January 16 – The new boss of Australian football James Johnson wants to introduce a second-tier league to the domestic pyramid. He also singled out the bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and A-League independence as his priorities.
“We don’t have a second-tier competition, but these discussions are happening and I don’t see any reason why we cannot have a second-tier competition,” said Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO on Wednesday. “But what does a second-tier competition look like in a sporting framework like Australia? That’s a question that we’re going to have to answer. We have to have a discussion with our stakeholders, our state federations and the players with the PFA.”
Ambitions for a second division aside, Johnson will have his work cut out in his new role. He succeeds David Gallop, who became a unpopular figure due to his handling of A-League fan issues and the sacking of Matildas coach Alen Stajcic. At a broader level, the FFA has long suffered from governance issues and accusations that the state federations still wield too much influence allowing for gerrymandering and, in turn, stall the development of the game.
“We need to set the organisation (FFA) up internally for transformational change, from an organisation that is local to one that is able to act local but also think and act globally,” said Johnson. “The other two points are the unbundling of the A-League. The quicker we can get the governance model where it’s a win-win relationship, I think the better for us, for the whole football community and the A-League.”
“I think the third priority is the Women’s World Cup because that decision is in June and time is working against us.”
Australia and New Zealand are in the race to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Their joint bid will have to see off competition from Brazil, Colombia, and Japan. World federation FIFA will award the hosting rights at its congress later this year.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1714450615labto1714450615ofdlr1714450615owedi1714450615sni@o1714450615fni1714450615
