Discussions are ongoing between Football Australia (FA) and the eight National Second Tier (NST) Foundation Clubs on the future of the promised competition.
The eight foundation clubs, including South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic FC, attended a meeting with FA officials on Monday, August 19 in Sydney to discuss progress around the NST.
The Greek Herald understands the FA plan to scrap the NST in favour of a ‘Champions League-style’ model where clubs would remain in their respective state NPLs and play additional matches, akin to cup competitions.
It has been reported that the competition was at risk due to a shortage of suitable teams to get it off the ground, as well as uncertainty surrounding the future of the A-Leagues.
The eight foundation clubs are opposed to the alleged ‘Champions League-style’ model, given they put significant financial resources into their bid to be involved with the new competition.
South Melbourne FC have been quite vocal on the matter, issuing an open letter on Thursday, August 15 calling on FA to make good on its promise of a NST.
In a statement following their Monday meeting with foundation clubs, FA said “all parties demonstrated a strong commitment to working collaboratively to develop a model that will benefit the entire Australian football community.”
“The discussions were highly constructive, with all clubs expressing a shared vision and dedication to creating an NST that serves the interests of all stakeholders,” the statement read.
“Football Australia and the NST Clubs will continue their dialogue over the coming weeks, with a focus to ensure the best possible outcome for the competition’s launch.”
Following the meeting, South Melbourne’s Chairman Bill Papastergiadis told The Greek Herald that the Club remains committed to a NST competition.
“A pathway for players, coaches and administrators is vital for the success of the game. Moreso, our supporters want it,” Mr Papastergiadis added.
“We will continue to work cooperatively with Football Australia to establish a successful NST competition. Hopefully there will be more updates in the coming weeks on this.”
