By ADEM SARICAOGLU
THE long and bitter National Premier League saga that has plagued Victorian football has finally been resolved, with Football Federation Australia confirming it will go ahead next season.
The FFA stepped in to resolve the long-running dispute between Football Federation Victoria and a group of co-signatory clubs – confirming on Friday the go-ahead for the NPL nearly four weeks after clubs were told to prepare for the Victorian rollout at a meeting in mid-November.
The agreement has also put an end to Supreme Court proceedings between the FFV and the co-signatory clubs.
“The NPL is an integral part of our national elite player pathway and a hugely important reform of the semi-professional tier of Australian football,” FFA CEO David Gallop said in Friday’s statement.
“FFV and its clubs have worked through many issues and agreed on an NPL model that’s now a benchmark nationally in many areas.”
South Melbourne’s Nick Galatas welcomed the news on behalf of the clubs.
“The clubs have always wanted Victoria to be part of the NPL in 2014 and now we’ll apply for licences, work as quickly as we can to meet the criteria and get on with implementation,” Galatas said.
“The clubs are looking forward to being part of the NPL which promises to deliver outcomes that are in the best interests of football in Victoria.”
Established clubs who snubbed the original FFV model for the NPL, including Melbourne Knights, Green Gully and Altona Magic, can now re-apply for the new league.
Under the newly-revised model, the implementation of a potential two-division structure will depend on the number of successful applicants.
As proposed by the clubs at the November meeting, allocation of the successful applicants will be subject to their placing at the end of the 2013 Victorian Premier League and State League competitions.
There will also be no promotion or relegation between the NPL and State League clubs for three seasons.
However, NPL clubs will be subject to promotion and relegation within a two-tier structure – if implemented.
Other NPL requirements include the appointment of a technical director for each club and the implementation of seven under-age teams from under-12s through to under-20s.
By 2015, all NPL clubs must also field an under-17s boy’s team.
