The National Premier League Victoria concept may yet be implemented by next season, according to a group of more than 60 co-signatory clubs.
Football Federation Victoria (FFV) said its talks with representatives of the co-signatory clubs had fallen through and the status quo – the existing FFV league structure – would continue in the 2014 season.
But a meeting of the clubs on Tuesday believed it was still progressing towards the competition restructure and a statement to Fairfax Media by Football Federation Australia (FFA) supported that.
FFV initially aimed to introduce its NPLV model for next year, but the co-signatory clubs took successful legal action to halt it.
Recent talks, also attended by FFA staff, left club representatives under the impression a consensus model had been found for an NPLV in 2014 . . . a model considerably different from the one stopped by the clubs’ legal action.
But by Friday, November 8, the FFV was announcing that “the FFV board was unable to reach a sustainable agreement . . . therefore, 2014 will be a normal year complying with FFV’s Rules of Competition.”
But in a statement to the Ballarat Courier, the FFA indicated the door was not closed on an NPLV in time for next year.
“In summary, the position is that FFA is in discussion with both FFV and the co-signatory clubs and is very keen for a solution to be found that will see the NPL implemented in Victoria next year,” the statement read.
Last Tuesday, the representatives of the co-signatory clubs reported back to their members on the model they believed had been agreed to at mediation.
It included abandoning the geographic zones of the FFV’s original NPLV model and also separated men’s and women’s clubs from being tied together as NPLV entities.
Rather than one division, with all teams locked in for a number of years, the consensus model had two divisions and immediate promotion and relegation between them and the highest non-NPLV league, currently known as Victorian state
league 2.
Hume City is the highest team from the Northern/Hume area in the existing FFV football pyramid.
If Hume complied with the facility and junior requirements of the consensus model, it would have the right to participate in the NPLV should it go ahead next year.
The FFV spokesperson on NPLV matters declined to comment on the reasons why the consensus model had apparently fallen through, saying it was decision taken by the board.
FFV president Nick Monteleone had not returned a call by deadline.
– with David Jeans, Ballarat Courier
