NPLWA REVIEW REPORTFOOTBALL WEST RESPONSES

Overview

In February 2017, Football West commissioned independent consultants to provide an assessment

and report into the current state and future of the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues WA.

The 61-page NPLWA Review Report, which contains 46 recommendations, will assist in shaping the

structure of the top-tier competitions over the next five years, providing improved player

development opportunities and a vibrant senior competition.

Changes to the structure of the senior and junior NPLWA competitions, increased transparency

around player fees and the salary cap, and the establishment of a Junior NPLWA Standing

Committee were among the key recommendations.

The NPL Review Report was prepared after extensive consultation with stakeholders across the sport

and included input from national governing body Football Federation Australia.

Football West Chair Liam Twigger welcomed the NPL Review Report, which provided a

comprehensive health check of the PS4 NPLWA competitions and recommendations for

improvement that resulted from significant participant input.

“The PS4 NPLWA competition is still very much a fledgling competition but after three completed

seasons it was appropriate to conduct a review to assess how it was progressing and where

improvements could be made,” Twigger said.

“The Review Report sets out a number of recommendations that will be phased in over coming

seasons starting in 2018 with the aim of ensuring that the development of players continues to be a

critical factor in shaping the competition.

“Throughout the review process there was strong emphasis from players, coaches, parents and club

officials that the NPL should focus on player development and raising elite standards. This is clear in

the report with a number of recommendations that are designed to benefit players in both the

Junior and Senior NPL competitions.

“Football is the most played team sport in the world, across Australia and here in WA and it is

important that our state continues to produce players capable of playing on the world stage. Players

such as Matildas striker Sam Kerr and Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury are examples of WA’s

talent pool and of the great possibilities for our game.”

The review was commissioned by Football West to determine future modelling that would guide

significant improvements.

During the process, members of the National Premier Leagues WA, State League, Amateur, Junior and

Women’s Standing Committees and an independent were involved in a Project Reference Group

that met regularly with consultants.

A separate sub-committee of Football West Board and Management was updated regularly on the

progress of the review, while FFA competition and technical departments provided guidance and

input.

Other areas of the football community were consulted via eight workshops and an online survey,

while discussions were also held with local government officials, the Department of Sport and

Recreation (now Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries) and other State

Sports Associations.

Feedback on the NPL Review Report and Football West responses should be sent to

strategy@footballwest.com.au.

NPLWA Review Report Responses

GENERAL ASSESSMENT/COMMENTS

1 That Football West develop a Strategic Plan that provides the vision, sets the direction for football in Western Australia in the short, mid and long term and has key performance indicators to measure its performance.

Football West has commenced the development of a Strategic Plan, overseen by an independent consultant. This will determine the direction for the sport as a whole over the next three years.

2 That as part of Football West’s Strategic Plan consideration is made for the development of football in regional W.A. including talent identification and a talent pathway that is accessible by regional junior players and support personnel.

The Strategic Plan being developed will represent football across WA, including regional football across all levels of competition and programming. The planning process includes engagement and consultation with regional WA.

LICENSING

3 That Football West at this point not enter into a licensing arrangement with any NPL clubs and over the next two years (2018 and 2019) undertake a more detailed analysis into the merits of establishing a licensing system for the NPL in Western Australia.

Football West will work with relevant stakeholders to consider licensing as part of the longer-term strategy for the NPLWA competition.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

4 That Football West set an eligibility criteria to be a senior NPL club and a separate set of eligibility criteria to be a junior NPL club.

