Football Australia (FA) have picked eight teams to compete in a national second-tier competition set to kick off in 2025 but the governing body gave no indication it was considering a promotion-relegation system linked with the top flight A-League.
Seven of the clubs have roots in the National Soccer League, the country’s previous top division before it folded in 2004 and was replaced by the A-League the following year.
They include Sydney-based APIA Leichhardt, Marconi Stallions, Sydney Olympic and Sydney United; Melbourne-based South Melbourne and Preston Lions; and Wollongong Wolves, a club based in the coastal city south of Sydney. Avondale FC, based in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, is the sole club without NSL pedigree.
FA said another two-to-four clubs would be confirmed in the coming months for the launch of the 10-12 team National Second Tier (NST) in 2025. Most of the eight confirmed clubs were formed decades ago by Australia’s Southern European migrant communities.
Tensions between rival fan-bases occasionally spilled over on NSL match-days, and crowd violence was blamed in part for the league’s decline before it folded due to financial problems.
