WITH changes to the makeup of Australian football’s governance now confirmed following a long-running power struggle, many are wondering what impact the overhaul will have on the impending expansion of the A-League.

An announcement of the two new teams to be added to the league from the 2019-20 season had been scheduled for October 31, but that timeline could be set for a delay.

LISTEN: FOX FOOTBALL PODCAST

Fox Sports News 500’s Daniel Garb, Fox Football broadcaster Simon Hill and Fairfax journo Dom Bossi wrap up what’s been a huge week in football!

Steven Lowy will preside over his final meeting as FFA chairman on October 15, as his board make a decision on whether to proceed with the process as scheduled.

Speaking on the Fox Football Podcast, Fairfax journalist Dominic Bossi suggested a delay in the process of just a few months could see the entry of the new teams pushed back by an entire season.

“There will be a meeting on October 15, the last board meeting under Steven Lowy’s tenure. And they’ll decide then whether to proceed with expansion or perhaps just make a brief recommendation and pass it onto the incoming board - who will be able to decide or delay or do whatever they want to do,” Bossi said.

“They might not see the expansion process in the same light that the current board did. So even a delay of a few months would actually lead to a delay of another season. That’s the issue.”

Fox Football reporter Daniel Garb added that a delay in the process would be ‘hugely deflating for the league.”

“We can’t afford to have that, we need expansion now. Too much has been done, too many people have worked too hard, and too many people are excited by it. Fans and the media like, we’ve got to roll with it.”

Ambassadors for the combined United For Macarthur and South West Sydney FC A-League bid Brett Emerton (left) and Nick Carle Source: AAP

HERE’S THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE CHAT ON THE FOX FOOTBALL PODCAST:

Daniel Garb: “That’s the big question now; people are really worried, is this going to delay expansion?”

Dominic Bossi: “It certainly could. There are a few board members, that I’ve been informed of, that are questioning whether they now have the responsibility or the duty to proceed with expansion on the present timeline.

“Well it was a mandate, it was also, it’s written in a clause that they can delay it or suspend it at their behest.”

“So there will be a meeting on October 15, the last board meeting under Steven Lowy’s tenure. And they’ll decide then whether to proceed with expansion or perhaps just make a brief recommendation and pass it onto the incoming board - who will be able to decide or delay or do whatever they want to do.

“They might not see the expansion process in the same light that the current board did. So even a delay of a few months would actually lead to a delay of another season. That’s the issue.”

Simon Hill: “The interesting one on this is, let’s be honest, the current board were not that keen on expansion. They brought it in and your colleague Mick Lynch at The Age, wrote a great piece where he called it a grave example of gunboat diplomacy. You know, start a small shooting war elsewhere, and divert attention from the real issue. And that’s what they did. So I’m not sure that the current board was ever that sold on expansion, but they told us for 2 years ‘we can’t do it, got no money, it won’t work,’ and then all of a sudden we’re having expansion.

“But the bottom line is we need it. We desperately need it as a league. And I hope it’s still going to happen, desperately hope it’s still going to happen”

Garb: “The wheels are in motion with too much fire on expansion for it to be shelved now.

Hill: “It won’t be shelved, but it might be delayed.”

Bossi: “At worst it will be delayed. Everyone is for expansion, there are some debates about the manner in which it should take place, the number of teams, but the worst case scenario that I see it, is that it could be delayed by a year or two in terms of teams coming in.

Garb: “I don’t think we can cop that though. And if that does happen, and it’s the new board that decides that, it’s the biggest I told you so from the old board. They’ll say ‘there you go, sel-interest, the owners they don’t want people stepping on their turf, we told you this would happen.’ That would be the argument.

“We can’t afford to have that, we need expansion now. Too much has been done, too many people have worked too hard, too many people are excited by it. Fans and the media like, we’ve got to roll with it.”

Bossi: “I don’t think the FFA expected the volume of bids and the quality of bids. The quality is incredible, we’ve all spoken to people involved in certain bids, it’s just enormous the amount of investment that’s gone into the bids, the consultants, we see clubs now that want to build their own stadiums. Where was this earlier?”

Garb: “Itll be hugely deflating if it gets shelved for a year. So I think we’ve all got a responsibility to stay on the case on that one.”