SOCCER
NPLV
By samuel darroch
THE Gippsland Soccer League has distanced itself from the National Premier League Victoria boycott movement in an open letter to the co-signatory clubs engaged in legal action against Football Federation Victoria over the proposed model.
The NPLV, due to launch next year nationwide, will become a consistent second tier competition behind the A-League.
The GSL was originally listed among the co-signatory clubs as ‘the Gippsland Soccer Association’, and was included in the renegade faction’s communications with FFV.
The open letter, penned by GSL manager Paul Crowe, stated “at no stage did anyone from the Gippsland Soccer League Inc. give permission to be included in the list”.
“Certainly no signatures were obtained from anyone within our organisation,” Crowe said in the letter.
“We are unsure why this assumption has been made and why we are now on the list.
“We remind everyone involved to consider the effect on football this process is having and encourage all parties to work together for the best collective outcome for the game of football in Victoria.”
A response from movement co-leader Nicholas Tsiaris stated the GSL’s inclusion as a co-signatory club was based on an article published in The Express regarding the league’s decision not to pursue a licence.
The league has since been removed from the list.
The GSL declined to lodge a formal application for the NPLV primarily due to costing concerns, a gripe shared by a large portion of clubs involved in the expressions of interest phase.
Despite the withdrawal from the process, GSL chairman David Wilson said the league would potentially reconsider its stance should FFV revise its NPLV framework under increasing pressure from the breakaway clubs.
“Everything is negotiable (but) it’s whether it’s achievable,” he said.
“Our capacity to field 12 teams at a competitive level (one of the requirements of the current model) is one of the biggest deciding factors.”
The co-signatory group, claiming to represent 50 clubs, issued an open letter to FFV on 7 August threatening legal action unless the governing body halted the NPLV rollout and compromised on its implementation.
The group has cited an inconsistent approach compared with other states and an exorbitant costing model as key points of contention.
FFV confirmed it received a Magistrate’s Court summons last Friday, the deadline day for NPLV applications, challenging the new league.
Clubs are reportedly planning to form a rebel body named the Association of Football Clubs Victoria to oppose the NPLV and set up a steering committee to consider changes to the competition model.
Despite the boycott movement, FFV confirmed 15 applications were received by deadline, representing “both metropolitan and regional areas in Victoria with the exception of Gippsland”.
FFV state manager NPL Tim Frampton said the legal dispute would not hinder the selection process for NPLV franchises.
“The summons itself doesn’t prevent FFV from continuing the assessment process. FFV will not be making any further comment on pending legal action,” Frampton said.
Crowe said the GSL was developing other pathways for Gippsland’s elite players after withdrawing from the NPLV process.
“We’re phasing in an alternative for our talented pathway with the intention to grow into… a contender in the next few years (for elite level competition),” he said.
FFV plans to announce the successful applicants for the NPLV on
30 September.
