The shock result sent reverberations around the football family and was seen by some as further proof that National Premier League clubs could play as well as the big guns and they fully deserve a spot in the competition, albeit in the second tier.

The giant-killing Tigers no doubt showed they could do it on a cold Tuesday night in suburban Sydney but the bottom line is whether they could they do it for a whole season?

Causing a one-off shock result against unsuspecting opponents is one thing, but being competitive at home and away and strong enough to deal with the ups and downs of a whole season is very different.

Football, however, is a game of opportunity that fires the imagination of us dreamers so who is to say that a second division with subsequent promotion and relegation is not the answer to the turbulence that hit the A-League from about four years ago?

The A-League and the club game in general need a breath of fresh air and a second division could just do the trick.

Putting it very simply, Australia's premier competition which is expected to be enlarged to 12 teams in the not-too-distant future could do with a facelift and the NPL clubs need something bigger and more meaningful to aspire to.

There is no doubt that a second division would be a bold step for our game that is not travelling too well at the moment and this thorny and complex issue would have to be handled with utmost diligence and intelligence.

At this point it is worth asking the million-dollar question: do the pros of a second division outweigh the cons?

More importantly, are the NPL clubs equipped to take a step forward into a second division?

Leichhardt, who are still basking in the glory of their magnificent cup win, are the team of the moment. They have no doubt that the club would be ready to play in the second tier of Australia's club scene should the opportunity arise.

But the former National Soccer League champions' enthusiasm and ambition to return to the big time come with a caveat.

"There is no point in having big dreams if we are not supported by the game's governing bodies," Leichhardt marketing and media manager Theo Fotopoulos says.

"We would need assistance with investment, marketing, strategy and recruitment ... we simply cannot do it all on our own. If this help does not eventuate we might as well stay as we are."

Leichhardt's average home gate in the NPL is about 500 but about 3000 fans turned up for the cup game against the A-League champions so the chance to watch better football will not be lost on the club's fervent fans should the Tigers achieve promotion.

Yet even if Leichhardt's average attendance in a second division would be 3000 or so, it remains to be seen if that would be enough to sustain the club whose operating costs would increase substantially if they were to join the national league.

Needless to say, there would be clubs around the country that believe that gaining access to the second division would not provide them with more serious challenges than those that they face now.

They would more than likely adopt a 'we'll keep doing what we've been doing so far' attitude but this mentality is short-sighted and fraught with danger.

You cannot expect to be financially competitive with average crowds of 3000 or 5000 fans when the costs of playing in a second tier will multiply.

You cannot expect to be competitive on a regular basis with a set of players who may overcome a big club in a one-off but could be found wanting in a league scenario that often separates the men from the boys.

Major sponsorships would have to be secured in order to strengthen and enlarge the playing squad.

This happens everywhere in the world so getting relegated (from A-League 1 to A-League 2 if you like) would not be the end of the world.

Having tasted the big time, however, relegated clubs might have an added incentive to get back to where they feel they belong. If they fail to do so then so be it.

It is what a first and second division in Australia would be all about: giving teams a chance to dream via promotion and punishing mediocrity by relegation.

It is what makes the football world go round.

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