Football Australia looks to delay commencement of national second tier competition

Football Australia is understood to be set to delay the start of its national second division while also considering a change to its proposed format as a result of having failed to attract sufficient suitable teams and the impending prospect of having to resume operations and financial support of the A-League competitions.

The long planned second-tier competition was set to launch in 2025, featuring 10 to 14 clubs across the country playing a home-and-away season run through the winter months.

However, only eight ‘foundation’ clubs - all in NSW and Victoria - were unveiled when Football Australia announced the second tier in November last year, with the governing body apparently unable to find the additional two to four clubs that it believes it needs to get that structure off the ground.

As reported by several football specific blogs and websites, Football Australia Chief Executive James Johnson is also understood to be considering that the new competition might take on a ‘Champions League’ type format.

Speaking ahead of a Football Australia board meeting today, Nick Galatas, Chairman of the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) - which has advocated the formation of a second tier competition since its formation - told the FTBL website “clubs are prepared for a home and away competition, that’s what’s always been on the table and universally agreed upon, not a Champions League-style format.

“There is no interest in the model FA seem to be exploring as a National Second Tier. I was surprised and flabbergasted to read of this change of direction, and at such a crucial juncture where we are trying to get another two to four clubs over the line to swell the numbers to a minimum of a 10-team competition.

“To be honest, I was amazed to see James suggesting a model which as far as the clubs are concerned is far removed from what they signed up to.”

Johnson went on to tell the Asian Game website of his vision for the second division that the concept will go ahead on schedule, advising “we’ve gone through a process, a lengthy process.

"(And) we’re still in that process, and we’ll have to talk to what the format will be, but we’ll have a second tier, that’s clear.

“I think there’s a difference, though, between a standalone home-and-away competition, where clubs move out of the current NPLs, and a second tier where perhaps clubs are guaranteed to play in a model, like a Champions League model, at the back end of the NPL season.

“They’re both second tiers, and these models exist around the world. Brazil is a great example, where the second tier of football is played at state level, and then it filters into a national level at the back end; that’s a second tier, and that could be a second tier here.”

APIA Leichhardt, Avondale FC, Marconi, Preston Lions, South Melbourne, Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58 and Wollongong Wolves are the competition’s eight ‘foundation’ clubs who met Football Australia’s financial criteria to be involved with the new league.

While the second division concept has wide support within football, questions exist about its financial viability - particularly at a time when the A-Leagues are facing financial issues - and with Football Australia likely to have to step in to support the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).

The second-tier competition is also undermined by it having no immediate link to the A-League Men with no promotion or relegation currently planned.

The A-Leagues financial issues has seen APL Chair Stephen Conroy recently admit that it had no choice but to abandon its “overly ambitious” expansion strategy and slash costs to remain solvent - a decision that has left clubs scrambling to address a dramatic financial shortfall and the professional game facing a period of austerity.

Earlier this month the APL confirmed that distributions for the 2024/25 season have been reduced to just $530,000, meaning club owners will have to find an extra $2.2 million just to cover the salary cap in the men’s and women’s leagues.

Image: National second division foundation clubs APIA Leichhardt take on Wollongong Wolves in this season's National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW competition. Credit: Football NSW.