Promotion and Relegation is vital for Football in Australia

[NicCarBel]

Should north Queensland be their own federation, split off like northern NSW? Would they be larger than Capital Football? Lots of people think they're treated poorly, and that they're numbers are funding the metro leagues instead.

CF only has 33 clubs across it's remit (that's including the NPL Youth only Wagga City Wanderers), so I would assume they would be larger.

Depends how far you want to consider Queensland - just counting everything outside the SEQ regions (and only counting the QPL Regional clubs) gets you to 40. Below that, there's another 20 clubs (not counting the Gulf Seniors competition, which seems to be 4-5 teams that may just all be tied together run as an association, but I've counted them as separate teams on the database

 

[HappyGuus]

CF only has 33 clubs across it's remit (that's including the NPL Youth only Wagga City Wanderers), so I would assume they would be larger.

Depends how far you want to consider Queensland - just counting everything outside the SEQ regions (and only counting the QPL Regional clubs) gets you to 40. Below that, there's another 20 clubs (not counting the Gulf Seniors competition, which seems to be 4-5 teams that may just all be tied together run as an association, but I've counted them as separate teams on the database

Queensland have so many regional towns spread out. 4 hours from Brisbane to Bundaberg, 4 hours from Cairns to Townsville, and you still have Mackay, Rockhampton and Gladstone inbetween! So annoying.

I'm guessing Townsville and Cairns would be the largest outside SEQ? Maybe their leagues could merge, but it still might be a big ask. It's not fair that they were dumped from the main comps.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Without you and i, there is no football.

This generation have no clue, and i really mean that.

Mate our dads said the same thing before us when we didnt rock up to the ground with a suit, tie and hat... Let these youngsters do them... its still 90 mins and the ball is still kicked....

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Mate our dads said the same thing before us when we didnt rock up to the ground with a suit, tie and hat... Let these youngsters do them... its still 90 mins and the ball is still kicked....

Most of the experts on here only watch games on a monitor or screen, not actually attend like we do, So, in general, fuck them.

 

[NicCarBel]

Most of the experts on here only watch games on a monitor or screen, not actually attend like we do, So, in general, fuck them.

Fuck, in some instances we run said games.

 

[grazorblade]

 

[HonestSpursFan]

Most of the experts on here only watch games on a monitor or screen, not actually attend like we do, So, in general, fuck them.

I’ve attended multiple Sydney FC games this season plus went to Matildas and Socceroos games last year when they were in NSW.

 

[Ange's high line]

Berwick City fc, lets do it!!

 

[grazorblade]

left a strong opinion on the youtube comment of Basheers podcast. Will repeat here

Too many powerful voices in the game see promotion and relegation as a nice feature we get once we get our ducks in a row rather than the means to get there in the first placeWith the exception of Adelaide United, all franchises have had an initial boom followed by a long term decline.
Even in the MLS, where they have so many new big cities to sell licenses to franchises don't grow. The average attendance of the 18 clubs in 2014 that still exist today is 19950. Those same clubs average a mere 189 per game more in 2025. This is despite the salary cap doubling in that time due to license sales and a red carpet of marquee signings Australia could only dream of.
People at the top of our game in Australia act like promotion and relegation is the height of responsibility. But we have one system where every club bar 1 has had their crowds decrease over time and the allegedly responsible thing to do is wait until that system works against all history before we try the system that works in every country in the world.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

I’ve attended multiple Sydney FC games this season plus went to Matildas and Socceroos games last year when they were in NSW.

Did i mention you? Paranoia is a terrible thing

 

[grazorblade]

This conversation about real fans and the younger generation reminds me of this

 

[0x3mp1r3]

Honestly, love the discussions here. I posted my version for P/R and fill pyramid last year in this forum and I might be bias, but I honestly believe it’s the best setup or atleast better than what football 360 is suggesting.

The only way I see Australian football progressing long term is by reconnecting all levels of the game in a complete pyramid. This will allow investment in all levels of the game by ambitious clubs and Australian businessmen to strive for promotion to the a-league. The following is what I would love to see implemented over the next 5-10 years. Long story short, we need more games, we need more investment, and I’m not talking about $30m franchises, I’m talking about every club investing in themselves to raise their own standards on and off the field to become professional and move up the pyramid.