Football West will amend existing Compliance By-Laws for the senior and junior competitions to be implemented in 2019. Senior clubs seeking promotion into the NPLWA, and all Senior NPLWA clubs, will be required to meet Junior NPLWA criteria except the requirement to have junior teams in the NPLWA. A Senior NPLWA club that does not have Junior NPLWA teams will be required to have teams in Junior Leagues in U13, U14, U15 and U16 age groups and must also meet all other Junior NPLWA criteria, including having a Technical Director and accredited coaches at the required level for each junior team. In the event that a Senior Club meets eligibility criteria and is promoted into the NPLWA, the club’s junior teams will remain in the Junior Leagues competitions. The acceptance of additional teams in the Junior NPLWA will be considered as part of ongoing assessment of the junior structure. In-house Skill Acquisition Phase programs will also be compulsory by 2019 for all NPLWA clubs and clubs seeking promotion into the NPLWA. This will provide coaches and advanced young players with the opportunity to participate in highly competitive sessions using advanced coaching methods. See Appendix A for further detail regarding separate junior and senior criteria.

5 That all NPL senior clubs, including those currently in the NPL and those who advise they would like to enter the NPL via promotion at the end of the coming season be assessed/audited on an annual basis. This should include announced and unannounced visits for assessment/audit.

An independent audit of current Senior NPLWA clubs and relevant State League Division One clubs has been conducted for the purposes of decisions regarding promotion and relegation in 2017. Clubs will continue to be audited annually to ensure NPLWA Compliance and assess State League clubs against Promotion Eligibility Criteria.

6 That all NPL junior clubs be assessed/audited on an annual basis. This includes announced and unannounced visits for assessment/audit.

This will occur on an annual basis starting as part of the 2018 season.

7 That these assessments/audits (seniors and juniors) be conducted by an independent person or body. This removes any perception of bias and also allows Football West to focus on development and performance rather than compliance (it separates the developer and the regulator).

An independent audit of club compliance with the NPLWA Promotion and Eligibility Criteria has been conducted. Independent auditors will continue to be used for subsequent audits.

8 That a dispute resolution process be established so that in the event that a club is deemed as not meeting the eligibility criteria and they dispute this finding that a clear process known and agreed to by all parties is undertaken.

Football West has existing dispute resolution procedures within the current By-Laws. As per Recommendation 7, clubs will continue to be assessed against compliance by a regular independent audit. Clubs will be entitled to appeal against eligibility assessments through a review mechanism to be established.

9 That any club can apply to be an NPL accredited club (seniors and/or juniors). Any club, senior or junior, that is deemed to have met the eligibility criteria will be authorised and can advertise itself as an NPL accredited club.

Football Federation Australia is currently developing a club accreditation system that will recognise clubs that achieve standards for their on and off-field components. Football West will be working with Football Federation Australia as part of the development and implementation of the accreditation system.

10 Football West develop a “model club” profile to guide clubs in their development towards becoming an NPL Senior or Junior accredited club and also to maintain their accreditation.

Football West will develop a good practice guide that identifies a model for Senior and Junior NPLWA clubs. These will provide existing and prospective clubs with a high-level vision for success and a clear guide to achieve it. It will cover areas such as:

National and state club accreditation schemes. Skill Acquisition Phase programs. Frequency of training sessions. Release of identified players to the Talent Support Program or other elite development programs.

The model club criteria will be developed in 2017-18, distributed to club contacts and published on the Football West website.

11 That the eligibility criteria be reviewed and modified as required during the 2020 season for implementation in the 2021 season.

Football West will work with relevant stakeholders to review the eligibility criteria for the NPLWA competition as part of the longer-term strategy for the competition.

NUMBER OF NPL SENIOR CLUBS

12 That for the 2018 season the NPL remain at 14 teams, 11 in State League division 1 and 11 in State League division 2.

Retaining the current structure allows Football West to provide clubs with sufficient notice ahead of the relegation of multiple clubs at the end of the 2018 season.

13 That all clubs be advised prior to the commencement of the 2018 season that the NPL, State League division 1 and 2 will move to 12 team formats in 2019. This provides all clubs with more than 12 months’

notice of the impending change.

Football West will inform all clubs prior to the commencement of the 2018 season as to the promotion and relegation process for transitioning to 12 teams in 2019.

