Football Australia open Expressions of Interest process for National Second Tier

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Adelaide

The establishment of a National Second Tier Men’s competition has gained significant traction today with Football Australia formally inviting all interested parties wishing to participate to respond to an Invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI).

The yet-to-be-named National Second Tier, which is earmarked to commence in March 2024, will be a new national tier of football between the A-League Men competition and the National Premier Leagues, with the opportunity for promotion and relegation to be considered once mature.

The EOI process will provide Football Australia with relevant information to assess the level of interest, and to refine the strategy, vision, competition format, operation, and administration of the National Second Tier.

Furthermore, the process is designed for Australian football clubs with a deep connection and demonstrated history in Australian football to participate in a tier of football that is anticipated to comprise of an individual league in a ‘home and away’ structure with the proposed competition parameters as follows:

  • A home and away league structure with finals, comprised of between 10 and 16 teams and featuring between 24 to 36 games
  • Successful Respondents to the Application Process would be required to depart their existing football competitions for the National Second Tier
  • National Second Tier Clubs will enter into a Club Participation Agreement setting out the terms of participation, including but not limited to the following requirements:
  • Professional playing contracts for all players, with salaries paid 52 weeks of the year;
  • ‘off field’ operations run by employed staff throughout 12 months of the year;
  • Investment in and operation of a full talent development pathway within their club structure;
  • and access to a suitable high-quality match day facility 12 months of the year.

Should the level of interest not validate the required number of Clubs with the capability to formulate an independent tier of competition, the option remains for Football Australia to institute a phased ‘group based’ competition model that will utilise the National Premier Leagues competition to determine the make-up of this format of competition (the ‘Champions League’ model).

The Invitation for EOI is the first phase of what is envisaged will be a multistage process, with this phase opening today and closing on March 3, 2023.

At the conclusion of the EOI stage of the process, Football Australia intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to shortlisted parties inviting the submission of detailed proposals. Additional information through detailed Bid Documents will be provided to shortlisted parties during the RFP phase to assist with their formal detailed proposal.

This information during the RFP phase may include an information memorandum, NST related data, including financial forecasts and benchmarking, key terms of a Club Participation Agreement, and draft transaction documents.

The following subsequent phases are envisaged:  Phase 2 – Request for Proposal (April – June indicative), Phase 3 – Assessment and Recommendation (June – August indicative), Phase 4 – Completion (August – September indicative). Further information on these remaining phases will be outlined at a future date.

There will be an interactive process to assist both shortlisted bidders and Football Australia to aid the development of high quality, well considered proposals and further refining the overall vision of the NST. This structured process will occur following the release of the RFP.

More information and links to respond to the Expression of Interest invitation can be found at https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/nst-application-process.

Numerous clubs touted to be involved in the National Second Tier celebrated the announcement, including the Melbourne Knights and South Melbourne FC. The Association of Australian Football Clubs – an organisation representing National Premier Leagues clubs aspiring to join the National Second Tier who has been essential to driving the momentum towards the founding of a National Second Division – acknowledged the significance of the announcement via Twitter, expressing:

“AAFC welcomes this exciting development we’ve all been awaiting with great hope and expectation,” the statement read.

“Having advocated for, and led the discussion on our new, proper second tier, we thank FA for adopting and pursuing this most important reform.

“We will continue to work with FA and our clubs for its successful implementation for kick off in 2024.”

Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson outlined many potential respondents had already expressed their interest through a consultation phase across Australia in 2022, and more could emerge during the process.

“Developing a national second tier competition is a key component of our 15-year vision for the game and our efforts to reconnect and realign Australian football competitions. Australian football has gone on a journey of transformation over the last two years and this is the latest example of us bringing our vision for the game to life,” he said via media release.

“In 2022, we did extensive financial and competition modelling followed by a series of consultations with clubs and other stakeholders across the game.  We know from this process that there is a lot of interest in a national second tier so we expect that we will receive a strong number of responses in this first EOI phase.

“Some of these clubs have a rich history in Australian football and aspire to grow and compete at a national level. The national second tier will now provide a platform for these aspirational clubs and to be a part of a connected football pyramid in the long term.

“With football booming in Asia, our national teams competing strongly on the world stage and as the largest team participation base in Australian sport, this is the right time to create a national second tier.

