National Second Division
Founded | October 27, 2017 |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Confederation | AFC |
Number of teams | 12–16 |
Level on pyramid | 2 |
The Championship (working title) is a proposed Australian national second-tier men's, soccer league, to be run by the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC).[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
History
Although informally talked about for many years, momentum for the idea of a national second division increased in October 2016.[4] 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.[5] The board consists of several members representing their respective states and is chaired by Rabieh Krayem. In January 2018 the AAFC released a timeline for implementation of the league, requesting expressions of interest from clubs for participation in The Championship.[6]
In February 2019, the AAFC announced they were of the belief that the competition would be up and running by the 2020–21 season.[7] 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.[8]
References
- ^ Vince Rugari (27 October 2017). "FFA pours cold water on proposed 'Championship' aimed at kicking off in 2019–20". news.com.au. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ House, Future Publishing Limited Quay; Ambury, The; Engl, Bath BA1 1UA All rights reserved; number 2008885, Wales company registration. "FourFourTwo". FourFourTwo.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link] - ^ "In a Nutshell". THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
- ^ "A-League expansion, promotion and relegation, Northern Fury FC chairman Rabieh Krayem puts forward proposal". 19 October 2016.
- ^ "History". ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS (AAFC).
- ^ "Timeline". THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
- ^ "AAFC '100% confident' of second division by 2020". FTBL.
- ^ Dale Lewis (3 June 2016). "FFA backs second division as clubs chase pathway to main stage". SBS The World Game. Retrieved 10 November 2019.