The Australian Championship 🇦🇺🏆

[SMFC1959]

My 2 cents - I would assume they'll make announcements after the World Cup. The Australian Championship wont commence until late September, so we are still 4 months away.

I think they should increase the number of matches from 6 to 8 in the group stage.

 

[Zelen Fc]

My 2 cents - I would assume they'll make announcements after the World Cup. The Australian Championship wont commence until late September, so we are still 4 months away.

I think they should increase the number of matches from 6 to 8 in the group stage.

4 teams a group play everyone twice how are you meant to have 8 games ?

 

[grazorblade]

4 teams a group play everyone twice how are you meant to have 8 games ?

4 more clubs to make groups of 5

 

[Glenardo]

Surely 4 more clubs you just go to a home and away league format. I’d assume the claim of more group games would be fewer groups with more clubs per group

 

[Son of Sam]

Surely 4 more clubs you just go to a home and away league format. I’d assume the claim of more group games would be fewer groups with more clubs per group

3 x 5. With Olympic dropping out. Haha

 

[SMFC1959]

4 teams a group play everyone twice how are you meant to have 8 games ?

Only way you could do it with 16 teams is to follow the approach that UEFA did with the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. You play 8 teams once but all teams are in 1 league format. I think they call it the Swiss model.

Otherwise, you split the 16 teams into 2 divisions and play each other once - that leads to an extra match than currently.

 

[theFOOTBALLlover]

The problem with more teams and more games is that it drags out the NPL season and players/staff don't get a break. Keep it as it is until we get a proper home and away season (hopefully soon).

 

[Ange's high line]

Most posters on these platforms or forums display ability to think and problem solve.
This goes against everything the Apl stands for, so can you all stop it!!

 

[HappyGuus]

Only way you could do it with 16 teams is to follow the approach that UEFA did with the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. You play 8 teams once but all teams are in 1 league format. I think they call it the Swiss model.

Yep, that's close to what I suggested back in October. You can easily scale it up or down with more or less matches/teams.

The main points are to NOT play your own federation nor the same team twice in the first phase:

10. I know we have another season of this, but I’d like to see the format modified closer to the modern champions league model for next year. Keep the 16 teams but make it the one league, and play a selection of six other teams from other federations, then the top 8 to knockouts. I know it would be a little costlier, but I’m not thrilled with the lack of spread amongst the opposition a team plays and doubling up in the group stage, and possibly a third time in the finals. Add in the number of times they’ve played each other during their NPL season (in Victoria and NSW) plus finals and Australia Cup, that adds up to possibly facing the same team SEVEN times in a season. So next year PLEASE scrap double round robin and playing your own federation in the group stage! Making it one league now will also make it easier to expand to full home and away in future. It seems a logical step along the “proof of concept” path.

 

[SMFC1959]

Yep, that's close to what I suggested back in October. You can easily scale it up or down with more or less matches/teams.

The main points are to NOT play your own federation nor the same team twice in the first phase:

I like that approach you've suggested. As you mentioned, you can an add 2-3 matches. I would argue for a top 6 instead, but that is neither here or there. They've said that the change to a league format has boosted interest in the UEFA Champions League and removed the dead rubbers. This might add more jeopardy to the competition as teams will need to play full strength squads for the entire regular season of 8-9 matches, rather than resting players in the last round of group matches if a finals place has been secured.

 

[rebelliousfeminist974]

I like that approach you've suggested. As you mentioned, you can an add 2-3 matches. I would argue for a top 6 instead, but that is neither here or there. They've said that the change to a league format has boosted interest in the UEFA Champions League and removed the dead rubbers. This might add more jeopardy to the competition as teams will need to play full strength squads for the entire regular season of 8-9 matches, rather than resting players in the last round of group matches if a finals place has been secured.

Agree that the move to a Swiss system model for the Australian Championship would make it more interesting especially if they implement simultaneous kickoffs on the last matchday of the season, in addition to paving the way for a full home and away competition in the future as opposed to the current group stage.

 

[HappyGuus]

I like that approach you've suggested. As you mentioned, you can an add 2-3 matches. I would argue for a top 6 instead, but that is neither here or there. They've said that the change to a league format has boosted interest in the UEFA Champions League and removed the dead rubbers. This might add more jeopardy to the competition as teams will need to play full strength squads for the entire regular season of 8-9 matches, rather than resting players in the last round of group matches if a finals place has been secured.

