Australian Championship

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]

Australian Championship
FoundedOctober 27, 2017 (2017-10-27)
First seasonExpected Start Dated 2022
CountryAustralia
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12–16
Level on pyramid2

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]

On the 15th of 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.[9]

In January 2021, Establishment of a national second division (NSD) competition is affordable and feasible according to a progress report released today by the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC).[10]

References
  1. 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.
  2. House, Future Publishing Limited Quay; Ambury, The; Engl, Bath BA1 1UA All rights reserved; number 2008885, Wales company registration. "FourFourTwo". FourFourTwo.
  3. "In a Nutshell". THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
  4. "A-League expansion, promotion and relegation, Northern Fury FC chairman Rabieh Krayem puts forward proposal". 19 October 2016.
  5. "History". ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS (AAFC).
  6. "Timeline". THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
  7. "AAFC '100% confident' of second division by 2020". FTBL.
  8. Dale Lewis (3 June 2016). "FFA backs second division as clubs chase pathway to main stage". SBS The World Game. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  9. AAFC (15 September 2020). "Championship Partner Group". AAFC. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  10. AAFC (15 January 2021). "National Second Division (NSD) Competition Is Affordable and Feasible". AAFC. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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