Clubs confirm their bids for next stage of National Second Tier process

Staff Writer
Marconi v Sydney Olympic
Image credit: Football NSW

Football Australia has recently announced the conclusion of phase two, the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase of the National Second Tier (NST) Application Process.

Clubs including South Melbourne FC, Avondale FC, Melbourne Knights FC, South Hobart FC, Sydney Olympic FC, Preston Lions, Sydney United FC and APIA Leichhardt have all announced they have submitted their bids.

“We’ve taken significant strides towards establishing a robust framework for the National Second Tier. The response and the submissions received are testament to the passion and commitment of the football community to this pivotal initiative,” Football Australia CEO James Johnson said in a statement.

With the RFP process now finalised, the Assessment and Review Phase has now commenced. Each submitted proposal will undergo a rigorous evaluation to ensure its completeness and alignment with the set criteria and requirements. Should sufficient proposals be deemed suitable, this phase will be succeeded by the Completion phase, marking the end of the selection process.

Ensuring transparency and accuracy in these crucial steps, Football Australia has appointed BDO, globally recognised accounting and advisory experts, as an independent third party to provide their assistance to the process.

Johnson further added, “Every decision we make during this process aims to guarantee that the National Second Tier is holistic, competitive, and adds immense value to Australian football. Collaborating with BDO assures our stakeholders of the process’s integrity and fairness.”

Football Australia continues to target a March 2024 launch of the NST, aiming to feature a minimum of 10 teams that will compete in a home and away league structure with finals. However, Football Australia may also explore a phased ‘group based’ model, where the National Premier Leagues would influence the composition, adopting the ‘Champions League’ model.

Concluding his statement, Johnson said, “As we advance, our commitment is to the future of Australian football. Whether we finalise on the conventional league structure or adopt the ‘Champions League’ model, our vision remains clear – to elevate the stature of football in Australia.”

The original 26 shortlisted clubs are named below.

* = Haven’t confirmed further bid via social media – at time of writing

ACT

  • Canberra Croatia*
  • Gungahlin United*

NEW SOUTH WALES

  • APIA Leichhardt
  • Fraser Park*
  • Marconi Stallions
  • Rockdale Ilinden*
  • Sutherland Sharks/Cronulla Sharks*
  • Sydney Olympic
  • Sydney United 58
  • Wollongong Wolves

QUEENSLAND

  • Brisbane City*
  • Brisbane United (Wynnum Wolves, Brisbane Strikers, Virginia United)*
  • Gold Coast Knights (withdrawn).
  • Gold Coast United (withdrawn).
  • Olympic FC (withdrawn).
  • Sunshine Coast Fire

VICTORIA

  • Avondale FC
  • Brunswick Juventus*
  • Green Gully*
  • Heidelberg United*
  • Melbourne Knights
  • Preston Lions
  • South Melbourne

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

  • Adelaide City*
  • Football South Australia bid (Campbelltown City, North East MetroStars, West Torrens Birkalla)*

TASMANIA

  • South Hobart FC
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Project ACL: The initiative leading the way on injury research

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Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

Launched in 2024, the research project recently welcomed two US-based organisations: the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

 

About Project ACL

Led by FIFPRO, PFA England, Nike and Leeds Beckett University, Project ACL aims to research ACL injuries and understand more about multifactorial risk factors.

After piloting in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Project ACL will expand to the NWSL in the US, reflecting the global importance of the project’s research and outcome.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the NWSLPA and NWSL to Project ACL,” said Director of Women’s Football at FIFPRO, Dr. Alex Culvin, via official press release.

“Overall, we believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change in the soccer ecosystem and that players, competition organisers and stakeholdersaround the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.”

Interviews with over 30 players and team surveys across all 12 WSL clubs provided the project’s research team with valuable information about current prevention strategies and available resources.

Furthermore, the project tracks player workload and busy schedule periods during the season through the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring tool, therefore gaining insights into the link between scheduling and injury risks.

 

Looking to the data

Project ACL’s partnerships with the WSL – and now the NWSL – are immensely valuable for the future of player welfare in women’s football.

Although ACL injuries affect both male and female athletes, they are twice as likely to occur in women than men. However, according to the NWSL, as little as 8% of sports science research focuses on female athletes.

In Australia, several CommBank Matildas suffered ACL injuries in recent years: Sam Kerr was sidelined from January 2024 to September 2025, Ellie Carpenter for 8 months after suffering the injury while playing for Olympique Lyonnais, and Holly McNamara came back from three ACL’s aged 15, 18 and 20.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The 2025/26 ALW season saw several ACL incidents, including four in just two weeks.

 

Research, prevent, protect

Injury prevention and research are vital to sport – whether professional or amateur.

But when the numbers are so shocking – and incidents are so common – governing bodies must remember that player welfare comes above all else. Research can inform prevention strategies. Prevention means players can enjoy the game they love.

The work of Project ACL, continuing until 2027, will hopefully protect countless players across women’s football from suffering long-term or recurring injuries.

South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

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