Plan seems workable with some merit. And if the ALM clubs as reported seem happy with the concept, it probably is a good compromise solution. Surely giving say a financially stable South Melbourne 5 years to prove themselves in the NSD before being promoted up to the ALM, is better than taking a franchise fee from souless Western United.
Would add a bit of late season drama too, as teams try to avoid dropping from the A1 to A2. But without the financial hurt of dropping out of the ALM altogether. You'd need to still have a salary cap, so best players in A2 league don't just try flock to A1 league. But sounds like they will take their time (years) to work up to a pro/rel format, and the issues that will arise.
Club executives were recently briefed on the blueprint, conceived by the Australian Professional Leagues, which closely mirrors the way Japan’s J.League grew from one professional division to three over of 21 years.
According to multiple sources who are familiar with the discussion, the APL told the clubs they were prepared to admit the strongest teams from the second division into the men’s A-League on an ongoing basis - provided those clubs were able to satisfy a set of strict criteria to prove their financial stability and other off-field bona fides, and demonstrate a capacity for sustained high performance.
There would be no limit to the number of clubs that could be promoted, but once it reaches a certain number of teams, most likely around 20, the A-League would then split into two leagues - tentatively called A1-League and A2-League.
From there, teams would be able to go up into A1 or down to A2, but they would be protected from relegation below A2, while second division teams which meet the criteria would continue to be promoted into A2 - albeit in a staggered fashion, since the A-League is played over summer and the second division is to be played through the winter, making a direct promotion-relegation system in line with European tradition unachievable.
The APL is determined to first expand the A-League from 12 to 16 teams - first through the introduction of Canberra and Auckland teams in the 2024-25 season as previously announced, and then through another round of expansion into new markets such as south-east Queensland, Wollongong and Tasmania - before any NPL clubs are promoted or admitted.