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A lot of football fans want to see promotion and relegation introduced to the A-League. After all, so many of the top football leagues around the world have promotion and relegation – so why not Australia?
Australians do not have to go very far to see promotion and relegation. We do not need to take a trip to Europe or Japan. In most states around Australia it is happening around us in the National Premier Leagues (NPL).
There is a lot to play for as all the state competitions are reaching their final rounds.
The premiers in each state progress to the FFA’s NPL finals series to decide the national NPL champion. As the final is played a few days before the start of the A-League season, I think the achievement of winning the NPL has not been given the attention that it deserves.
Some people have suggested that the NPL finals series be developed into a longer competition and that the winner be promoted to the A-League. This may be an idea worth developing, but there are some resource and logistics problems to solve before this could be possible.
For teams at the bottom of the NPL table, there is the threat of relegation to the division below. This can have a big impact on clubs. We have all heard of the financial cost of teams in the English Premier League being relegated to the Championship. Former EPL clubs lose millions of dollars of television revenue.
The cost to a NPL club is not all that large in financial terms. What seems to happen in the NPL in Australia is that the club will lose supporters and players. This is a significant cost.
English clubs usually retain most of their playing squad and much of their supporter base if they move from the EPL to the Championship.
My own personal interest at the moment is focussed on Parramatta FC in the NSW NPL. With two rounds to go, they are in a battle to retain their place in the top division.
The club has been competitive all season, but is feeling the pain of some close games where the result went against them. The next two weekends will decide whether they are relegated, or whether they return to the NPL top division next year.
The character of Parramatta FC is that, even if they are relegated, they will work hard to get promoted again.
The story of promotion and relegation continues in each division. Just as Parramatta FC are fighting for their spot, in the division below are a couple of clubs battling for promotion.
It’s a good time to catch some action in your local NPL.
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