• A-League
• Championship
• NPL Champions League (end of each NPL Season)
• National Premier Leagues


**A-League (14-16 teams)**

• Adelaide United

• Brisbane Roar

• Central Coast

• Macarthur FC

• Melbourne City

• Melbourne Victory

• Newcastle Jets

• Perth Glory

• Sydney FC

• Wellington Phoenix

• Western Sydney

• Western United

• Auckland FC

• *Expansion Team 14*

• *Expansion Team 15*

• *Expansion Team 16*



**16 Team League**

• Games: 30 matches H/A season

• Finals: Top 6

• Relegation: 1.5 slots (1 auto / 1 Playoff)



Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 16th team 2-Leg Playoff with winner of Second Division Promotion Playoff.


**or if we cap at 14 Team League**

• Games: 26 matches H/A season

• Finals: Top 6

• Relegation: 1 Slot (Automatic)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: 14th Team Relegated

• Relegation Playoff: None



**Championship (16 Teams)**

• Marconi Stallions

• Preston Lions

• Wollongong Wolves

• APIA Leichhardt / Sydney Olympic

• Sydney United

• Avondale FC

• South Melbourne

• NPL VIC Premiers

• NPL NSW Premiers

• NPL NNSW Premiers

• NPL NZ Premiers

• NPL QLD Premiers

• NPL ACT Premiers

• NPL SA Premiers

• NPL TAS Premiers

• NPL WA Premiers


• Games: 30 Matches H/A Season


Let’s say NSD is locked in at 16 teams. The Variable is the A-League above at 14-16 teams. So here are the following promotion variables.





**14 Team A-League**

• Promotion: 0 Auto, 1 Playoff

• Relegation: 0 Auto, 2 Playoff


Promotion Rules:

• Promotion Automatic: None

• Promotion Playoff: Top 4 Qualify

(Round 1: 1st v 4th & 2nd v 3rd (2-Leg))

(Final Playoff: Winner 1v4 vs Winner 2v3 (2-Leg))

(Winner of Round 2 Promoted to A-League)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 15th team & 16th team in 2-Leg Playoff with winners of NPL Finals.


**16 Team A-League**

• Promotion: 1 Auto, 1 Playoff

• Relegation: 0 Auto, 2 Playoff


Promotion Rules:

• Promotion Automatic: League Winner

• Promotion Playoff: 2nd - 5th Qualify

(Round 1: 2nd v 5th & 3rd v 4th (2-Leg))

(Round 2: Winner 2v5 vs Winner 3v4 (2-Leg))

(Playoff 1: Round 2 Playoff winner vs 15th A-League (2-Leg))

(Winner of Playoff Promoted to A-League)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 15th team & 16th team in 2-Leg Playoff with winners of NPL Finals.

_
_


**National Premier Leagues**

10 state conference leagues. With a 16 team NPL Champions League Final series to determine Promotion. Teams who qualify for NPL Champions league will earn co-efficient points to determine next seasons league qualifying positions. Coefficients will be a 5 year live average just like European champions league coefficients. In the first year all coefficients will be set zero.


Conferences:

• New South Wales (NPL NSW)

• Victoria (NPL VIC)

• Queensland (NPL QLD)

• South Australia (NPL SA)

• Western Australia (NPL WA)

• Northern Territory (NPL NT)

• Northern NSW (NPL NNSW)

• Tasmania (NPL TAS)

• Australian Capital (NPL ACT)

• New Zealand (NPL NZ)

_

**NPL Champions League**

Coefficient Ranking Places.

1st - 2 Slots

2nd - 2 Slots

3rd - 2 Slots

4th - 2 Slots

5th - 2 Slots

6th - 2 slots

7th - 1 Slot

8th - 1 Slot

9th - 1 Slot

10th - 1 Slot


Total 16 teams qualify.

• Group Phase: 4x Groups of 4 with total 3 Matches. (Top 2 go to Quarter Finals)

• Quarter Finals: 2-Legs

• Semi Finals: 2-Legs

• Promotion Final #1: Finalist vs 15th team NSD (2-Legs)

• Promotion Final #2: Finalist vs 16th team NSD (2-Legs





Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this. I added NZ to the pyramid because ultimately if NZ teams ever relegated from top 2 divisions they would need a way to earn promotion back.

 

[HonestSpursFan]

Honestly, love the discussions here. I posted my version for P/R and fill pyramid last year in this forum and I might be bias, but I honestly believe it’s the best setup or atleast better than what football 360 is suggesting.

