Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

International Football

Professional Footballers Australia Urges FFA To Consider National Second Division

The A-League players' union urged Football Federation Australia to "seriously consider the merits of a national second division," according to Rugari & Kemp of the AAP. But Professional Footballers Australia CEO John Didulica warned any efforts to "reverse engineer" a "cut-price, semi-professional blueprint" to suit state-league clubs would be "doomed to fail." The Association of Australian Football Clubs, a lobby group of more than 100 National Premier Leagues clubs, held its first board meeting in Brisbane on Saturday as it seeks to further its "plans to establish a second division with eventual promotion and relegation to the top tier." The AAFC board discussed three potential models -- including a "dual conference structure to negate travel costs" -- and intends to publish a report in October detailing its preferred option. However, AAFC Chair Rabieh Krayem suggested it would "most likely be a semi-professional competition involving former National Soccer League clubs" like Sydney Olympic, Melbourne Knights and South Melbourne. The AAFC also "dismissed PFA modelling" that suggested it would cost A$5.5M ($4.4M) per year to run a professional second division club, arguing it "could be done for around half that amount." Didulica is "adamant that doing it on the cheap would not create the sort of playing opportunities Australian football desperately needs." He said, "It's fine to dismiss that figure, saying, 'We can't afford it' -- but then you're not ready to have a fully professional second-tier competition" (AAP, 7/17).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/07/19/International-Football/A-League.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/07/19/International-Football/A-League.aspx

CLOSE