen Club Championships in the last 40 years) and proud of its 70-year history of success on the field. The Club is regarded by most in the Football community to be one of the most prominent football development organisations in the country. This was exemplified by five former Blacktown City FC juniors playing for the Socceroos in the recent World Cup.

“We can confirm the Club responded to FA and submitted an EOI for the Club’s participation in a National Second Tier Competition in 2024. In addition to the submission, the Club submitted subsequent questions of FA regarding competitions structure and logistics which were not responded to in full.

“The Club also requested the FA provide the evaluation criteria submissions would be assessed against for progression to the next phase. 32 EOI’s were submitted to FA and Blacktown City FC is one of only six to not be selected as a shortlisted respondent to advance to the second phase of the application process.

“To date the Club has received no explanation as to what led to the decision for such a respected Club like Blacktown City FC not to at least advance to the next round.

“We want to assure our players, sponsors, members, families and the City we represent that the Club takes this situation seriously and are working to address the issue.”

Image. Second Tier Aspirants Blacktown City and Apia Leichhardt inthe National Premier League's NSW Men's competition. Credit Football NSW