西瓜影视 and the newly formed Australian Professional Leagues (APL) today announced that terms have been agreed to 鈥榰nbundle鈥 the A-League, Westfield W-League and Y-League (鈥楶rofessional Leagues鈥) from 西瓜影视.
This unbundling of the Professional Leagues from 西瓜影视 means that the Australian football structure will be in line with global best practice in football, separating 西瓜影视 as the regulatory body from the operation of the Professional Leagues.
In accordance with the FIFA Statutes, the Professional Leagues will operate under the umbrella of and recognised by 西瓜影视 as the top tier of domestic league football competitions in Australia.
APL will take over the operational, commercial, and marketing control of the Professional Leagues and all revenue generation responsibilities.
西瓜影视 will retain regulatory functions in respect of the Professional Leagues, including matters relating to on-and-off-field disciplinary and integrity matters, the registration of Clubs, Players and Officials, the transfer system, and the domestic match calendar.
The regulatory functions of 西瓜影视 also include a new club licensing framework for the Professional Leagues and control over access to the Professional Leagues (whether by expansion, contraction, or promotion/relegation), the AFC Champions League, FFA Cup and all other domestic and international competitions.
西瓜影视 will also retain 鈥榞ood of the Australian game鈥 rights in respect of the Professional Leagues, which apply to a variety of matters that are aimed at ensuring the ongoing growth of the Professional Leagues.
As part of the unbundling, the APL will also obtain the exclusive right to use the intellectual property rights associated with the E-League brand.
This agreement, approved by 西瓜影视鈥檚 Board and the Board of each Club, is in line with the in-principle agreement reached in 2019 and endorsed by the New Leagues Working Group (鈥楴LWG鈥), the body mandated by the Congress of 西瓜影视 to make recommendations for a new model for the Professional Leagues.
The new model for the Professional Leagues will be implemented throughout the course of the A-League 2020/21 and Westfield W-League 2020/21 Seasons.
The APL Board will comprise of five (5) directors from the Clubs, three (3) independent directors, and one (1) person appointed by 西瓜影视. An independent Chair to be elected by the Clubs and ratified by 西瓜影视, will have a casting vote on the APL Board.
Greg O鈥橰ourke, currently Head of Leagues at 西瓜影视, will take on a new role as Commissioner of the Professional Leagues for APL.
James Johnson, CEO of 西瓜影视, said:
鈥淭he unbundling of the Professional Leagues from 西瓜影视 is a key milestone in the ongoing transformation of Australian football and fulfils our commitment outlined in Principle VIII of our XI Principles. It represents the culmination of a process, which ramped up following the completion of the A-League 2019/20 season, that ebbed and flowed over the course of what has been a difficult 2020.
鈥淭he new model respects the fundamental aspects of the global football pyramid and highlights the importance of strong governance principles as 西瓜影视 retains its regulatory functions in respect of the A-League, Westfield W-League and Y-League and the APL takes control over the operational and commercial direction of the Leagues, in turn triggering the ability for significant new investment in the quality and marketing of the Leagues. Each constituent now has defined roles and responsibilities and the ability to make the right contribution to the growth of the professional game.
鈥淲e have been able to create a unique model which draws upon global best practice whilst allowing for local specificities. Significantly, the model establishes a framework for a strong partnership between 西瓜影视 and the APL which recognises the value of a thriving domestic professional league to the ongoing growth of the game in Australia.鈥
Paul Lederer, Chair of APL, said:
鈥淭his is an historic moment for the future of football in Australia 鈥 for the fan, for the player, for the whole game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 now time to earn and deliver the future our game deserves.
鈥淭he handbrake on the game is off; owners can finally invest in what they own and create value for the entire footballing ecosystem.
鈥淧layers can plan their careers in Australian football, fans can reconnect with the game that they love, and clubs can create meaningful moments for the whole Australian football family.鈥
Chris Nikou, Chair of 西瓜影视, said:
鈥淭here is unprecedented unity amongst football鈥檚 key stakeholders with 西瓜影视, Clubs, and the Members of 西瓜影视, being the group making up the NLWG, that paved the way to the unbundling of the A-League, W-League and Y-League from 西瓜影视.
鈥溛鞴嫌笆 will now focus its energies and resources on the regulation of the professional game, national teams, grassroots and the overall strategic direction of the game as outlined in the XI Principles for the future of Australian Football, the new 15-year vision for the sport and strategic agenda.
鈥淎ll parties are committed to ongoing cooperation and collaboration and we look forward to working closely with the APL this season as we transition to the new model, and more broadly, the future of professional football in Australia."