“We look forward to the process we have now launched and working collaboratively with all stakeholders and interested parties in building a successful National Second Tier and kicking the league off as early as March 2024.”

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Juan Mata Commits to Melbourne Victory’s Future with Ownership Stake

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Image Credit: A-Leagues.com

Melbourne Victory has announced that Spanish football icon Juan Mata has joined the club’s ownership group, marking one of the most significant investment moves by a current international footballer in Australian football history.

The agreement sees Mata acquire an ownership stake in Victory while continuing to weigh up whether he will extend his playing career beyond the 2025/26 A-League Men’s season. The investment is separate from any future playing contract and reflects a long-term commitment to both the club and the wider Australian football landscape.

Should Mata eventually retire from professional football, he will also take on a leadership role by chairing a newly established football committee at Melbourne Victory, helping shape the club’s football operations and strategic direction.

More than another football investment

While former elite players have increasingly entered football ownership around the world, Mata’s decision stands apart because he is investing directly into the club he currently represents.

The move places Melbourne Victory among a growing list of clubs benefiting from investment by globally recognised football figures. However, unlike celebrity ownership groups where players often become passive investors after retirement, Mata is embedding himself within the club while still competing at the highest domestic level.

Commercial terms of the transaction remain confidential, although the investment has been described as a significant long-term minority stake designed to strengthen the partnership between Mata and the club well beyond his playing career.

A vote of confidence in Australian football

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the announcement is what it says about the perception of Australian football internationally.

After arriving in Australia following spells with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Valencia, few would have predicted that Mata would choose to invest his own capital into an A-League club.

Instead, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner has described Australian football as a competition with genuine long-term potential.

“Australian football has a future I genuinely believe in,” Mata said.

“From the moment I arrived at Melbourne Victory, I’ve felt the passion of this club and the potential of the A-Leagues, and I want to be part of building what comes next—not just for a season, but for the long term.”

Mata added that becoming a shareholder represented “the natural next step” after enjoying his first season at Victory.

Rewarding an outstanding first season

The investment follows what has been one of the finest individual campaigns by a marquee player in recent A-League history.

The 38-year-old registered five goals and 13 assists across 25 appearances during the 2025/26 season, earning the Johnny Warren Medal as the league’s best player while also claiming Melbourne Victory’s Player of the Year honours. His performances helped guide Victory back into the Finals Series and demonstrated that his influence extends far beyond his reputation.

Rather than treating Australia as a final destination before retirement, Mata has instead become increasingly involved in shaping the game’s future.

A growing portfolio of sporting investments

Melbourne Victory is not Mata’s first venture into sports ownership.

The Spaniard already holds ownership interests in Major League Soccer expansion club San Diego FC and Formula One outfit Alpine Racing. He has also invested in Mercury/13, the multi-club ownership group focused on developing women’s football globally.

These investments reflect a broader trend among modern footballers who are leveraging their experience and networks beyond their playing careers. For Melbourne Victory, securing someone with Mata’s global football knowledge, commercial experience and international connections represents an opportunity that extends well beyond the pitch.

Landmark moment for Melbourne Victory

Victory Chairman John Dovaston described Mata’s investment as a significant endorsement of both the club and the A-Leagues.

According to Dovaston, Mata is a discerning investor with stakes in elite sporting organisations worldwide, making his decision to back Melbourne Victory a strong signal of confidence in the club’s direction and the league’s future.

Managing Director Caroline Carnegie echoed those sentiments, describing the announcement as “genuinely groundbreaking” and highlighting Mata’s combination of world-class football intelligence, investor mindset and long-term commitment.

A statement beyond Melbourne

Australian football has long sought greater international credibility. Not only through marquee signings, but through meaningful long-term investment.

Mata’s decision represents something arguably more valuable than a headline player signing. By committing financially to Melbourne Victory, he is effectively betting on the future growth of both the club and the A-Leagues.

At a time when Australian football continues to pursue increased investment, stronger governance and greater global relevance, having one of the game’s most respected figures choose to become an owner may ultimately prove to be one of the competition’s most powerful endorsements.

