Discussions are well underway for the implementation of a second division of professional football in Australia, and the process is moving forward well, according to the Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) Chairman Rabieh Krayem.
Speaking on Evenings on FNR, Krayem explained the details of the recent meeting that took place between the likes of the AAFC, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and Football Federation Australia (FFA), as well as an appearance from Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.
“When we released that first draft in October 2017, outside of AAFC and a couple of other people, everyone was saying no way it’s never going to get off the ground,” Krayem said.
“This is where the AAFC has stuck together as a club,
“We’ve never changed the message that we’ve said.”
Krayem also stressed that the idea is to form a wholly national second division, utilising regional areas throughout the country that at present are not represented in football.
“The club’s want it, everyone wants it and now we’ve got to make sure that we can deliver it, that it’s financially sustainable and that it’s truly representative of a national second division,” Krayem said.
“This is truly going to be a national second division. There has to be representation from every region, whether it be regional Queensland, to Brisbane, to Sydney, to Melbourne regional areas.”
In the wake of the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association (APFCA) Blueprint, Krayem was adamant that the implementation of a second division is well underway, and plans are ongoing to move it along quickly alongside the blueprint.
“What came out a very clear message is- there’s no question a second division is going to happen,” Krayem said.
“What we’re planning to do is bring together all the information very, very quickly,
“Our aim is to have something done in conjunction with the new league operating model which is done in March,
“What we need to do is make sure we start a competition that can grow, is financially sustainable and it can mature to a level where it can lead to promotion and relegation down the track.”
Promising times lie ahead for Australian football, with the work being done on multiple fronts to better the game in this country.
