Football Federation Australia said that it has "won a major battle against the clubs, players and the two biggest state federations but it could come at a significant price for the governing body," according to Dominic Bossi of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The establishment of a national second division "could serve as the stepping stone" toward promotion and relegation, a move one A-League club has already spoken against. This week, FFA informed FIFA that it reached consensus from more than 75% of its members for the first stage of an expanded congress required to be "more democratic and inclusive." It follows a "harsh warning" from FIFA that it will disband the FFA board. However, FFA Chair Steven Lowy is understood to have informed FIFA that intervention will not be "necessary" after Football Federation Victoria broke its long stand-off with FFA. The "controversial model" could lead to a "major restructure" of Australian football, including the establishment of a national second tier comprised of existing National Premier League clubs, or new entrants. Citing a "lack of player pathways and connections between professional and grassroots football," FFV made the late change that comes with "several caveats" that require FFA to make "major concessions." In gaining conditional support from FFV, FFA must provide "defined stages, timelines and framework" to establishing democratic reforms within Australian football, including a "swift re-modelling of the funding models for state federations and establishing a working group for a national football league to sit beneath the A-League" (SMH, 6/30).
