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Create A-League second division but we have final say, says FFA boss
By Vince Rugari
Football Federation Australia chief executive James Johnson says it's no longer a case of if but "when and how" an A-League second tier will begin, but reminded aspiring clubs that the ultimate power rests with the governing body.
Johnson's comments came after a collection of NPL clubs from almost every state and territory were unveiled as a 'partner group' that will assist the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) in devising a model for the proposed competition.
Victorian clubs South Melbourne and Heidelberg United are among the 30 clubs who have contributed funds towards AAFC's planned modelling for an A-League second division.Credit: Getty
The 30 clubs named on Tuesday have raised more than $100,000 in funding that will go towards modelling for a second division called 'The Championship', aimed at one day connecting with the A-League through promotion and relegation.
The Championship's tagline is 'Football as we know it' - a dig at the A-League's inaugural marketing slogan, 'It's football, but not as you know it'.
Among the NPL clubs to have contributed to the fund are more than a dozen former National Soccer League teams including Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58, APIA Leichhardt, South Melbourne and Melbourne Knights, as well as FFA Cup specialists Bentleigh Greens and the reborn Gold Coast United. The only region of Australia not represented is the Northern Territory.
AAFC and the 'partner group' intends on finalising a blueprint for a second tier that will then be submitted for "for ultimate FFA Board approval" - a presumptive turn of phrase that, according to sources, raised eyebrows within FFA on Tuesday.
"From the FFA’s perspective, it’s not a question of if there will be a second-tier competition, but a question of when and how," Johnson told the Herald.
FFA chief executive James Johnson says it's no longer a question of if an A-League second division will happen, but when and how.Credit: Getty Images
"It is important that we move the discussion from the conceptual level to a practical level but we do so collaboratively and in unison.
"This would include, for example, the consideration of proposals for a national second-tier competition in the context of our current circumstances, the strategic objectives of the XI Principles and practical financial modelling at both competition administrator, and club level.
"We encourage the AAFC to work collaboratively with FFA who, ultimately, will need to sanction any such competition and its composition."
Back in March, FFA chief executive James Johnson declared the federation was ready to "test the market" to gauge the interest levels and financial capacity of clubs keen to play in a second tier.
But once the COVID-19 pandemic halted the progress of those plans, AAFC took matters into its own hands and informed the federation it would begin consulting clubs and continue modelling itself.
"We're progressing what we were going to do. We'll do our bit and hopefully we will be presenting an irresistible case. That's the aim of the game," AAFC chairman Nick Galatas said.
"We're working under the umbrella of FFA, we want to give them something that is tangible and considered so they say 'OK, this what these clubs can do, this is the research they've done'. The clubs are putting their money where their mouth is."
While the 30 clubs would be regarded as obvious aspirants to play in a second division, Galatas said being included in the partner group did not amount to any sort of advantage or guarantee that they would be involved when it was up and running, with the composition of the league also likely to be at FFA's discretion.
The partner group will meet for the first time on Thursday night and is likely to grow in number, Galatas said, with the knowledge base and financial capabilities of the clubs to inform AAFC's modelling.
AAFC is aiming for a second division to commence in 2022, with A-League promotion and relegation to be introduced at a later date, but Galatas admitted circumstances around the pandemic may mean that is too ambitious a target.
Johnson said AAFC's working title of 'The Championship' for the league was a "secondary aspect of the strategy which also requires further consideration and alignment with FFA’s overall brand strategy and ultimate competition structures."
The developments come during a critical period for the A-League, which itself does not have a start date locked in for next season or broadcast deal secured beyond mid-2021, while clubs and Professional Footballers Australia are in the middle of a pay dispute regarding a new collective bargaining agreement.
The PFA, though a league-wide vote on Tuesday, officially rejected a proposal from A-League clubs which the union said would "provide clubs with the ability to unilaterally impose salary reductions on players, with the players’ only recourse to reject such a reduction being to terminate their employment."
It is likely to lead to players being stood down at several A-League clubs and will amost certainly trigger FFA intervention, as flagged over the weekend by Johnson if the two parties were unable to reach an agreement over a new CBA.