The only way I see Australian football progressing long term is by reconnecting all levels of the game in a complete pyramid. This will allow investment in all levels of the game by ambitious clubs and Australian businessmen to strive for promotion to the a-league. The following is what I would love to see implemented over the next 5-10 years. Long story short, we need more games, we need more investment, and I’m not talking about $30m franchises, I’m talking about every club investing in themselves to raise their own standards on and off the field to become professional and move up the pyramid.

• A-League
• Championship
• NPL Champions League (end of each NPL Season)
• National Premier Leagues


**A-League (14-16 teams)**

• Adelaide United

• Brisbane Roar

• Central Coast

• Macarthur FC

• Melbourne City

• Melbourne Victory

• Newcastle Jets

• Perth Glory

• Sydney FC

• Wellington Phoenix

• Western Sydney

• Western United

• Auckland FC

• *Expansion Team 14*

• *Expansion Team 15*

• *Expansion Team 16*



**16 Team League**

• Games: 30 matches H/A season

• Finals: Top 6

• Relegation: 1.5 slots (1 auto / 1 Playoff)



Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 16th team 2-Leg Playoff with winner of Second Division Promotion Playoff.


**or if we cap at 14 Team League**

• Games: 26 matches H/A season

• Finals: Top 6

• Relegation: 1 Slot (Automatic)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: 14th Team Relegated

• Relegation Playoff: None



**Championship (16 Teams)**

• Marconi Stallions

• Preston Lions

• Wollongong Wolves

• APIA Leichhardt / Sydney Olympic

• Sydney United

• Avondale FC

• South Melbourne

• NPL VIC Premiers

• NPL NSW Premiers

• NPL NNSW Premiers

• NPL NZ Premiers

• NPL QLD Premiers

• NPL ACT Premiers

• NPL SA Premiers

• NPL TAS Premiers

• NPL WA Premiers


• Games: 30 Matches H/A Season


Let’s say NSD is locked in at 16 teams. The Variable is the A-League above at 14-16 teams. So here are the following promotion variables.





**14 Team A-League**

• Promotion: 0 Auto, 1 Playoff

• Relegation: 0 Auto, 2 Playoff


Promotion Rules:

• Promotion Automatic: None

• Promotion Playoff: Top 4 Qualify

(Round 1: 1st v 4th & 2nd v 3rd (2-Leg))

(Final Playoff: Winner 1v4 vs Winner 2v3 (2-Leg))

(Winner of Round 2 Promoted to A-League)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 15th team & 16th team in 2-Leg Playoff with winners of NPL Finals.


**16 Team A-League**

• Promotion: 1 Auto, 1 Playoff

• Relegation: 0 Auto, 2 Playoff


Promotion Rules:

• Promotion Automatic: League Winner

• Promotion Playoff: 2nd - 5th Qualify

(Round 1: 2nd v 5th & 3rd v 4th (2-Leg))

(Round 2: Winner 2v5 vs Winner 3v4 (2-Leg))

(Playoff 1: Round 2 Playoff winner vs 15th A-League (2-Leg))

(Winner of Playoff Promoted to A-League)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 15th team & 16th team in 2-Leg Playoff with winners of NPL Finals.

_
_


**National Premier Leagues**

10 state conference leagues. With a 16 team NPL Champions League Final series to determine Promotion. Teams who qualify for NPL Champions league will earn co-efficient points to determine next seasons league qualifying positions. Coefficients will be a 5 year live average just like European champions league coefficients. In the first year all coefficients will be set zero.


Conferences:

• New South Wales (NPL NSW)

• Victoria (NPL VIC)

• Queensland (NPL QLD)

• South Australia (NPL SA)

• Western Australia (NPL WA)

• Northern Territory (NPL NT)

• Northern NSW (NPL NNSW)

• Tasmania (NPL TAS)

• Australian Capital (NPL ACT)

• New Zealand (NPL NZ)

_

**NPL Champions League**

Coefficient Ranking Places.

1st - 2 Slots

2nd - 2 Slots

3rd - 2 Slots

4th - 2 Slots

5th - 2 Slots

6th - 2 slots

7th - 1 Slot

8th - 1 Slot

9th - 1 Slot

10th - 1 Slot


Total 16 teams qualify.

• Group Phase: 4x Groups of 4 with total 3 Matches. (Top 2 go to Quarter Finals)

• Quarter Finals: 2-Legs

• Semi Finals: 2-Legs

• Promotion Final #1: Finalist vs 15th team NSD (2-Legs)

• Promotion Final #2: Finalist vs 16th team NSD (2-Legs





Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this. I added NZ to the pyramid because ultimately if NZ teams ever relegated from top 2 divisions they would need a way to earn promotion back.

