Promotion and Relegation – How it could it work in Australia?
The future of Australian football is a thought provoking topic and will always involve emotion and passion. We have now seen the A-League grow over the past 10 years but plenty of issues still remain if football is to move forward in Australia.
When the A-League commenced we turned our collective backs on our rich Australian history. When the curtain was drawn on the NSL in 2003-04 it was because the competition was financially unviable and poorly run in many aspects. The media portrayal of the hooligan behaviour and ethnic tension between teams no doubt had dramatic consequences in deciding the sports future. The FFA wanted to move away from the past stereotypes and start fresh with a new look domestic competition. This lead to the A-League, a 10 team competition as it currently stands.
With a 12 team completion imminent we must continue to look forward and promotion/relegation must become a reality for Australian football. We cannot look at the major codes in Australia (AFL, NRL, Super Rugby) and be content with the “it just won’t happen” mentality. We must now put steps into place to implement the promotion/relegation system. Without the concept of promotion and relegation the league becomes too insulated and appears only to be looking after the main shareholders of the game. The FFA has an indirect responsibility to look after all football clubs in Australia, not just those competing in the A-League.
To implement this system we must look ahead a few years down the track and use a mix of already established and new clubs. It would be a huge mistake to think we could introduce 12 new teams and again turn our backs on our history. We have seen in Melbourne how a franchise such as City can struggle to gain the support needed to compete in a national competition, the FFA must handpick the clubs wisely and be sure not too many start up clubs are chosen. Not every club will experience the fairy-tale start at the Western Sydney Wanderers were able to achieve; this was an exception to the rule. Careful planning must be undertaken setting the foundation of the promotion/relegation.
The crowds at both the Asian Cup and FFA Cup showed the A-League isn’t capturing the majority of football supporters across Australia. We need to look harder to find a solution for our game to become inclusive once again.
THE FORMAT
- 24 Teams
- 2 Divisions
- 12 Teams per division
- 27 Round Season
- Top 2 teams from 2nd division will be promoted
- Bottom 2 teams from division will be relegated
The league will follow a traditional ‘Home and Away’ schedule consisting of 22 games. The league will then be split in half with the top and bottom six playing teams from their group. The final five matches will replace the current finals system and teams finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th and 9th being rewarded with 3 home games.
The FFA will have three licence types based on the crowd attendance, ground condition, and how the club is run financially.
Licence Types
Category A (Platinum) – Until 2034
Category B (Gold) – 10 Years
Category C (Silver) – 5 Years
Category D (Bronze) – 3 Years
All licences to be revaluated 18 months before expiration by a committee setup by the FFA. The FFA will not be responsible for underwriting any losses incurred by any individual club.
Category A
Any licence agreements the FFA has with current A-League clubs will be continue. At present the nine Australian clubs in the A-League have licence agreements lasting up until 2034.
Category B
- Average attendance of over 10,000 in previous domestic season
- Minimum of 10,000 members
- Minimum capacity of home stadium – 12,500
- Ground Condition must reach FFA approved standard
- Lighting must be of telecast broadcast quality
- Must be within 45 minutes of major airport
- Youth Academy
Category C
- Average attendance of over 5,000 in previous domestic season OR minimum of 5,000 members
- Minimum capacity of home stadium – 7,500
- Ground Condition must reach FFA approved standard
- Lighting must be of telecast broadcast quality
- Must be within 45 minutes of major airport
Category D
- Average attendance of over 2,000 in previous domestic season OR minimum of 2,000 members
- Minimum capacity of home stadium – 2,500
- Ground Condition must reach FFA approved standard
- Lighting must be of telecast broadcast quality if wanting to host evening/night games
- Must be within 60 minutes of major airport
SQUADS
- Squad Size: 18-26 Players
- 1 International Marquee available
- 1 Australian Marquee available
- 2 Veterans contracts available
- 4 Visa Players (Including Marquee)
- 1 Asia/Oceania (Ocenaia For NZ club) Visa Player
The league will still enforce a maximum salary cap, but there will be no minimum cap. Clubs will be obligated to have a minimum number of players on full time contracts but depending on the financial status of the club have the option to bring in a number of part time players. These players must be nominated and can only be added or cut during the player transfer window.
Players who play for 6 years or more at the one club have the ability to become listed as veterans, with only half of their contract going towards the salary cap. The minimum wage will be set by the FFA after discussions with the Players Association.
THE TEAMS
| Adelaide City (SA) | Gold Coast (QLD) | Perth Glory (WA) |
| Adelaide United (SA) | Hobart (TAS) | South Melbourne (VIC) |
| Bayswater City (WA) | Melbourne City (VIC) | Sydney FC (NSW) |
| Bonnyrigg White Eagles (NSW) | Melbourne Knights (VIC) | Sydney Olympic (NSW) |
| Brisbane Roar (QLD) | Melbourne Victory (VIC) | Sydney United (NSW) |
| Canberra (ACT) | Newcastle Jets (NSW) | Wellington Phoenix (NZ) |
| Central Coast Mariners (NSW) | North Queensland (QLD) | Western Sydney Wanderers (NSW) |
| Cronulla/Sutherland (NSW) | Olympic FC (QLD) | Wollongong Wolves (NSW) |
Teams in Bold donate NEW teams
Without getting stuck on the selection of teams who would play in the competition I have chosen these teams as an example of how the league could be structured. I would have no less than three new teams and no more than five teams entering the competition. We must also consider the financial ramifications selecting existing NPL teams would have on the winter competition.
CONCLUSION
Whilst this idea is most likely either years away or just a pipe dream more needs to be done to get all fans behind our national completion. Whilst I recognise the NSL was financially unviable in its final stages, we must also note that times are different now and we need to build on the 10 years of the A-League.
Without promotion and relegation our premier domestic competition runs the risk of becoming stagnant and could lose vital fan support and sponsorship opportunities. This proposal is far from perfect but it does make you think we could be doing more to promote football in Australia.
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9 teams in nsw? Obviously ffa put this plan together.
What are you smoking? Where’s the money going to come from.