Latest news with #AustralianChampionship
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Football Australia chairman unhappy with significant loss
Football Australia's $8.5 million loss has angered chairman Anter Isaac, who has demanded improvement as part of the sport's national governing body's commitment to 'cost efficiency' and 'operational effectiveness'. The substantial loss for 2024 was confirmed at Friday afternoon's FA annual general meeting, where Isaac was unanimously re-elected as chairman. 'We are not satisfied and look towards continued improvement,' Isaac said. 'That is our obligation to grassroots football and all our football stakeholders.' Despite the $8.5 million deficit, confirmation has come after James Johnson's sudden resignation as FA chief executive officer earlier this month – FA's revenue grew to $124 million in 2024. 'While we are happy with this, we believe that there continue to be opportunities to increase the value of our brands and commercial activities to help reinvestment into our game from national teams and especially to the grassroots,' Isaac said in his chairman's report. 'The past year has been one of strategic renewal and disciplined ambition. Though it all, our focus remains clear – to build a football ecosystem that is united, resilient and ready for the future.' Isaac said Johnson's interim replacement, Matildas great Heather Garriock brought 'an unmatched passion for the game, deep football knowledge, executive acumen and a clear vision for the future'. 'We are confident in her ability to lead Football Australia with strength, unity and a mindset of service that reflects the values of our entire football family,' he said of Garriock, Isaac FA's 'priorities' were clear. They were finalising the Matildas' new coach, with Joe Montemurro's appointment expected to be confirmed next month, supporting the Socceroos' World Cup qualification campaign, delivering a successful AFC Women's Asian Cup next year, and laying the foundation for a truly national second-tier competition, the Australian Championship.
West Australian
08-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Johnson to stand down as FA chief executive
Football Australia is on the hunt for a new chief executive after James Johnson resigned. Johnson informed staff of his intention to step down from the role at a meeting on Thursday. It leaves the governing body in search of a new figurehead less than a year out from the Women's Asian Cup. Johnson joined FA in 2020 after previously working for the AFC and the City Football Group. Among the most significant moves of his tenure were the recruitment of ex-Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson and the decision to retain former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold after the 2022 World Cup. Johnson has also pushed through a long-awaited second division competition - the Australian Championship - which is set to begin later this year. FA has been contacted for comment.
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Johnson to stand down as FA chief executive
Football Australia boss James Johnson has told staff he is quitting. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP Football Australia is on the hunt for a new chief executive after James Johnson resigned. Johnson informed staff of his intention to step down from the role at a meeting on Thursday. It leaves the governing body in search of a new figurehead less than a year out from the Women's Asian Cup. Johnson joined FA in 2020 after previously working for the AFC and the City Football Group. Among the most significant moves of his tenure were the recruitment of ex-Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson and the decision to retain former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold after the 2022 World Cup. Johnson has also pushed through a long-awaited second division competition - the Australian Championship - which is set to begin later this year. FA has been contacted for comment.