NZ’s equivalent is the National League. I would say they would wanna renegotiate if they were to join because currently the NZNL is the only pathway for Kiwi teams to play in the Champions League as they’re an OFC country, not an AFC one.

Three options could be:

1. The highest-finishing Kiwi team in the A-League gets to play in the OCL
2. New Zealand leaves the OFC and joins the AFC
3. The OFC is abolished and merges with a split AFC (East/West)
4. A playoff system: every Kiwi team plays a playoff tournament to qualify for the OPL

Option 1 could work but only if the NZNL became part of the Aussie pyramid as semi-pro teams like Auckland City would hate to give up their spot that ultimately sees them win the entire comp since the other teams aren’t very good. Option 2 is less realistic as New Zealand would have a harder qualifying route and the remaining OFC nations would mostly be made up of some of the world’s weakest nations. I like Option 3 as I’ve long called for splitting the AFC to make it so the World Cup rotates between both, though I’m not sure if FIFA wants that. Option 4 could also be interesting but it does raise the question of the purpose of the OCL, which is entirely amateur or semi-pro, since we already have the OPL which is pro.

Alternatively we could just keep the status quo: leave the NZNL as its own pyramid but have some NZ teams in our pyramid, similar to how Welsh teams play in England. That gets tricky when they get relegated to the regional tiers but I guess they could just join a specific state’s tier per an agreement. There should also be a pathway for other teams that wish to join the pyramid, such as other OFC teams if they wish to do so. I would split it like this:

Region	State association
East Timor/Indonesia	Northern Territory
Indian Ocean Territories (IOT; Christmas Island & Cocos Islands)	Western Australia
Norfolk Island	NNSW
Northern North Island	NSW
Northern South Island	Victoria
PNG	Queensland
Southern North Island	Victoria
Southern South Island	Tasmania
West Pacific (Fiji, New Cal, Solomons, Vanuatu)	Queensland

Of course those regions are all hypothetical barring the NZ ones. In short, if they got relegated, Auckland FC would play in NSW, Wellington Phoenix would play in Victoria and a new Christchurch/South Island team would play in Tasmania.

 

[0x3mp1r3]

NZ’s equivalent is the National League. I would say they would wanna renegotiate if they were to join because currently the NZNL is the only pathway for Kiwi teams to play in the Champions League as they’re an OFC country, not an AFC one.

Three options could be:

1. The highest-finishing Kiwi team in the A-League gets to play in the OCL
2. New Zealand leaves the OFC and joins the AFC
3. The OFC is abolished and merges with a split AFC (East/West)
4. A playoff system: every Kiwi team plays a playoff tournament to qualify for the OPL

Option 1 could work but only if the NZNL became part of the Aussie pyramid as semi-pro teams like Auckland City would hate to give up their spot that ultimately sees them win the entire comp since the other teams aren’t very good. Option 2 is less realistic as New Zealand would have a harder qualifying route and the remaining OFC nations would mostly be made up of some of the world’s weakest nations. I like Option 3 as I’ve long called for splitting the AFC to make it so the World Cup rotates between both, though I’m not sure if FIFA wants that. Option 4 could also be interesting but it does raise the question of the purpose of the OCL, which is entirely amateur or semi-pro, since we already have the OPL which is pro.

Alternatively we could just keep the status quo: leave the NZNL as its own pyramid but have some NZ teams in our pyramid, similar to how Welsh teams play in England. That gets tricky when they get relegated to the regional tiers but I guess they could just join a specific state’s tier per an agreement. There should also be a pathway for other teams that wish to join the pyramid, such as other OFC teams if they wish to do so. I would split it like this:

Region	State association
East Timor/Indonesia	Northern Territory
Indian Ocean Territories (IOT; Christmas Island & Cocos Islands)	Western Australia
Norfolk Island	NNSW
Northern North Island	NSW
Northern South Island	Victoria
PNG	Queensland
Southern North Island	Victoria
Southern South Island	Tasmania
West Pacific (Fiji, New Cal, Solomons, Vanuatu)	Queensland

Of course those regions are all hypothetical barring the NZ ones. In short, if they got relegated, Auckland FC would play in NSW, Wellington Phoenix would play in Victoria and a new Christchurch/South Island team would play in Tasmania.

