The future looks bright — if we unite
Call it fate, call it destiny; call it what you like. South Melbourne have given Australian football a moment it cannot afford to ignore.
After a nail-biting penalty shootout victory over A-League giants Melbourne Victory in last weekend's Australia Cup Final at AAMI Park, South Melbourne made history by becoming the first NPL club to win the competition, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 29,911.
South Melbourne are no longer knocking on the door to get into the A-League. Surely, they have blown it wide open.
Consider the season they have put together. Across four competitions, South have played more than 50 matches, finished runners-up in the inaugural OFC Professional League, placed fifth in Victoria's NPL, lifted the Australia Cup, and are preparing to defend the title they won in the Australian Championship's inaugural season. If they go all the way again, they face a further nine matches.
That's an extraordinary workload, demonstrating the ambition, depth and resilience required to sustain a demanding football program.
But the bigger story is what this achievement could mean for the future of Australian domestic football.
A moment Australian football must harness
In his post-match assessment on Channel 10 and Paramount+, former Socceroo and pundit Bruce Djite posed the question now confronting the Australian Professional Leagues decision-makers: What more does South Melbourne have to do to earn admission to the A-League?
“If you are an A-League chairman and you are interested in the value of your franchise, you need to get the most sophisticated NPL clubs involved in the A-League; this is what this game's about," he said.
"This is what football in this country should be, week in and week out.”
South Melbourne has a grand history. Ferenc Puskas, Ange Postecoglou, Alan Davidson and Paul Trimboli have all called the club home. With four NSL titles and FIFA recognition as Oceania's Club of the Century, it has a compelling story, passionate supporters and the ability to generate interest across generations.
Surely, the Australia Cup Final was a unifier like no other, offering a window to the future rather than a rear-view mirror through which old divisions can be reignited.
The final sold out within days. It was an authentic rivalry tapping into the old soccer versus new football debate and demonstrated how Australian football's rich history and culture remain genuine assets.
The sell-out showed what is possible when Australian football brings its history, rivalries and communities together. It also raises a confronting question: How many other domestic derbies will generate comparable demand this season?
The A-League's season-opening Sydney Derby looks likely to get around 35,000 at Allianz Stadium, but I seriously doubt the Melbourne Derby will reach 25,000 this season.
The A-League needs fresh energy, new rivalries and compelling storylines. South Melbourne could deliver all three.
The A-League needs urgent reform
The A-League's first 15 years brought big crowds, memorable highlights, excitement, investment and genuine momentum to the domestic game.
We need a strong national top tier, and everyone who loves Australian football should want to see it thrive. But right now the competition feels like it's struggling to simply survive.
It has become stagnant and repetitive. The same clubs repeatedly face one another, players are often recycled, and the absence of promotion and relegation limits aspiration.
Post-COVID, financial pressures, reduced investment and questions about the sustainability of the existing model have become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Western United's failure was another warning sign. The days of new franchises lining up to pay $10 or $20 million in licence fees are long gone.
Meanwhile, wages and playing standards have come under pressure. South Melbourne, along with several Championship and select NPL clubs, are already offering player remuneration comparing favourably with some A-League clubs.
The gap on the field has also been narrowing over recent seasons. NPL clubs have progressed deeper into the Australia Cup, producing a growing number of upsets.
Two seasons ago, there were four cupsets; last season, there were five, with Heidelberg United narrowly losing the final to Newcastle. This year, there were six, culminating in South Melbourne's historic victory over four-time A-League champions Melbourne Victory.
That result is powerful evidence the gap between the levels is narrowing.
I admire the ambition to raise wages and standards across both the Championship and NPL. But first, we must ensure there is a viable top-tier in which those ambitions can be realised.
Sometimes a business must take a step backwards to move forwards. The APL may need to rethink its expansion and commercial expectations to rebuild the foundations for sustainable growth.
If the APL fail to embrace credible new entrants like South and potentially a few more ambitious old NSL clubs, the competition risks becoming increasingly isolated from the wider football community.
If nothing changes, the prospect of further decline should concern everyone.
We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past and watch another national competition fade away.
The Championship has changed the conversation
While the A-League has wrestled with its challenges, football beneath it has continued to evolve.
The traditional NSL clubs, excluded from the new national competition more than two decades ago, have survived, rebuilt and continued investing in their communities. Their supporters never disappeared, and their clubs never stopped believing they could return to the top.
The Championship has given the ambition a new platform.
Developed with Football Australia's support, the national second-tier competition brings together eight former NSL foundation clubs and eight premiers of the state and territory NPL competitions.
Its inaugural season demonstrated the appetite for meaningful national competition outside the A-League.
Now, its second season is building on the momentum through further growth and increased free-to-air coverage on SBS.
Across the state and territory NPL competitions, playing and coaching standards are also improving, with the divisions from NPL 1 through to NPL 3 becoming increasingly competitive.
These developments demonstrate Australian football's future does not have to be confined to the existing A-League membership.
Mark Schwarzer highlighted the importance of reconnecting these parts of the game on a recent Football 360 podcast.
“The Australia Cup shows there is some really fierce competition among clubs and within the game in Australia from football clubs that have played a massive part in our sport's evolution,” Schwarzer said.
South Melbourne brings “nostalgia, history, meaning and the reminiscence of the years gone by in a newer, more modern version."
Schwarzer went further, identifying the need to bring the two levels together and work towards promotion and relegation.
“That, for me, is imperative and massively important for the game of football: it is what football is about, full stop. The heart and soul of the game.”
It's difficult to disagree.
It's time to open the door and rebuild the game
"Build it and they will come," South Melbourne president Bill Papastergiadis said.
He indicated the club needs approximately 1,500 supporters to break even at Lakeside Stadium. A sustained A-League season attracting average crowds of 3,000 to 5,000, or more, could provide a significant platform for sustainable, organic growth, alongside the club's sponsorship support.
Sceptics say those projections need to be tested against a sound, transparent business plan, realistic operating costs and the demands of A-League participation.
The naysayers also say ambition alone is not enough. Clubs need sound ownership, facilities, revenue and a sustainable commercial model. They must also understand their supporters, build a strong culture and bring their communities along on the journey.
South Melbourne clearly tick all the aforementioned boxes and has earned the opportunity to make its case.
South also demonstrated how culture can be a considerable asset. Its Australia Cup triumph has brought old soccer and new football into the same conversation, creating an opportunity to heal divisions rather than perpetuate them.
So why not admit South Melbourne into the A-League for the 2027–28 season, subject to it meeting the necessary financial and operational requirements?
Such a decision would immediately inject a fresh storyline into the competition and give other ambitious NPL clubs something tangible to strive for. It would recognise Australian football's history while encouraging clubs across the country to invest, improve and aspire for the highest level.
Ultimately, promotion and relegation should be the longer-term objective. Football is a global game built around opportunity, competition and the possibility of success on the pitch changing a club's destiny.
Australia should not permanently be different.
An increasingly strong chorus of respected voices in Australian football, including Mark Schwarzer, Craig Foster, Mark Bosnich and Ange Postecoglou, deserve to be heard by the APL. We won't all agree on the solutions, but action is overdue.
Australian football needs a stronger A-League, a successful second-division, thriving state NPL competitions and credible pathways connecting it all together.
Most importantly, it needs leadership willing to recognise an opportunity when it presents itself.
South Melbourne have opened the door. The question now is whether the APL's decision-makers dare to walk through it.
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