“The clubs are on their knees”: Socceroos great expects NSD start date to be significantly delayed
Socceroos great Robbie Slater has given a bleak prediction for the National Second Division (NSD), claiming that the project won’t start in the initially proposed 2025 season.
A second tier of football in Australia has long been a dream of football fans around the country but the reality of the current state of football's lone professional league has left a lot to be desired.
The current financial dilemma that the Australia Professional Leagues (APL), have found themselves in is a worrying state for the proposed second division, which in itself has already struggled to line up clubs due to similar issues.
With a now cash-strapped APL in crisis management mode, Slater weighed in on the future of the NSD given the bleak circumstances.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Slater told SEN 1170 The Run Home.
“This not disagreeing with the idea of it, or agreeing with the idea of it, I’m just saying at this point in time, the clubs are on their knees, they’re going broke, clubs are broke, how can you have promotion and relegation?”
Slater compared the proposal to that of Major League Soccer (MLS) in America, where clubs have embarked on notable financial and business success without the threat of relegation.
“The MLS doesn’t have relegation, you know why? Because it costs a massive amount to buy a license, they’re all owned by billionaires,” Slater added.
“If you tell a billionaire that they have to millions and millions for a license but then tell them that next year they could be relegated, the business is going to say ‘I don’t think so,'
"The A-League, we’re that kind of model I believe.
“Auckland and Canberra, apparently coming in next year, Auckland paid $22 million for their license, that’s unbelievable to think (with) the state of the APL at the moment, to be able to do that.
“Promotion and relegation, I think is a long, long way away.
“The idea of it, yes, the reality of it, where we are at the moment is no because the league is in disarray.”
Two more clubs were expected to be announced for the NSD’s inaugural season in 2025 but Football Australia is yet to confirm any further details as of yet.
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