I like this, but could just have a NZ cup similar to Aus Cup where the winner qualifies for Champions league. I think Lichtenstein have the same system in Europe where their European place is done through their national cup

 

[rebelliousfeminist974]

Honestly, love the discussions here. I posted my version for P/R and fill pyramid last year in this forum and I might be bias, but I honestly believe it’s the best setup or atleast better than what football 360 is suggesting.

The only way I see Australian football progressing long term is by reconnecting all levels of the game in a complete pyramid. This will allow investment in all levels of the game by ambitious clubs and Australian businessmen to strive for promotion to the a-league. The following is what I would love to see implemented over the next 5-10 years. Long story short, we need more games, we need more investment, and I’m not talking about $30m franchises, I’m talking about every club investing in themselves to raise their own standards on and off the field to become professional and move up the pyramid.

• A-League
• Championship
• NPL Champions League (end of each NPL Season)
• National Premier Leagues


**A-League (14-16 teams)**

• Adelaide United

• Brisbane Roar

• Central Coast

• Macarthur FC

• Melbourne City

• Melbourne Victory

• Newcastle Jets

• Perth Glory

• Sydney FC

• Wellington Phoenix

• Western Sydney

• Western United

• Auckland FC

• *Expansion Team 14*

• *Expansion Team 15*

• *Expansion Team 16*



**16 Team League**

• Games: 30 matches H/A season

• Finals: Top 6

• Relegation: 1.5 slots (1 auto / 1 Playoff)



Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 16th team 2-Leg Playoff with winner of Second Division Promotion Playoff.


**or if we cap at 14 Team League**

• Games: 26 matches H/A season

• Finals: Top 6

• Relegation: 1 Slot (Automatic)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: 14th Team Relegated

• Relegation Playoff: None



**Championship (16 Teams)**

• Marconi Stallions

• Preston Lions

• Wollongong Wolves

• APIA Leichhardt / Sydney Olympic

• Sydney United

• Avondale FC

• South Melbourne

• NPL VIC Premiers

• NPL NSW Premiers

• NPL NNSW Premiers

• NPL NZ Premiers

• NPL QLD Premiers

• NPL ACT Premiers

• NPL SA Premiers

• NPL TAS Premiers

• NPL WA Premiers


• Games: 30 Matches H/A Season


Let’s say NSD is locked in at 16 teams. The Variable is the A-League above at 14-16 teams. So here are the following promotion variables.





**14 Team A-League**

• Promotion: 0 Auto, 1 Playoff

• Relegation: 0 Auto, 2 Playoff


Promotion Rules:

• Promotion Automatic: None

• Promotion Playoff: Top 4 Qualify

(Round 1: 1st v 4th & 2nd v 3rd (2-Leg))

(Final Playoff: Winner 1v4 vs Winner 2v3 (2-Leg))

(Winner of Round 2 Promoted to A-League)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 15th team & 16th team in 2-Leg Playoff with winners of NPL Finals.


**16 Team A-League**

• Promotion: 1 Auto, 1 Playoff

• Relegation: 0 Auto, 2 Playoff


Promotion Rules:

• Promotion Automatic: League Winner

• Promotion Playoff: 2nd - 5th Qualify

(Round 1: 2nd v 5th & 3rd v 4th (2-Leg))

(Round 2: Winner 2v5 vs Winner 3v4 (2-Leg))

(Playoff 1: Round 2 Playoff winner vs 15th A-League (2-Leg))

(Winner of Playoff Promoted to A-League)


Relegation Rules:

• Relegation Automatic: None

• Relegation Playoff: 15th team & 16th team in 2-Leg Playoff with winners of NPL Finals.

_
_


**National Premier Leagues**

10 state conference leagues. With a 16 team NPL Champions League Final series to determine Promotion. Teams who qualify for NPL Champions league will earn co-efficient points to determine next seasons league qualifying positions. Coefficients will be a 5 year live average just like European champions league coefficients. In the first year all coefficients will be set zero.


Conferences:

• New South Wales (NPL NSW)

• Victoria (NPL VIC)

• Queensland (NPL QLD)

• South Australia (NPL SA)

• Western Australia (NPL WA)

• Northern Territory (NPL NT)

• Northern NSW (NPL NNSW)

• Tasmania (NPL TAS)

• Australian Capital (NPL ACT)

• New Zealand (NPL NZ)

_

**NPL Champions League**

Coefficient Ranking Places.

