TCF understands Football Federation Victoria has made the strategic decision to expand the NPLW and is set to open a bidding process for one new licence in 2017.
The move comes as the first year of the new NPL format reaches its conclusion in 2016, with one round remaining in the regular season before finals.
The strategic plan also includes the option to add another licence the year after, delivering the potential for there to be 11 teams in 2018 after initially starting the NPLW with nine (eight clubs plus the NTC) in 2016. This assumes the original eight clubs meet the licence requirements and are re-issued another licence in 2018.
The FFV has not yet publicly detailed their strategic plan for the expansion.
Delegates of the NPLW clubs met with representatives of the FFV on Monday night during which the strategic plan for the expansion of the league was discussed.
The NPLW clubs raised a number of concerns with the plan, which included:
- All clubs said no to expansion in 2017
- Clubs were open to the idea of regional expansion north as the next expansion
- Clubs were concerned about further exhausting the talent pool in Victoria
- A further issue is NPL not actually representing an elite level of competition particularly at U15 and U18 level, with low numbers trialling for those age groups (this is evidenced by a junior NTC squad consisting of 13- and 14-year-olds currently leading the U18s division)
- Clubs said a key factor was seeing who re-trialled, turnover of players and convincing community league players to leave social circles to try NPLW
- Without that data it was impossible to fully evaluate year one of the competition.
Similarities between the NPL and the NPLW can be identified with the perception, almost universally acknowledged in the football community, being the high number of teams has reduced the standard of play, diminishing the quality of the competition and contributed to the league not being the elite level of competition it was designed for.
While the participation of the NTC would be set to remain unchanged, aspects such as fixturing – including whether the league would increase to a 27-game season – remain unknown at this early stage.
There was no timeline presented at the meeting for further discussions regarding the matter, when the bidding process is set to be implemented, what the criteria for applicants will be, nor what clubs may be eligible to apply for the new licence.
The season to date so far has seen new consortium Calder United become the inaugural premiers of the NPLW, while a number of players from the competition have been rewarded for their form with national team call-ups.