A-League clubs operate under licenses which guarantee their owners a presence in the big league for a fixed period of time, so firstly all those licenses would have to run out. And the clubs would have to agree to change the set up in the knowledge that one or two of them would drop out of the top flight: turkeys don't vote for Christmas, so the likelihood of that happening is remote. Another factor mitigating against promotion and relegation is the FFA's desire to have clubs in all the major markets in the country. There are many good reasons for that, chief amongst them to popularise the sport throughout Australia and ensure it has a genuine national footprint. They are also determined to offer broadcasters a national marketplace with interest in each capital city. So how would it look for business if Adelaide and Perth Glory, for example, were relegated and replaced by South Melbourne and Sydney United, two more clubs from the already well stocked eastern seaboard?

The networks wouldn't like it, the sponsors wouldn't be happy, and neither would the fans in two of the country's biggest markets. Unless, and until, Australia evolves a strongly developed sense of fan and supporter culture its unlikely that the second tier promotion and relegation concept will fly: its hard to imagine Melbourne Victory drawing 20,000 plus crowds in the NPLV, should it be relegated, sponsors wanting to sign on or big name players wanting to join. And without the support of a big spending sponsor prepared to bankroll travel costs - or a TV network happy to show second division soccer who could supply broadcasting income - its hard to see how second tier clubs will generate the income to travel all over the country for fixtures. Of course all these things are not insurmountable, but the Australian game is often run in a way that business outcomes take precedence over sporting ones, so don't expect much change quickly. Perhaps that is understandable: it is still a developing game and financial stability for the existing clubs remains the paramount objective. Having seen numerous expansion franchises crash and burn in recent years the FFA can ill afford another failure which would damage confidence in the game, put off sponsors and make the sport a less attractive vehicle for broadcasters and the media.

Still, it is nice to imagine a landscape with two or even three divisions, with a pyramid structure of promotion and relegation - a set up where well run clubs which attract investment and improve their playing and coaching staff can ascend the ladder and reach the highest levels. As Josep Gombau, the Adelaide coach, pointed out, in a league such as this, without relegation, he doesn't feel threatened by the fear of failure as he tries to change his club's playing style and some results go against the Reds. That is good in one way, as it encourages innovation and tactical thinking outside the box, but there is no punishment - save the potential economic one of falling crowds and smaller revenues - for failure. And there is less excitement, too, even though the FFA's lop sided finals system (in which six of the competition's ten clubs make the play offs) was designed to ensure fewer dead rubbers and more games that counted for something deep into the season. Imagine if we had a four or five team finals system and two up, two down? The battles at both ends of the table would mean something and the tension could work through to the final day of the season.

Still, the ending of the civil strife in Victoria is good news for the game at all levels. The deal which has brought the recalcitrant clubs and the state bureaucracy together concluded an ugly few months in which court action and muttered threats about breakaway competitions all reared their head. Given the lengthy delays there is not much time for the clubs to be able to put their submissions in to be part of the new league, so in theory current VPL sides with existing infrastructure should be at an advantage. But it is to be hoped that at least some teams from rural and regional Victoria will get the chance to play at the highest level in the state. Because it is smaller and more compact Victoria, more than any other jurisdiction, can probably stage a truly statewide competition involving teams from towns like Ballarat, Bendigo, Morwell, Geelong and Shepparaton as well as the traditional metropolitan powerhouses.