1st - 2 Slots

2nd - 2 Slots

3rd - 2 Slots

4th - 2 Slots

5th - 2 Slots

6th - 2 slots

7th - 1 Slot

8th - 1 Slot

9th - 1 Slot

10th - 1 Slot


Total 16 teams qualify.

• Group Phase: 4x Groups of 4 with total 3 Matches. (Top 2 go to Quarter Finals)

• Quarter Finals: 2-Legs

• Semi Finals: 2-Legs

• Promotion Final #1: Finalist vs 15th team NSD (2-Legs)

• Promotion Final #2: Finalist vs 16th team NSD (2-Legs





Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this. I added NZ to the pyramid because ultimately if NZ teams ever relegated from top 2 divisions they would need a way to earn promotion back.

I like the proposal for promotion-relegation and it's very similar to the model I've proposed in the past which is a 16-team A-League and Australian Championship, but South Melbourne, Heidelberg United, Preston Lions and a future Canberra team are four expansion sides including a replacement for Western United to the A-League, meaning that we have a 6+10 model for the second division where the existing foundation clubs bar South and Preston stay as is, with NPL premiers filling the extra eight spots along with an additional two for NPL New South Wales and Victoria. In terms of relegation it would just be relegate three straight between the top two divisions, with bottom one or two going down to NPL from the Australian Championship based on Member Federation size.

 

[0x3mp1r3]

I like the proposal for promotion-relegation and it's very similar to the model I've proposed in the past which is a 16-team A-League and Australian Championship, but South Melbourne, Heidelberg United, Preston Lions and a future Canberra team are four expansion sides including a replacement for Western United to the A-League, meaning that we have a 6+10 model for the second division where the existing foundation clubs bar South and Preston stay as is, with NPL premiers filling the extra eight spots along with an additional two for NPL New South Wales and Victoria. In terms of relegation it would just be relegate three straight between the top two divisions, with bottom one or two going down to NPL from the Australian Championship based on Member Federation size.

IMO 3 relegation spots for the a-league might be a bit too much. I think 1.5 is the sweet spot. Maybe 2.5 max. Depends on the quality of the championship clubs and how well they do in the a-league after promotion. You’d want to preserve the integrity and the quality of the a-league as much as possible.

Also in regards to promotion into the championship from NPLs, a coefficient system for slot allocation in the NPL playoff/champs league would be the best and fairest way by merit. Allows states to invest in their own member clubs to try boost their allocation slots for the championship.

 

[HonestSpursFan]

I like the proposal for promotion-relegation and it's very similar to the model I've proposed in the past which is a 16-team A-League and Australian Championship, but South Melbourne, Heidelberg United, Preston Lions and a future Canberra team are four expansion sides including a replacement for Western United to the A-League, meaning that we have a 6+10 model for the second division where the existing foundation clubs bar South and Preston stay as is, with NPL premiers filling the extra eight spots along with an additional two for NPL New South Wales and Victoria. In terms of relegation it would just be relegate three straight between the top two divisions, with bottom one or two going down to NPL from the Australian Championship based on Member Federation size.

So what happens if a foundation club gets relegated?

 

[0x3mp1r3]

So what happens if a foundation club gets relegated?

They get relegated to their state league.

If the 2 promoted teams come from a different state, then the state league the relegated club goes to would have an extra relegation.

Example.

Sydney United relegated from Championship, but a VIC Team + SA team are promoted. You’d just have NPL NSW have an extra relegation slot that season. The same thing is done all around the world when regional leagues link up with national leagues.

 

[rebelliousfeminist974]

So what happens if a foundation club gets relegated?

If a foundation club gets relegated then they're just replaced by another club from their Member Federation pyramid that's promoted but ultimately the model I'm proposing has the new 16-team A-League and Australian Championship on top of the existing Member Federation pyramids, which will remain as is.

 

[0x3mp1r3]

If a foundation club gets relegated then they're just replaced by another club from their Member Federation pyramid that's promoted but ultimately the model I'm proposing has the new 16-team A-League and Australian Championship on top of the existing Member Federation pyramids, which will remain as is.

So basically the ONLY way that a team can be promoted from NPL into championship would be if a club from that same state is relegated from the championship?

So you’d essentially lock out states from promotion into the championship for multiple years as they would need to wait for a team from their state to be relegated? I feel like that would be a big pain point. Imagine finishing first in your NPL for 5 straight seasons but have no way to move into the championship because a club from your state never finished in the relegation zone.