14 That in the 2019 season there should be 12 teams in the NPL and 12 teams in both the competitions below the NPL.

Accepted at senior level. For more information on the proposed junior structure, please see the response to Recommendations 15 and 18. Having 12 teams in each of the senior tiers ensures seasons run concurrently, allowing any play-off matches to be held immediately after the regular season. A 12-club season also allows for 22 rounds of matches, which is considered suitable in balancing the number of games against ground availability.

15 That the requirement for an NPL Senior club to have a Junior NPL team in all age groups be removed (NOTE. Senior NPL clubs would still be required to have an U/20’s and U/18’s team).

From 2019, all Senior NPLWA clubs, and State League Division One clubs seeking to meet eligibility criteria for promotion to the NPLWA, will be required to have either Junior NPLWA teams or Junior Leagues teams in U12, U13, U14 and U15 competitions. Clubs with teams in the NPLWA Junior competitions and State League Division One clubs seeking promotion to the Senior NPLWA will be required to comply with Junior NPLWA criteria, including having an accredited Technical Director and coaches for each team. However, from 2019 a senior club promoted to the NPLWA would not have its junior teams automatically promoted into the Junior NPLWA. While applying Junior NPLWA criteria to clubs seeking promotion into the Senior NPLWA exposes greater numbers of junior players to improved standards of coaching, preventing their immediate promotion into the Junior NPLWA ensures players do not face competitive standards that are beyond their capabilities. Inclusion in the Junior NPLWA will only be achieved through planned expansion and selection and will include consideration of geographic location, club capacity, population growth and local support.

16 That the structure remain NPL, State League division 1 and State League division 2.

As WA’s premier football competition, the NPLWA will remain as a single, preeminent competition with State League Division One and State League Division Two operating underneath. As per Recommendation 17, the structure of the NPLWA competition will be reviewed in 2020.

17 That the number of teams and the structure for the NPL be reviewed and modified as required during the 2020 season for implementation in the 2021 season.

Football West will work with relevant stakeholders to consider the long-term structure and composition of the NPLWA competition.

NUMBER OF NPL JUNIOR CLUBS

18 That the Junior NPL move to 24 teams for the 2018 season (as per the structure and format in section 4.4.3 of the report).

Football West will implement a revised Junior NPLWA structure in 2018. Following an initial assessment of clubs, which included consideration of teams in junior competitions, average table positions, ground availability, facility standards, geographic location and recent junior registration growth, Football West determined not to immediately expand the Junior NPLWA to 24 clubs. However, in accordance with the intent of the 2017 Competition Rules, should a State League club be successful in being promoted into the Senior NPLWA competition, Football West will also promote their junior teams into the Junior NPLWA

competition. An independent club audit determined that Forrestfield United and South West Phoenix are the only State League Division One clubs that meet the current promotion eligibility criteria and, given South West Phoenix has existing Junior NPL teams, the Junior NPLWA will only be automatically expanded in 2018 in the event that Forrestfield is promoted at senior level. Football West will work with relevant stakeholders to consider a framework for expansion of the Junior NPLWA competition in future seasons. This will ensure that any expansion is undertaken in a planned and transparent manner. From 2018, the Junior NPLWA structure will be guided by the conference model described in 4.4.3 of the NPLWA Review Report. This model combines an overall club structure in the first stage of the season with age-specific performance-based divisional leagues in the second stage. This is described in Appendix B (Junior Model).

19 That Football West invite clubs who are not currently in the NPL to nominate to join the Junior NPL for the 2018 season and undertake an assessment and selection process based upon the new Junior NPL eligibility criteria.

The Junior NPLWA will not be expanded in 2018 except through promotion from the State League, as per Recommendation 18.

20 As per recommendation 6, that all Junior NPL clubs be assessed/audited in relation to the new Junior NPL criteria with all clubs needing to meet this criteria by the mid-point of the 2019 season in order to remain in the NPL Junior competition.

Compliance with the new Junior NPLWA criteria will be assessed as part of annual compliance audits. From 2019, the assessment will extend to the junior structures of those NPLWA Senior clubs that do not have teams in the Junior NPLWA.

