South Melbourne, Avondale top seeds for newly announced Australian Championships

Victorian heavyweights South Melbourne and Avondale will get top billing when the newly announced Australian Championships kicks off in October.

South Melbourne's Max Mikola and Stefan Zinni of Avondale race for the ball. Picture: Mark Avellino

South Melbourne and Avondale will be given top billing in the new Australian Championships.

The branding for the upcoming National Second Division competition, kicking off in October, was revealed by Football Australia today.

It was also confirmed the competition’s structure will see 16 teams compete in a Champions League model.

The NPL Victoria powers will be two of four top seeds for the group stage, along with NSW clubs Marconi and APIA Leichardt.

Four more foundation clubs – Preston Lions, Sydney United, Sydney Olympic and Wollongong Wolves – will be placed in each group as well as two NPL state representatives.

The top two in each group will then compete in a knockout finals series, finishing with the inaugural Australian Championship final in early December.

South Melbourne president Nick Maikousis said it was exciting to see progress being made.

“It’s a stepping stone to the full-blown, standalone second division, that’s what we signed up for originally,” Maikousis said.

“It’s a start and we know what we’re building towards.

“A successful second division, the Australian Championship, and to have a relationship with the A-League will be enormous benefit to the A-League.

“Finally it will unify our game, it won’t be old soccer and new football, so there’s lots of positives to come out of this.”

While the Championships structure has been locked in for its inaugural season, it could revert to the original standalone home-and-away competition model.

Football Australia is preparing a second request for proposal (RFP) phase to potentially add four or more clubs for 2026.

FA has said it wants at least four states represented in a standalone second division.

Victorian clubs Melbourne Knights, Hume City, Heidelberg United and Caroline Springs George Cross have expressed their interest in applying.

The likes of Adelaide City (SA), Gold Coast United and Sunshine Coast (Qld), Gungahlin United (ACT) and South Hobart (Tas) are also believed to be involved.

Maikousis said Knights were an obvious choice.

“There’s quite a few clubs interested in joining but putting up $500,000 upfront is one of the things that isn’t easy to do,” he said.

“We’re working closely with Football Australia.

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“I’ve seen Hume has expressed an interest and Melbourne Knights has expressed an interest, which is great.

“In my view Knights should have been a part of the foundation clubs anyway, given the originally derby is South and Melbourne Knights.

“Heidelberg is a former NSL club and George Cross is very much the same.”

Football Australia also revealed it was in negotiations for broadcast partners for the competition.