Twenty months after the second division concept was first conceived by the then newly-established Association of Australian Football Clubs, FFA has decided to throw its weight into turning the dream into a reality.
An announcement revealing details of the next step in the process is expected to be released by the governing body in the coming days, with an eventual promotion-relegation pathway the ultimate end game.
Meantime, the proponents of a truly national competition - to be dubbed The Championship and featuring up to 16 teams - believe their brainchild could be up and running as early as 2021-2022.
“It will be the most significant change in the game of football in Australia that we’ve seen for a very long time,” said AAFC chairman Rabieh Krayem.
“You’re creating a competition that will give Australian players that opportunity to play at a high-level and aspirational clubs the opportunity to move ahead and ultimately aim for an A-League place.
“We should not underestimate the significance of what has been agreed between the PFA, the FFA, the state federations and ourselves.
“The next stage will be all about getting down to the nitty-gritty and the financial detail and getting the expressions of interest right.
“One of the key things is the right financial model and there’s a bit of work to do yet on that.
“Up to this point, It’s been all about getting that form of recognition required and that’s what we’ve (the AAFC) have always wanted and it’s taken us since October 2017 to get there.”
Krayem said a “cluster of clubs around the country” were keen to join the competition which aims to attract existing entities rather than pitching itself to manufactured franchises.
“The interest is there and it hasn’t wavered,” he added.
“There’s no doubt the second division is going to the next stage now.
“There’s now an acceptance that the second division is an integral part of the future of football. It’s important that the FFA board has endorsed the next process.
“We are currently working on some timelines which we will hopefully sort out in the next 48 hours.”
Former NSL royalty like South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights, Sydney Olympic, Adelaide City, West Adelaide, Marconi Stallions, Heidelberg and Brisbane City are in the mix.
Teams from Tasmania, Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Cairns are also possibilities, along with current Queensland NPL leaders Peninsula Power.
The FFA-endorsed Second Division Working Group, headed up by director Remo Nogarotto, with Krayem as its deputy chair, will continue to oversee what is seen as more evolution than revolution.
“There’s still a lot more work to do because these things take time but we are no longer saying that should it or should it not happen. It’s going to happen, as long as the process is followed correctly,” he added.
“This is not about creating new consortiums ... it’s about giving existing clubs with aspirations that chance to get onto a bigger stage.”
