Talk of a national second division with promotion and relegation to and from the A-League "may be raging in football circles, but one former club boss says it is unrealistic in the near future," according to Jamie Marcuson of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Former Western Sydney Wanderers and Central Coast Mariners CEO Lyall Gorman, who also was head of the A-League, said that a national second division is "simply not financially viable." Gorman: "It's the financial model. How do you move from zero to compete with what Sydney FC or Melbourne Victory are spending today? It's probably closer to 20 [million dollars] than it is to 10. So how do you move from a zero base to compete with that? It's quite a journey isn't it? I think it's a very admirable plan for the game and its evolution, but my headspace would say it's quite a journey before you get there." Gorman believes the FFA's focus on expansion, rather than creating a second tier, "is the correct model to raise the profile of the league." And he "is adamant that the Shire should be home to an A-League team in an expanded league." Gorman said, "We've consistently said that we believe there is room for a third franchise in Sydney. We believe that, logically, the southern part of Sydney lends itself very much to that" (SMH, 11/19).