Victorian Labor commits $500,000 to Thornbury Football Facility as State Election Advocacy Intensifies

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Image Credit: Kat Theophanous MP Facebook

The Victorian Labor Party has confirmed $500,000 in 2026-27 State Budget funding to upgrade facilities at Mayer Park in Thornbury, with Northcote MP Kat Theophanous joining Darebin United juniors for a training session earlier this month to mark the commitment. The funding follows a public campaign by Football Victoria highlighting the ground’s deteriorating conditions, and lands within an escalating advocacy effort by the sport ahead of the next Victorian election.

The money will go toward upgrading the playing surface and planning a new pavilion at a ground that has received no infrastructure investment in over a decade, according to Football Victoria, despite participation at Darebin United more than quadrupling in that time. The club fielded five teams in 2021. It now fields more than 20, with over 300 players including more than 130 children under 12 and over 70 female players.

That growth has collided directly with the limits of the ground itself. Mayer Park has no drainage and no synthetic surface, and Football Victoria reported that Darebin United lost 23 training sessions in 2024 alone due to unsafe, waterlogged conditions. Club President Michael Slaughter described a pitch that was uneven and at times dangerous, particularly for junior and female players.

“I have been there for six years, and the club is at a stage now that we need something new,” Slaughter said in comments to Football Victoria earlier this year. “There’s only so many training sessions you can cancel, and then there’s the cost of finding alternative grounds indoors or outdoors, which isn’t ideal.”

A campaign that found its target

Football Victoria published a dedicated article in March calling on Darebin City Council to urgently prioritise redevelopment of Mayer Park, explicitly linking the club’s case to its broader Level the Playing Field campaign. Three months later, the funding arrived, not from council, but from the state government, attached to the local member’s name and delivered with a photo opportunity on the training pitch.

A club’s need becomes visible through governing body advocacy, a local member adopts the cause, and the funding is announced as a direct response to community need rather than as a line item in a broader budget process. Theophanous’s own account of the announcement makes the local framing explicit, describing the investment alongside free public transport, school upgrades and registration discounts as part of what she has billed as “easier, safer and more affordable” support for Northcote.

“Community sporting clubs bring Northcote locals together,” Theophanous said in her budget statement. “Through our Get Active Kids voucher program, we’re making sure the cost of fees and equipment doesn’t keep kids from playing the sport they love. And we’re also investing to make local clubs even stronger.”

Earlier this year, Avondale FC secured $500,000 for lighting at Avenger Park and Hume City FC received $250,000 for upgrades at Nasiol Stadium, both delivered through the same budget cycle and both paired with local member announcements. Mayer Park follows the same pipeline, a state government commitment, a local seat, a community club whose growth has outpaced its facilities, and a governing body using the win as evidence in a larger campaign.

The equity dimension

What distinguishes the Mayer Park case is the explicit role gender and accessibility played in Football Victoria’s advocacy. The governing body noted that unsafe pitch conditions were particularly dangerous for junior and female players, and highlighted that Darebin United maintains 40% female representation on its committee with seven female coaches, alongside its status as one of Darebin’s first 2-Star Club Changer accredited clubs, a Football Victoria program recognising clubs that actively remove barriers to female participation.

A club building one of the more credible female participation pathways in the municipality was, until this announcement, doing so on a ground its own administrators described as unsafe. Infrastructure investment of this kind does not simply improve playing conditions. It determines whether programs explicitly designed to grow women’s and girls’ football can function as intended, or whether they remain constrained by the same ageing facilities that have shaped community football for a decade.

What it means for the campaign ahead

Football Victoria has framed the Mayer Park outcome as one data point within its Level the Playing Field campaign, which continues to call for more equitable government investment in football relative to other codes. The organisation has indicated further football-related announcements are expected from the 2026-27 Victorian State Budget, with the upcoming state election positioned as the decisive moment for the sport’s broader infrastructure future.

For Slaughter, the immediate outcome is more concrete. “The funding is extremely important,” he said. “It allows us to deliver our football program and to grow. This will give them a place to come, to have fun and to enjoy their soccer”.

Whether that template, governing body advocacy, local political adoption, budget announcement, repeats consistently enough to address the scale of Victoria’s grassroots facilities gap remains the open question Football Victoria’s campaign is designed to keep in front of both major parties as the election approaches.

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