The Guardian
12-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
The Australian Championship: FA unveils Champions League-style second tier
It's not often recognised by those outside its flock, but the round ball game was the first of Australia's various footballing codes to field a truly national league – the NSL, which launched in 1977 with representation from four states before growing to include Canberra a year later. And while the nearly 50 years since have given ample demonstration that going first doesn't necessarily correlate with success, Australian football will once again step into the unknown in 2025, launching a national second-tier competition known as the Australian Championship in October. This being Australian football, though, there are plenty of questions, chief amongst them what this new competition is supposed to be and, more pressingly, how it's going to get there. The initial plan to launch a standalone, home-and-away league in November 2023was the preferred option of the eight foundation clubs unveiled. But challenges in finding at least four more clubs from a further two states that met its necessary sporting, financial, and geographic criteria forced Football Australia to alter its plans in the 15 months since. Instead, the 2025 Australian Championship will commence with 16 teams competing in four groups of four before moving into a knockout finals series – a Champions League-style model. The eight foundation clubs announced in 2023 – APIA Leichhardt, Marconi Stallions, Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58 and Wollongong Wolves from New South Wales, and Avondale, Preston Lions and South Melbourne from Victoria – will retain protected status in the league, joined by the premiers of the eight state-based National Premier League competitions around Australia. With two foundation sides and two premiers per group, sides will play a home-and-away round-robin in group stages commencing on 10 October – travel costs will be subsidised by Football Australia – before the two highest-ranked sides in each advance to single-leg elimination games, with the final to be played on 6 or 7 December. It does bear acknowledging that a Champions League format was hardly the preferred format following the long-running process to get to this point. Given that Football Australia previously ran an NPL finals series that garnered little respect from the clubs that qualified for it, let alone the broader public, it will need to ensure it can differentiate its new property amongst local stakeholders. It must also ensure it is perceived as a genuine second-tier competition worthy of attention and investment – be it emotional or actual – by the broader public, sponsors, and media. But as Football Australia executive James Johnson said on Wednesday, 'we have to start somewhere.' And given that efforts to introduce any kind of second division in Australia have been so long-running, that some form of competition will actually launch in 2025 – alongside a commitment from the federation to continue to support and grow the competition – feels like a minor miracle. Importantly, even in its current limited format, it will still offer a greater and much-needed platform for everyone involved in the game below the A-League to demonstrate their abilities and aspirations. Ostensibly, that's the point of all this. Yet even before a ball has been kicked, questions and concerns linger. Beyond the general challenges associated with setting up a sustainable second tier in a country as large and with as crowded a sporting market as Australia, football has norms and expectations that present administrators with unique challenges. Chief among these is promotion and relegation, a path to which has to be introduced for a second tier to maintain long-term viability. Before that, however, there almost certainly will also need to be a transition to a standalone, home-and-away league with demonstrated durability and connection to the tiers below. And what exactly the medium- to long-term plan for the Australian Championship is will remain a question lingers as, for now, the format is just for 2025. Both Johnson and Nathan Godfrey, Football Australia's general manager for the national second tier, flagged that its operations and logistics would be the subject of frequent reviews and that a new 'request for proposal' phase will begin in the coming months, wherein clubs would be able to seek enshrined status as the eight foundation sides if they're able to hit certain thresholds. Should enough clubs be found, this could mean a home-and-away season may arrive as soon as 2026. Either way, if clubs are expected to reach this level, they'll need some degree of clarity about what they're aspiring to at some point. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Forty-eight years on from the birth of the NSL, the Australian Championship represents another step into the unknown for Australian football. It's an exciting one, one long advocated and with exciting possibilities. But it's also a perilous one.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Australian Championship to start in October
Football Australia's new national second-tier competition will be called the Australian Championship and kick-off on October 10. As previously announced, the inaugural Championship, which will conclude with a grand final on the weekend of December 6-7, will involve eight 'foundation' clubs – APIA Leichhardt (NSW), Avondale (VIC), Marconi (NSW), Preston (VIC), South Melbourne (VIC), Sydney Olympic (NSW), Sydney United 58 (NSW) and Wollongong (NSW) – as well as eight 'invitational' clubs from member federations. FA chief executive officer James Johnson said the Championship would 'complement' the A-League, the Australia Cup and the NPL state competitions. From October this year, we will be back on the national stage competing in the @ welcome @FootballAUS's announcement today of the competition name and branding, and look forward to more news as the national second tier nears!#AusChampionship#ForzaAPIA 💜🩵 — APIA Leichhardt FC (@apialeichhardt) February 12, 2025 'The Australian Championship is much more than a competition – it's a national celebration of football uniting proud historic clubs, emerging talent, and inter-generational community connection,' Johnson said. 'It reflects the core values of Australian football – authenticity, opportunity, and ambition.' The 16 teams will be split into four groups of four teams. Each team will play six group games, with the top two from each group to progress to the competition's knockout stages. Football Australia will provide travel subsidies for clubs competing in the Championship in 2025. There will no promotion and relegation between the Championship and the A-League. The format and structure of the Championship will be reviewed after its first season.
