Overview

• Football Australia’s new second-tier tournament features 16 teams split into four groups in a six-round, Champions League–style format with every match broadcast on SBS.
• The opener is Friday, 10 October at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium, where South Melbourne host Sydney Olympic in a renewal of a classic rivalry expected to draw thousands.
• Interim CEO Heather Garriock says the governing body now embraces clubs’ multicultural histories, describing the sport as proudly multicultural.
• The field mixes eight foundation clubs and eight NPL qualifiers, including Greek-heritage sides South Melbourne, Sydney Olympic and Heidelberg United, alongside Marconi Stallions and others.
• There is no confirmed promotion to the A-League at this stage, though clubs such as South Melbourne publicly state ambitions to return to the top flight.