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==Clubs==
==Clubs==
{{Further|List National Second Division clubs}}
{{Further|List of soccer clubs in Australia}}


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 05:20, 6 October 2022

National Second Division
GegründetOctober 27, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-10-27)
First seasonLate 2023 (Summer Stage) or 2024 (Winter Stage) (proposed)
LandAustralien
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12–16
Level on pyramid2

The National Second Division (NSD) – also referred to under the working title The Championship – is a proposed Australian national second-tier men's, soccer league, to be run by Football Australia and the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC). It has been suggested that the league will consist of 12 to 16 teams, the bulk of which would be drawn from the existing National Premier Leagues competition. The league's focus would be to improve player development and to boost the overall standing of the game in Australia by generating new interest and revenue.[1]

History

Although informally talked about for many years, momentum for the idea of a national second division increased in October 2016.[2] In March 2017 "The Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) Limited" was established, with the goal of opening dialogue with Football Federation Australia (FFA) and various other stakeholders about establishing a national second division.[3] The board consists of several members representing their respective states and is chaired by Nick Galatas. In January 2018 the AAFC released a timeline for implementation of the league, requesting expressions of interest from clubs for participation in The Championship.[4]

In February 2019, the AAFC announced they were of the belief that the competition could be up and running by the 2020–21 season.[5] On 3 June 2019 the new national second division was given the green light by FFA, paving the way for the next stage of planning and a revised start date of the 2021–22 season.[6]

On 15 September 2020, a provisional list of 30 "partner clubs" was released to the public. The official partners included National Premier League clubs from every state in Australia.[7]

In a January 2021 report, the AAFC claimed that the establishment of a national second division competition would be affordable and feasible.[8]

In July 2021 report, Football Australia spokesperson confirmed to ESPN that the competition remained a priority to the federation, while its chairman Chris Nikou declared in May that he was "expecting (an NSD model) to come to the Football Australia board in the second half of this year, and I'd love to see a second division up for the 2022-23 season.[9]

In late 2021, advocates for a national second-tier in Australia have been campaigning for the better part of two decades to introduce what is, at this point, a global footballing standard. The year 2022 may be an optimistic target, however with Football Australia CEO James Johnson pointing to the pandemic as a buffer to the NSD’s unavoidable progression. The NSD would feature 12 foundation clubs with plans to expand up to 16 within the first four years.[10] Officials also aimed to avoid the American-based franchise system and expressed it would become more aligned to the European format, which included promotion and relegation.[11][12]

A national second division could be played by as early as 2023 with Football Australia set to invest in the establishment of a professional football competition to sit below the A-League. Football Australia says it has undertaken significant planning for a national second tier competition and has identified a number of models of how it could operate. Senior sources suggest a start date of 2023 is already being targeted. The organisation has identified the second tier as a priority to improve player development with more pathways and a larger pool of professional players, bridge the gap between the semi-professional state leagues and the A-League while also expanding the footprint of the professional game across the country.[13]

In February 2022, a report titled A Genuine National Second Division of Football in Australia was released. AAFC believes it’s time for a merit-based competition structure to be introduced as meritocracy is both the “Australian way” and occurs in most competitions around the world. The report has been funded by the Partner Clubs with financial analysis undertaken by MI Associates.[14]

In March 2022, Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) Chairman Nick Galatas has said that all the pieces are there for a National Second Division competition for Australian football and the time to implement is now.[15]

Australian Professional Leagues' (APL) chief executive Danny Townsend eyes national second division progress, "For so long the white whale of the domestic scene, Football Australia and its CEO James Johnson have repeatedly gone on the record to commit to the introduction of an NSD, with the competition tipped as either being introduced in late 2023 as a summer competition or in 2024 under a winter staging".[16]

Criticism

The perpetration to start the tournament has been met with criticism due to lack of detail about how it will function and the slow pace to begin the first season is another point of contention.[17]

Clubs

Further information: List of soccer clubs in Australia

References

  1. ^ "In a Nutshell". The Championship.
  2. ^ "A-League expansion, promotion and relegation, Northern Fury FC chairman Rabieh Krayem puts forward proposal". 19 October 2016.
  3. ^ "History". Association Of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC).
  4. ^ "Timeline". The Championship.
  5. ^ "AAFC '100% confident' of second division by 2020". FTBL.
  6. ^ Dale Lewis (3 June 2016). "FFA backs second division as clubs chase pathway to main stage". SBS The World Game. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  7. ^ AAFC (15 September 2020). "Championship Partner Group". AAFC. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  8. ^ AAFC (15 January 2021). "National Second Division (NSD) Competition Is Affordable and Feasible". AAFC. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  9. ^ Joey Lynch (30 July 2021). "Football Australia adds national second tier to football pyramid in calendar restructure". ESPN. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  10. ^ Bill Hedley (6 December 2021). "Why the A-Leagues need promotion and relegation". thefootballsack.com.au. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  11. ^ "'Final model': Major A-League second division meeting set for June". FTBL. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  12. ^ "FA adds second tier to Australia's football pyramid". ESPN.com. 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  13. ^ Dominic Bossi (14 December 2021). "Football Australia targets national second division for 2023". www.smh.com.au. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  14. ^ AAFC (22 February 2022). "a Genuine National Second Division of Football in Australia, Final Report of the NSD Partner Group of Clubs" (PDF). AAFC. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  15. ^ Charles Goodsir (9 March 2022). "FOOTBALL CLUBS ARE "READY TO GO" FOR NATIONAL SECOND DIVISION". sen.com.au. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  16. ^ Joey Lynch (31 August 2022). "Townsend eyes national second division progress". ESPN.COM. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Quit stalling - it's time to start a National Second Division".
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