21 That both the number of teams and the structure for the Junior NPL be reviewed and modified as

required during the 2020 season for implementation in the 2021 season.

Football West will work with relevant stakeholders to consider the long-term structure and composition of the Junior NPLWA competition.

22 That from the 2018 season on the NPL Junior competition commence with U/13’s. With U/12’s to play on a smaller pitch with nine (9) a side.

This will also be implemented across all Junior Leagues as per the recommendation of Football Federation Australia. Reducing the number of players in each team at U12 level increases the amount of time each player has on the ball, increasing enjoyment of the game and impacting positively on player development.

23 That Football West develop a package for parents and significant others that explains the principles of talent development and how these are reflected in the coaching and playing methodologies at the various age groups: Skill Acquisition Phase (SAP) age groups U9 – U13 Game Training Phase (GTP) age groups U14 – U16 Performance Phase (PP) age groups U/18 and above as seniors And part of the Technical Directors role be to meet with all teams (parents and significant others) both prior to and during the season to explain these principles and how these are reflected in the coaching and playing methodologies at the various age groups.

Football West will develop this as part of a package and provide support to Technical Directors and other football stakeholders.

PROMOTION AND RELEGATION

24 That promotion and relegation apply at NPL, State League division 1 and State League division 2.

Football West and the football community, as evidenced through the Review, strongly support promotion

and relegation as a key football principle at senior level. There will be no promotion and relegation at Junior NPLWA level to ensure development, rather than performance, remains the key focus. See Recommendation 26 for more information.

25 That the bottom team in the Senior NPL automatically be relegated. In the event that the winner of State League division 1 does not meet/comply with the Senior NPL eligibility criteria, the second team in State League division 1 (subject to compliance) and the side relegated from the Senior NPL will play off to determine which club will play in the Senior NPL in the following season. In the event that neither the winner nor the 2nd team in the State League division 1 (subject to compliance) meet/comply with the Senior NPL eligibility criteria that the third team in State League division 1 and the side relegated from the Senior NPL play off to determine which club will play in the Senior NPL in the following season. In the event that neither the winner nor the 2nd or 3rd teams in the State League division 1 meet/comply with the Senior NPL eligibility criteria, the side relegated from the Senior NPL will be invited to remain in the Senior NPL in the following season.

Promotion and relegation is a key aspect of football. Play-off matches add an element of drama and excitement during the closing stages of the season and will continue to be included as part of the Competition Rules.

26 That as per recommendation 18, no promotion and relegation apply to the NPL Junior competition (Note. Recommendations 19 and 21 also apply).

Football West will continue to ensure that there is no promotion and relegation within the Junior NPLWA Competition.

27 That the promotion and relegation policies and procedures for both the NPL Senior and Junior competitions be reviewed and modified as required during the 2020 season for implementation in the 2021 season.

Football West will work with relevant stakeholders to consider the promotion and relegation policies and procedures as part of the longer-term strategy for the competition.

WOMEN’S/FEMALE FOOTBALL

28 That a separate review should be conducted as soon as practicable into Women’s / Female Football in Western Australia, including but not limited to the feasibility of establishing a Women’s / Female NPL.

Football West will be commencing a review and development of a Female Football Plan in 2017. This will be informed through the development of the Football West Strategic Plan.

SALARY CAP, PLAYER PAYMENTS AND PLAYER POINTS SYSTEM

29 That the salary cap be retained with measures put into place so that there is greater accountability and transparency (clubs and players).

Football West will work with clubs and players to assist them in adhering to the National Registration Regulations, which provides that any player who is paid more than $100 per week must be registered on a professional contract unless the club can satisfy the competition administrator that the amount paid accurately reflects the expenses incurred by that amateur. This will assist in measuring player payments and encourage clubs to provide adequate benefits to players.

30 That Football West further investigate and implement the Statutory Declaration concept and also measures similar to the WACFL.

Football West will investigate measures to increase accountability and transparency around the salary cap during the 2018 season.

