It has been reported in Neos Kosmos that five Greek football clubs have submitted their Expressions of Interest (EoI) for Australia’s National Second Division, the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC).
The Hellenic clubs are Sydney Olympic FC, South Melbourne FC, Heidelberg United FC, Bentleigh Greens FC, and Olympic FC.
On the back of that news, David Hill, the former boss of the National Soccer League (NSL), the precursor of the A-League, told Neos Kosmos, that “it makes no sense to have a second division if football clubs can’t be relegated and promoted.”
“To me makes no sense to have a second league unless you have promotion and relegation, how can you do it otherwise?
“There’s no reason why Sydney Olympic can’t play in the A-League if they’re good enough, or for Sydney United to be relegated,” Hill said.
32 soccer clubs from eight states and territories want to be part of the national second-tier competition.
Peter Filopoulos, FFA’s Head of Marketing, Communications and Corporate Affairs, took to Twitter to say that he is confident these club numbers released by the AAFC could increase.
“The Football Federation Australia will issue a statement early next week once it completes its review of submissions and payments [received after Friday’s 5pm deadline],” Mr Filopoulos said.
Hill was asked to reflected on the NSL and the de-ethnicization of ethnically defined and founded football clubs.
“I wasn’t aiming for de-ethnicization, I have always supported Sydney Olympic, and my son played for Sydney Olympic and speaks fluent Greek.
“To be honest, in the great football markets of Sydney and Melbourne the only people that were engaged and connected were the Greeks, Italians and Croatians,” said Hill to Neos Kosmos.
Hill says he was trying to mainstream Australian football, “which is what the A-League eventually did, by scrapping the NSL and starting again.”
Currently only the Northern Territory wasn’t represented among the 32 clubs to formally lodge expressions of interest with Football Australia (FA) to join the proposed second-tier league.
The league is slated to start in March next year and feature 10 to 16 teams, according to AAP.
FA will assess the expressions of interest to create a short-list of contenders.
By June, short-listed clubs will be asked to then submit detailed proposals including formal bid documents, FA chief executive James Johnson said.
“We knew there would be great interest and we are thrilled with the … calibre of clubs which have expressed their interest,” Johnson said in a statement on Monday.
“Australian football has undergone a journey of transformation over the last two years and the establishment of a national second tier which reconnects and realigns Australian football competitions is an important element of Football Australia’s 15-year vision for the game.
“The receipt of EOI submissions is another crucial step in bringing our vision for the game to life.”
THE 32 CLUBS TO EXPRESS INTEREST:
– ACT: Canberra Croatia FC, Gungahlin United FC.
– NSW: APIA Leichhardt FC, Blacktown City FC, Fraser Park FC, Marconi Stallions FC, Rockdale Ilinden FC, Sutherland Sharks FC/Cronulla Sharks, Sydney – -Olympic FC, Sydney United 58 FC, Wollongong Wolves FC, Valentine FC.
– Queensland: Brisbane City FC, Brisbane United FC (Wynnum Wolves FC, Brisbane Strikers FC, Virginia United FC), Gold Coast Knights FC, Gold Coast United FC, Olympic FC, Peninsula Power FC, Sunshine Coast FC Fire.
– South Australia: Adelaide City FC, Football SA (Campbelltown City SC, North Eastern MetroStars, West Torrens Birkalla SC), Playford City Soccer and Community Club.
– Tasmania: South Hobart FC.
– Victoria: Avondale FC, Bentleigh Greens SC, Brunswick Juventus FC, Green Gully SC, Heidelberg United FC, Melbourne Knights FC, Preston Lions FC, South Melbourne FC.
– Western Australia: Spearwood Dalmatinac/Cockburn City SC.
According to the AAFC, in the first three years of operation, teams in the National Second Division will not face relegation, due to the large financial outlay in joining the division. Australia’s National Second Football Division 2024 will commence with 12 teams, with the hope of increasing it to 16 by its third year.