The first football game I ever reported was an opening Round NPL 1 fixture between Springvale White Eagles and St Albans Saints last year. Having never been involved in the state leagues before, I was hoping for a low-scoring encounter to ease my way into the gig. The match eventually ended 5-3, and somewhere between frantically referring to the team sheets to match names with numbers and trying to live tweet the action, I started reconsidering my life choices.

I stuck it out, and after reporting for over a year since then, have enjoyed the charm of heading to local clubs, learning a bit about their histories, and chatting to their respective coaches and players. During this time I’ve come to form the view I probably wouldn’t have otherwise – that NPL players deserve the chance to play in the A-League via promotion and relegation with their respective clubs.

One catalyst was Melbourne City signing Harry Novillo on an injury replacement contract, making him the 29th player to be used by John van ‘t Schip this A-league season. Of the 29, only four – Stefan Mauk, Ben Garuccio, Marc Marino and Paulo Retre – were youth team regulars. They were used sparingly at best, and with the club’s injury crisis deepening at a time when the youth team won the National Youth League, not one player was promoted from the title-winning crop.

It’s become a hallmark of the once cash-strapped Melbourne Heart’s transition to resource rich Melbourne City to seek external replacements rather than promote from within, relinquishing its once notable “youth philosophy” in the process. City aren’t the only ones to engage in such transfer dealings, with most A-League clubs often preferring short-term replacements from abroad over semi-professional local players, unwilling to bring them up to speed in the A-League even if their downfall is lack of conditioning rather than ability.

At NPL level, despite gradually increasing mainstream exposure – especially via the FFA Cup – the reality is that playing career progression from Australia’s second tier still seems limited. Either continue to ply your trade in the state leagues, or seek out an overseas lower league contract. The general consensus is not to expect a serious look-in from your own premier national competition.

From an NPL club perspective, the FFA’s recent Whole of Football Plan is a kick in the guts, ensuring the A-League consists of a “managed process of “in and out” as circumstances arise, rather than a relegation and promotion system based on results,” for the next 20 years. The impression is that any continual improvement in playing and coaching standards at a state club level will have little bearing on the overall make-up of the A-League for at least the next two decades. South Melbourne – a club that makes no secret of its ambitions to one day return to the top – accused the plan of “provid[ing] no obvious club pathway that allows any club that aspires to develop and improve their process, systems and connection with their communities – or more importantly succeeds on the field – to be promoted, as occurs throughout the football world”. Melbourne Knights also released a statement outlining their concerns, before publishing an alternative plan.

There’s been lots of talk about the impact of the WOFP on NPL clubs and fans, yet one of the biggest losers in this situation will continue to be Australian NPL players. The Knights’ plan stated that “[Australia] should be aiming to develop as many players as possible to a high standard… [who] need to get an opportunity to play senior football in the highest echelons of the sport”. Whilst ambitious NPL footballers already play second fiddle to overseas based ring-ins in a league consisting of only 200 or so registered senior players, they will also have to contend with not being able to play their way to the top echelons of Australian domestic football via promotion and relegation for at least another 20 years if existing A-League clubs don’t seek their signature.

The easiest parallel I can draw is the career trajectory of Charlie Austin, who at 25 thrived in his first season in the English Premier League with promoted club QPR after years of plying his trade in the Championship and below. If English football were a closed system, there’s a risk he may never have received the opportunity to test himself at the top division, thus never realising his potential.

One of the few players to graduate from the state leagues to the A-League at a senior age is current Socceroo and St. Albans’ golden child Ivan Franjic, who also had stints at Melbourne Knights and Oakleigh Cannons before being signed by Brisbane Roar coach Frank Farina as an injury replacement player. Having never gone through junior institutions or represented Australia at youth level, Franjic worked his way to becoming a three-time A-League champion, a Socceroos World Cup squad member, and an Asian Cup champion. Had Farina not made the call, Franjic admitted he most likely would have quit the sport in his early 20’s. The scary thought here is that there are other would-be Ivan Franjics either not fulfilling their potential, or being lost from the game altogether, due to a lack of meaningful opportunity in their own homeland, despite possessing the talent and desire to make it at a higher level.

For all the tribulations he’s faced at the Jets this campaign, credit to Newcastle coach Phil Stubbins for taking a punt on ex-South Hobart and current South Melbourne forward Andy Brennan, who at 23 will be making his first foray into the A-League next season. But why shouldn’t players who have previously flirted with the A-League to no avail – such as Northcote City’s VPL winning captain Adrian Chiapetta or multiple Victorian golden boot winner Milos Lujic – not be allowed to then work their way up to the top with their respective NPL team instead?

Even at the current time, if a South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights, Heidelberg United or Bentleigh Greens were promoted to a professional environment and afforded the same backing, resources and media coverage that A-League clubs receive, would they be any less capable than Newcastle Jets or Central Coast Mariners at sustaining themselves at the highest level?

I’m no administrator, nor do I have solutions to the inevitable logistical and financial challenges to face a nation as geographically and sportingly diverse as Australia, but one idea I agree with is the A-League being accompanied by a second national division to bridge the gap between state and national competitions. It would allow ambitious NPL clubs to pursue participation at the top, while increasing the overall competitiveness of the A-League by ensuring no ‘dead rubber’ situations for clubs near the bottom of the table without a threat of relegation. An A-League and an A-League 1, run similarly to NPL and NPL 1 Victoria, could receive similar media coverage over the two divisions, with fans of established franchises relegated from the top division still remaining involved under the ‘A-League’ umbrella.

Inclusivity is the key, and while football often thrives as the most participated team sport in Australia, the huge market is still deeply fragmented. The FFA know this and have chosen to address the statistic that only 22% of junior footballers in Australia are fans of an A-League club. However, it’s hard to see the perceived apathy in the WOFP towards the plight of the state leagues improving that figure significantly anytime soon.

After that first game last season I spoke to then St Albans assistant coach Steve Lawrie, a former West Ham United youth and one time A-League player. He stated St Albans’ ambitions to gain promotion from NPL 1 to NPL in its first season in the league. It was the first time I’d ever heard anyone mention the P word seriously in Australia before, and hopefully, dialogue can continue about how to implement such a system in the A-League in the future. It may just lead to both the A-League and NPL becoming a stronger production line for future world-class Socceroos, or at the very least allow NPL players a greater chance to fulfil their potential at the highest domestic level in Australia.