31 Football West work with the NPL Standing Committee to highlight any suggested amendments to the rules associated with the Player Points System, with a focus on changes that promote the development of local players. And these be presented to FFA with the view to any agreed changes coming into effect at the start of the 2018 NPL season.

Football West will consult with the NPLWA Standing Committee, Football Federation Australia and other stakeholders, regarding possible changes, as part of the development of an NPLWA Strategy as detailed in Recommendation 46.

32 That the Senior NPL competition move to 180 player points for the 2019 season. This gives all Clubs time to plan and recruit so that this reduced allocation can be complied with.

Football West will examine the feasibility of making amendments to the player points in conjunction with the NPLWA Standing Committee and Football Federation Australia. In addition, Football West will work with the State League Standing Committee and State League clubs to review the application of a Player Points System as part of the State League Competition.

FEES AND TRANSPARENCY

33 That Football West as part of the eligibility criteria make it mandatory for all NPL clubs (Senior and Junior) to provide all members with financial statements (profit and loss and balance sheets), such that all members can clearly see the income and expenditure for the club including but not limited to player payments. In addition provide a breakdown on what the fees are used for. For example: $100 on general admin, $300 coaching, $50 ground maintenance, $200 on kit = $650. And that a meeting open to all members must be held on an annual basis prior to 30 June at which this information is presented and members provided with an opportunity to raise queries. All members must be advised a minimum of one (1) month prior to this meeting.

Incorporated clubs are required to provide financial statements to their members during their Annual General Meeting. Under the current eligibility criteria, NPLWA clubs are also required to provide this information to Football West on request. A fee breakdown template will be developed and provided to clubs. Football West will require clubs to distribute the fee breakdown at a meeting separate to the Annual General Meeting and also provide this information upon player registration through MyFootballClub.

34 That Football West must also be advised one (1) month prior to the meeting and they (Football West) have the option to attend or for an independent representative appointed by Football West to attend.

Football West will communicate with clubs in further detail on this requirement in 2018.

35 Football West itself and/or in association with the NPL Junior clubs examine ways that scholarships or some other form of financial assistance can be provided where an individual or family is unable to pay the required fees.

To be considered as part of an NPLWA Strategy. See Recommendation 46 and Recommendation 36.

36 Football West in association with the NPL Junior clubs and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (formerly the Department of Sport and Recreation) work to ensure that all potential NPL players and their families are aware of and where eligible apply for KidSport funding.

Football West will inform registered players and clubs regarding available funding and scholarships. This will occur before the start of each new season from 2018.

GAME DAY EXPERIENCE

37 Football West in association with the NPL Senior clubs develop and implement a marketing and

communications plan.

Football West will work with clubs to develop a marketing and communications plan. The plan must abide by the NPLWA Communication and Marketing Guidelines provided by Football Federation Australia. The development of the plan will occur alongside the development of the NPLWA Strategy.

38 Football West in association with the NPL Senior clubs examine ways to provide a game day experience that results in increased attendance.

Accepted and to be considered as part of an NPLWA Strategy detailed in Recommendation 46.

39 Football West introduce an award for NPL Senior Club of the Year, NPL Junior Club of the Year and NPL Club of the Year.

Football West will introduce an award program that celebrates good practice clubs within the Senior and Junior NPLWA competition, including both on-field and off-field components.

40 Football West in association with the NPL Senior clubs and other key stakeholders such as the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (formerly the Department of Sport and Recreation) and Local Government’s develop and implement a Facilities Master Plan that includes but is not limited to the shared use of facilities.

Football West will consider this as part of the development of a Strategic Plan. Football West has worked with clubs in 2017 to develop a baseline framework on facility standards, governance arrangements and coach accreditation.

PLAYER MOBILITY

41 Football West consult with NPL Senior clubs, the Professional Footballers Australia and NPL Senior players and further examine issues such as the frequency of player movement between clubs, the capacity / availability for players to move clubs, transfer windows etc.

