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It’s the sleeping giant of Australian football; filled with remnants of the past waiting to shape the future. The National Premier Leagues – a concept that holds the key for the game’s next major growth spurt.
Just two years old, the NPL’s teething problems are gradually being seeped out.
The setup was the by-product of FFA’s National Competitions Review in 2012; at its core an objective to bridge the gap between the A-League and everything below it.
While all eggs went into the A-League basket, the state leagues were largely neglected until the NPL was introduced in 2013. The disparity reached dizzying lengths in all areas – publicity, sponsorship, quality and player development.
The biggest gripe from Aussie players born in the late 1980s and early 90s was the lack of a feasible production line to the top. In essence, there was a vacuum that sucked up the careers of some talented prospects and forced others to search overseas for a future in football.
While we can’t account for lost time, the NPL was a crucial step towards repairing these fractures.
At the time of conception, FFA CEO David Gallop suggested the NPL’s success hinged on the member federations.
“The NCR is a key outcome of our strategic plan, which has the objective to better connect community football to the professional tier,” he said.
“The National Premier Leagues model is a vital conduit from the grassroots to the Hyundai A-League. The strategy is sound, but now all parties need to redouble their efforts to ensure the implementation brings the desired results.”
And the onus was most certainly upon the states to make things work. The FFA took the relaxed approach that was necessary, allowing member federations to make their own suggestions to the governing body’s model. A rigid structure would have proved far too restrictive, considering all state bodies are run independently.
It will take time to bring all states in line and the FFA’s flexibility intended to accommodate the different systems used across the country. Queensland, NSW, South Australia, ACT and Tasmania made minor changes and were able to kick off in the 2013 season, but Victoria, Northern NSW and Western Australia needed an extra 12 months to put things in place.
Victoria proved the most difficult beast, with Football Federation Victoria and many of its big name clubs clashing heads to an extent that threatened to significantly fray their relationship.
The main issue in Victoria was FFV’s changes to the FFA’s proposed financial model for the competition, with clubs claiming they would lose over $140,000 per year under the state body’s plan.
And finances remain the biggest obstacle for clubs involved in the NPL. After two years, the competition finally attracted a major sponsor, with Sony coming on board to lend their PlayStation 4 brand as the naming rights partner.
The thirst to get NPL clubs towards a professional level heavily outweighs the income provided through sponsorship, with membership and ticket sales providing little sustenance.
It makes the FFA Cup an alluring prospect – the prize money is beneficial but the exposure even more so.
2015 will see the introduction of Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City into their respective NPL competitions as all three field two teams largely comprised National Youth League players and future talent.
It’s another development that was highlighted by Gallop at last week’s season launch.
“With six of nine Australian based Hyundai A-League clubs now having teams in their respective Member Federation competitions, it is another important step in nurturing young talent in order to produce and uncover the stars of the future,” the CEO said.
But if the FFA is serious about making the NPL a production line for the A-League, the favour needs to be returned.
That means significantly reimbursing NPL clubs when a player is sold to an A-League team, rather than the measly transfer fees currently on offer. The reasoning behind this variation on a gentleman’s agreement that the FFA has employed is assumedly to make state league players more alluring to A-League clubs.
But if an NPL side has developed a player, they deserve to be rewarded. And they could certainly do with the extra funds.
This season has seen a number of clubs turn to the would-be second tier in their recruitment drives – Travis Major and Zac Cairncross (Blacktown City to Central Coast), Kearyn Baccus (Blacktown City to Western Sydney) and Allan Welsh (Croydon Kings to Newcastle) to name a few.
The NPL will receive a significant boost if A-League coaches continue to turn to their own backyard, something that is pivotal to bringing the quality of the two tiers together, which the FFA Cup proved doesn’t have much further to go.
The only way to seriously move Australian football forward is to nurture everything below the A-League. The wheels are in motion, but the time is now to ramp things up and continue the emphasis on creating legitimate player pathways from junior level onwards and revving up nation-wide interest in the NPL.
As it continues to develop, the promotion/relegation debate will rage on. Whatever side of the fence you sit on, there is no doubt it is vital to continue breathing life into the burgeoning setup.
With the NPL Victoria ringing in the 2015 season this weekend, those at the top of the game must seize the opportunity to bring the league into light and pay more attention to what will one day become our national second-tier competition.
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