Yeah a top 8 is just a suggestion as it makes the knockouts easier to format. You could have a top 6 if maybe the top 2 receive a bye to the second week of knockouts, meeting the winners of 3v6 and 4v5. A top 4 might be too few.

 

[rebelliousfeminist974]

Yeah a top 8 is just a suggestion as it makes the knockouts easier to format. You could have a top 6 if maybe the top 2 receive a bye to the second week of knockouts, meeting the winners of 3v6 and 4v5. A top 4 might be too few.

Top four is definitely too few for the finals series and if the top six finals format were implemented then it would also mean that the finals series formats would be uniform across the A-Leagues and Australian Championship.

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

Have we fully given up on the h&a?? I for one would be content with the above for a short while but the end goal in the next few seasons must be a full h&a second tier....

 

[Son of Sam]

Have we fully given up on the h&a?? I for one would be content with the above for a short while but the end goal in the next few seasons must be a full h&a second tier....

I hope this is the last year of it, and we go to full H&A next season.

 

[Son of Sam]

btw .... I had a quick look at the ladder's from around the country from the different federations.

I also included some ex NSL teams current position

VIC .... Oakleigh (3 points clear of Hume and Heidelberg)
NSW .... Rockdale highest placed (NWS Spirit 4 points further behind)
WA ... Perth Red Star (3 points clear)
TAS.... South Hobart (100% record)
QLD.... Moreton City (very tight) .... QLD Lions 1 point behind, Bris City 8 behind (Bris Strikers not even in top division!)
SA ...... Playford City (very tight) ... Adelaide City 3 points behind (West Adelaide 10 points behind)
ACT ..... Tigers (very tight) ... Monaro Panthers 3 points behind
NNSW ..Broademadow (very tight)

 

[HonestSpursFan]

Have we fully given up on the h&a?? I for one would be content with the above for a short while but the end goal in the next few seasons must be a full h&a second tier....

I hope this is the last year of it, and we go to full H&A next season.

A Championship without H&A isn’t a league, it’s a cup. Therefore for it to be a true NST it needs to be H&A.

 

[Son of Sam]

btw .... I had a quick look at the ladder's from around the country from the different federations.

I also included some ex NSL teams current position

VIC .... Oakleigh (3 points clear of Hume and Heidelberg)
NSW .... Rockdale highest placed (NWS Spirit 4 points further behind)
WA ... Perth Red Star (3 points clear)
TAS.... South Hobart (100% record)
QLD.... Moreton City (very tight) .... QLD Lions 1 point behind, Bris City 8 behind (Bris Strikers not even in top division!)
SA ...... Playford City (very tight) ... Adelaide City 3 points behind (West Adelaide 10 points behind)
ACT ..... Tigers (very tight) ... Monaro Panthers 3 points behind
NNSW ..Broademadow (very tight)

btw ..... Metro Stars, Bayswater and Canberra Croatia are in the mix too for their feds.

 

[HappyGuus]

btw .... I had a quick look at the ladder's from around the country from the different federations.

I also included some ex NSL teams current position

VIC .... Oakleigh (3 points clear of Hume and Heidelberg)
NSW .... Rockdale highest placed (NWS Spirit 4 points further behind)
WA ... Perth Red Star (3 points clear)
TAS.... South Hobart (100% record)
QLD.... Moreton City (very tight) .... QLD Lions 1 point behind, Bris City 8 behind (Bris Strikers not even in top division!)
SA ...... Playford City (very tight) ... Adelaide City 3 points behind (West Adelaide 10 points behind)
ACT ..... Tigers (very tight) ... Monaro Panthers 3 points behind
NNSW ..Broademadow (very tight)

I have all the tables for tiers 2 to 4 across the nation for viewing it all in one go:

https://oztables.free.nf

I had the A-League on there last year but that's easily found everywhere else, so I've left it out now.

 

[NicCarBel]

I have all the tables for tiers 2 to 4 across the nation for viewing it all in one go:

https://oztables.free.nf

View attachment 6851
View attachment 6852

I had the A-League on there last year but that's easily found everywhere else, so I've left it out now.

Will you be including Capital League Divisions 1 and 2 as tiers 3 & 4 (given that there's no direct P/R between them and works much more like... well, let's say the metro leagues in Melbourne in that respect)