Football West will continue to assess player mobility in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders, including Football Federation Australia and Professional Footballers Australia. Internationally, player movement is governed by FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. Player movement is also governed by Football Federation Australia’s National Registration Regulations, which restrict the circumstances in which a player can play for multiple clubs and also provides specific procedures for mid-season transfers.

COACHING QUALIFICATIONS

42 Football West in association with clubs re-assess coach accreditation requirements. The aim being to improve standards within the capacity of the clubs.

In addition to internal assessment conducted before the start of each season, Football West will work with stakeholders to assess the requirements for coaching accreditation. This will include consideration of:

Current and planned coach accreditation requirements in other NPLWA competitions. Existing capacity of clubs and Football West. Coaching accreditation standards desired by FIFA and Football Federation Australia. Means of reducing the time and cost of the accreditation process, without impacting quality.

43 Football West determine its own position and then if appropriate consult with FFA regarding ways to reduce costs and time but not impact quality regarding coach accreditation. Including but not limited to some of the content and assessment being online. This may result in decreasing the cost and should result in decreasing the time required.

Football West will investigate opportunities to reduce the cost and time associated with completing coaching courses. Football West’s Technical Manager will be accredited to deliver B-Licence courses, which will remove the need for coaches to travel interstate for this qualification.

GOVERNANCE REQUIREMENTS

44 That Football West establish a separate Junior NPL Standing Committee to represent the interests of all clubs involved in the Junior NPL. This committee shall be solely responsible for making recommendations to the Football West Board regarding, and in the best interests of the Junior NPL competition.

Football West is currently reviewing the Football West By-Laws and this will form part of the review and development process. It is anticipated that this will be implemented prior to the commencement of the 2018 season. The current NPLWA Standing Committee will become the Senior NPLWA Standing Committee. Members of the new Junior NPLWA Standing Committee will include, but not be limited to, nominated representatives from Junior NPLWA clubs competing in the current competition season.

FEEDBACK AND IMPLEMENTATION

45 Football West provide a series of feedback meetings/workshops to ensure that all stakeholders receive feedback on the project report and recommendations, which recommendations Football West will endorse and implement and the general direction and vision for football in Western Australia for the next 5-10 years.

Independent consultants delivered presentations to the NPLWA and State League standing committees on July 24. Football West will hold two additional workshops for the football community, allowing for further feedback to be incorporated into the NPLWA Strategy (please see Recommendation 46).

46 Football West develop an implementation plan and as part of this consider continuing with either or both the Board Appointed Sub-Committee and the Project Reference Group.

Football West will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in implementing the recommendations, as well as developing a longer-term strategy for the NPLWA.

Appendix A: Strategic Focuses of the Senior and Junior NPLWA

The purpose of the NPLWA Review was to establish a framework for the NPLWA competition over

the next five years. One of the key areas in scope was competition design, including the structure of

the Senior and Junior NPLWA components.

The NPLWA Review surveys suggested that stakeholders view the Junior NPLWA primarily as a

development league.

Figure 1: Top three highest responses to ‘What do you see as the main purpose of the JNPL?’

By contrast, stakeholders view the Senior NPLWA primarily as an elite competition.

Figure 2: Top three highest responses to ‘What do you see as the main purpose of the SNPL?’

Additionally, one of the key findings from the NPLWA review was that:

0 20 40 60 80

Development Pathway

Improve standard of WA football

Provide high-standard competition for children

Times Selected

0 10 20 30 40

Provide a high standard football competition for

talented players

Create a clear elite player development pathway

Provide a highly viewed spectator sport that

generates advertising and broadcasting revenue

Times Selected

“At the club level, some NPL clubs are able to effectively deliver both the Junior development and the

Senior performance focus. However some clubs are strongly focused on their seniors and winning the

Premiership (performance) to the detriment of their juniors. Whereas some clubs are content to be a

development pathway for juniors and don’t provide a pathway to the elite senior competition. Ideally

any new model would allow clubs to focus on the area where they have expertise and desire to focus.

