A-League could go independent by 2019 under FIFA-backed proposal
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The A-League would be spun off from Football Federation Australia (FFA) and run independently in time for the 2019-20 season under a proposal by a FIFA-backed working group.
The 100-page report from the congress review working group (CRWG) was made public on Tuesday after its submission to FIFA last week.
It is expected to be rubber-stamped at a meeting of FIFA's member associations committee on August 20 and then put to a vote at an FFA extraordinary general meeting in mid-September.
The plan needs 75 per cent approval to pass, meaning in effect that eight yes votes out of the 10 on the current congress are required for the recommendations to be adopted.
If the vote fails, FIFA could suspend Australia's membership — potentially putting the Socceroos' defence of their Asian Cup crown at risk and throwing the domestic competition into turmoil.
The report notes opposition from the FFA board to its two key recommendations — the structure of an expanded congress and the mooted pathway for the A-League to become independent.
However, it was signed off by all eight CRWG members — including FFA board member Chris Nikou — as well as independent chair Judith Griggs.
"This report and its recommendations represent an opportunity for a new era of collaboration, transparency and democracy for Australian football," Greg Griffin, chief executive of the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association, said.
"They are borne from a process of unprecedented cooperation and engagement between the diverse stakeholders of our game — interactions that should be given every chance of becoming the cornerstone of a brighter future for the entire game."
In a statement, FFA chairman Steven Lowy said while there were "many elements" of the report which were a positive step forward, the governing body still had deep reservations with the report.
"… There are also some crucial aspects of the report which the FFA Board does not believe are in the best interests of the game and are inconsistent with its guiding principles submitted at the beginning of the process," Mr Lowy said.
The FFA said the proposed model weighs too heavily towards professional football at the expense of grassroots; that it grants A-League clubs the ability as a bloc to veto amendments to the FFA constitution; and that it delivers Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) disproportionately greater voting representation than each member federation.
It added that the proposed model doesn't sufficiently broaden the membership of the FFA, and that the alternate A-League model was inconsistent with "foundational good governance principle[s]".
A-League, W-League 'ready and mature enough' to go solo
PFA president Alex Wilkinson said the A-League had evolved since its establishment in 2004.
"There was a time when we needed absolute support but the competitions — both the A-League and the W-League— are now ready and mature enough to step out on their own," he said.
"What this report has proposed is a plan to ensure all areas of the sport will be stronger. Not only the professional leagues, but also the national teams and development pathways; as each stakeholder will be able to contribute to building the league and then focusing on their own areas of expertise."
The State of Congress
Current FFA Congress
10 members
- Nine state federations (NSW, VIC, NT, SA, WA, TAS, NNSW, QLD, ACT) – 9 votes
- One A-League representative – 1 vote
Proposed FFA Congress
29 members
- Nine state federations (NSW, VIC, NT, SA, WA, TAS, NNSW, QLD, ACT) – 55 votes
- Nine Australian-based A-League clubs – 28 votes
- Professional Footballers Australia – 7 votes
- Women's football council (10 members) – 10 votes
The CRWG has proposed for the new congress to grow from 10 to 29 members — the nine state federations, nine Australian A-League clubs, Professional Footballers Australia plus a new women's council.
The women's council would comprise 10 members, with three each nominated by the other stakeholders in the congress, plus an independent chair selected by FFA's nominations committee.
The allocation of votes in the congress is designed to take away the ability for any one group to elect or remove directors or pass constitutional change without support from another.
It also commits to a review of FFA's governance structures every four years.
The report suggests a collaborative "New Leagues Working Group" be formed to establish the framework for a new operating model for the A-League.
The working group would consist of representatives from the state federations, clubs and PFA, plus FFA board members and management, who would submit their plan by the end of March 2019.
FFA, in contrast, has been developing its own operating model.
Four state federations — the ACT, Northern Territory, Tasmania and Northern NSW — are aligned with FFA in opposition to the CRWG's key recommendations and are prepared to vote them down at an EGM.
The states submitted a counter proposal to the CRWG, the details of which remain confidential.
It is understood it will not be considered by FIFA, whose remit is to simply approve or reject the report they commissioned from the CRWG.
Women Onside believes process has been positive
Women Onside — a network of women with experience across all areas of football — had been among the groups to speak to Ms Griggs and the CRWG.
Catherine Ordway, a senior consultant at SHD Sport and a member of Women Onside, said the process had been a positive one.
She praised Ms Griggs and the CRWG for consulting widely and bringing stakeholders together, although she said it was disappointing that Women Onside had not "been in the room" or had access to documents used for submissions from other parties.
She was hopeful that an agreement could be reached.
"Do I think it's going to be an easy road ahead from here? Undoubtedly not, given the different personalities and agendas present in football," she said.
"However, I remain optimistic that FIFA will not have to [choose] normalisation, because we see that as only being destructive to the game."
External Link: CRWG report into FFA governance
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