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OFC Professional League šŸŒ

No prize money has just put a major dent in my excitement for South. What's the point? Are OFC and FIFA just using South for reputation?

Co-President Bill Papastergiadis said:

ā€œRepresenting Australia and bringing together the very best of football from across the Oceania region is something we are immensely proud of. This competition connects deeply with our history and our identity. We are excited to contribute to a new professional landscape that will benefit clubs, players and administrators throughout the region. Our football product will expand beyond our national border and will now have an international footprint. This is fitting for a club that was awarded by FIFA as the Oceania Club of the Century. This international stage will unite all football supporters behind our club as we represent our nation. We are keen to embrace all of the people from the Pacific who live in Australia as our immigrant origins reflect the broad fabric of our multicultural society.ā€
 

Co-President Bill Papastergiadis said:

ā€œRepresenting Australia and bringing together the very best of football from across the Oceania region is something we are immensely proud of. This competition connects deeply with our history and our identity. We are excited to contribute to a new professional landscape that will benefit clubs, players and administrators throughout the region. Our football product will expand beyond our national border and will now have an international footprint. This is fitting for a club that was awarded by FIFA as the Oceania Club of the Century. This international stage will unite all football supporters behind our club as we represent our nation. We are keen to embrace all of the people from the Pacific who live in Australia as our immigrant origins reflect the broad fabric of our multicultural society.ā€
That’s well-written but do you actually buy into all of that? South aren’t part of Oceania anymore and won’t qualify for the Club World Cup if they win the whole thing. Isn’t it just some extra games in the off season and cash from FIFA? Not having a go, just curious.
 
That’s well-written but do you actually buy into all of that? South aren’t part of Oceania anymore and won’t qualify for the Club World Cup if they win the whole thing. Isn’t it just some extra games in the off season and cash from FIFA? Not having a go, just curious.
Its not IF I buy into it anymore, ist whether or not Australia looks to get behind us...... No need to answer, we all know the response.. still we keep trying.

 
In a funny way i wonder if south have a big role in making or breaking this comp

If they play their first xi in npl and a youth side here then the comp is a bit mickey mouse

If they play their best xi in the ofc pro league, and push auckland to match them it becomes a much stronger comp
 
In a funny way i wonder if south have a big role in making or breaking this comp

If they play their first xi in npl and a youth side here then the comp is a bit mickey mouse

If they play their best xi in the ofc pro league, and push auckland to match them it becomes a much stronger comp
You raise some good points.

There is a cross over period between February-May where South will be competing in the OFC Professional League and NPL Victoria competitions (and by extension also the Australia Cup qualifiers through the Dockerty Cup).

To do this properly, you would need a squad of at least 30-32 players that you would have some of them exclusively focused on one competition, and a mixture of some players that would float between both (can you have players registered in 2 concurrent competitions???).

I don't think this has been done before, so it will be interesting to see how the SMFC Football Department manages this.

The OFC Professional League may not provide direct qualification to FIFA competitions given we are part of the Asian Football Confederation, but the prize money would make it worth our while. There are some serious dollars being floated, particularly after the Saudi sponsorship announcement.
 
That’s well-written but do you actually buy into all of that? South aren’t part of Oceania anymore and won’t qualify for the Club World Cup if they win the whole thing. Isn’t it just some extra games in the off season and cash from FIFA? Not having a go, just curious.
Probably another avenue to explore to move the club to a higher competition. Prize money would likely be attractive, which mitigates the loss of qualification to any FIFA competitions.

At the end of the day, if South were to win the OFC Professional League and receive a substantial amount of prize money, then that starts to fund future footballing endeavours that may generate even more revenue streams. It is important for any prize money not be spent on player wages, but funding revenue generating activities to secure the financial sustainability of the club for many years to come.
 
South aren’t part of Oceania(anymore) and won’t qualify for the Club World Cup if they win the whole thing.
True..but that didn’t deter the Nux and Auckland FC from coming into being to participate in domestic šŸ‡¦šŸ‡ŗāš½ļø, despite the fact they can’t qualify for continental-play in Asia OR Oceania through it..
 

Co-President Bill Papastergiadis said:

ā€œRepresenting Australia and bringing together the very best of football from across the Oceania region is something we are immensely proud of. This competition connects deeply with our history and our identity. We are excited to contribute to a new professional landscape that will benefit clubs, players and administrators throughout the region. Our football product will expand beyond our national border and will now have an international footprint. This is fitting for a club that was awarded by FIFA as the Oceania Club of the Century. This international stage will unite all football supporters behind our club as we represent our nation. We are keen to embrace all of the people from the Pacific who live in Australia as our immigrant origins reflect the broad fabric of our multicultural society.ā€
FIFA didn’t award this. IFFHS did
 
Vanuatu signed another Queenslander, Hassan Ramazani from Lions FC.

He played a game or two for the Roar back when Moon was manager
 

Would they spare some more to finance The Championship into a full H&A league w/pro-relā“

Maybe FootballAUS & the APL should go cap-in-hand to OnlyFans(currently worth $4B apparently😶) or some cashed-up p0rn studio for investment instead😁
 
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To be honest, a 10 year $20 million USD sponsorship would be the lifeline to guarantee the Australian Championship. That would pay for pretty much all of the the airfares/transfers, accommodation, and administration of the competition. Coupled with SBS TV coverage, you'd have a pretty successful league.

It's nice to dream.
 
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Changed my thinking on this bullshit to be honest over the weekend.

Ill attend our 2-3 matches in Australia but if the new balcony bros think THIS is the way to move the club forward they are forgetting the few remaining fans they have left.
 
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