This could be:

• Development – with a focus on juniors

• Performance – with a focus on seniors

Ideally a club (all clubs) would be able to balance Development and Performance, however there is

strong evidence to support that is currently not always the case and is unlikely to be the case moving

forward.”

While Football West acknowledges that Football Federation Australia prefers NPLWA clubs to consist

of teams from U13 to the senior first team, the current competition structure is not aligned with the

strategic focuses of the Senior and Junior NPLWA competitions, as suggested by the review. This has

created the following issues:

1. Not all clubs are able to balance development and performance. However, the current criteria

requires Senior NPLWA clubs to promote their juniors into the NPLWA, regardless of their ability.

This has resulted in large score differentials, which is not aligned with the goal of developing

talented junior players.

2. When a senior club is promoted, juniors are automatically promoted. However, every time a senior

club is relegated, their juniors remain in the NPLWA competition. This allows the number of junior

teams to expand indefinitely through promotion and relegation. This is not aligned with the goal of

providing access in appropriate areas.

In order to ensure a pathway from juniors to seniors, Senior NPLWA clubs without Junior NPLWA

teams will be required to have:

Junior Leagues teams in U13, U14, U15 and U16 competitions.

A Technical Director with minimum B Licence coaching accreditation.

Coaches with a minimum C Licence for U13, U14, U15 and U16 teams.

They will also be required to meet all other aspects of Junior NPLWA compliance.

*IN THE EVENT THAT A CLUB IS PROMOTED TO THE JUNIOR NPL AT THE END OF THE 2017 SEASON,

THERE WILL BE TWO CONFERENCES OF SEVEN CLUBS AND ONE OF EIGHT. IN THE SECOND STAGE OF

THE SEASON, THERE WILL BE TWO DIVISIONS OF SIX CLUBS AND TWO OF FIVE.

AT THE COMPLETION OF THE CONFERENCE STAGE, TEAMS IN EACH AGE GROUP WILL COMPETE IN DIVISIONS DETERMINED BY THEIR TEAM PERFORMANCE. DIVISIONS WILL BE DETERMINED AS BELOW:

DIVISION ONE - SIX TEAMS, 10 GAMES (FIVE HOME AND AWAY)The top two teams from each conference.DIVISION TWO - FIVE TEAMS, EIGHT GAMES (FOUR HOME AND AWAY)The thiThe third-placed teams from each conference.The two best fourth-placed teams.DIVISION THREE - FIVE TEAMS, EIGHT GAMES (FOUR HOME AND AWAY)The third best fourth-placed team.The three fifth-placed teams.The best sixth-placed team.DIVISION FOUR - FIVE TEAMS, EIGHT GAMES (FOUR HOME AND AWAY)All All remaining teams.

APPENDIX B

IN 2019, THE COMPETITION WILL BE RESET AND CLUBS WILL BE ALLOCATED TO FLAT-STRUCTURE CONFERENCES AS DESCRIBED IN 4.4.3 (OPTION B) OF THE NPLWA REVIEW REPORT BEFORE PROGRESSING TO DIVISIONS IN THE SECOND STAGE OF THE SEASON.

DIVISIONS66777

DIVISION FOUR4

5556

DIVISION THREE3

3344

DIVISION TWO1

11222

DIVISION ONE

1346791212

2255881111

1346791010

12345677

12345677

12345677

BLUE CONFERENCE

WHITE CONFERENCE

BLACK CONFERENCE

CONFERENCES

MODELJUNIOR

FOR THE PURPOSES OF DETERMINING A FLAT-STRUCTURE OF THREE CONFERENCES, CLUBS WILL BE RANKED BASED ON THE COMBINED 2017 RESULTS OF NPL TEAMS (GREEN AND ORANGE) IN ALL AGE GROUPS.

THEY WILL BE PLACED INTO BLUE, WHITE AND BLACK CONFERENCES ACCORDING TO THE ADJACENT DIAGRAM.

TEAMS WILL PLTEAMS WILL PLAY AGAINST OTHERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CONFERENCES OVER 12 GAMES (SIX HOME AND AWAY).