The Australian Championship officially launched on Friday night at Lakeside Stadium in suburban Melbourne – and a passionate crowd of over 6000 fans told the story.
Hosts South Melbourne – where Ange Postecoglou made his name as a hard-nosed defender in the National Soccer League (NSL) before turning his attention to coaching – beat Sydney Olympic FC 3-2 in a high-quality contest.
While only running until early December, the new second division competition featuring 16 teams is long overdue in the eyes of many rusted-on football supporters across the nation.
It also follows the demise of the NSL in 2004, where many clubs had proud ethnic origins and backing.
Fast forward to 2025 and the rebranded Wests APIA FC, Sydney United and Marconi all boast illustrious football history, while Heidelberg United FC showed their class by reaching the Australia Cup final recently.
Along the way the Melbourne outfit beat A-League clubs Western Sydney Wanderers, Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC convincingly.
Given the ‘Bergers’ are all part-time footballers, it was an extraordinary Cup run.
Elsewhere in the Australian Championship, Wollongong Wolves are former NSL winners, and the likes of Preston Lions, Avondale FC and Canberra Croatia usually turn on the style in their respective state leagues.
The Australian Championship officially launched on Friday night (pictured) at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne – and a passionate crowd of over 6000 fans told the story
Former NSL champions South Melbourne beat Sydney Olympic FC 3-2 (pictured) in a high-quality contest
Once the official crowd number of 6,825 was confirmed on Friday night, it didn’t take long for fans to voice their opinions on X (pictured)
Another coup for the Australian Championship is the fact SBS are broadcasting games over the next couple of months (pictured, a fan watching the action at home on Friday)
Once the official crowd number of 6,825 was confirmed on Friday night from Lakeside Stadium, it didn’t take long for fans to voice their opinions on X.
‘Three worldies [great goals] and a late winner. Could we have dreamt up a better opening game?,’ asked one.
‘So fulfilling to see this vision come to life,’ posted another.
‘Bigger than some A-League crowds,’ a third felt.
‘Australian soccer didn’t start in 2005 [with the A-League]. This [South Melbourne] is a team with real history and tradition. They will always have something A-League clubs never will,’ a fourth said.
Another coup for the Australian Championship is the fact SBS are broadcasting games over the next couple of months.
Football Australia CEO Heather Garriock stressed last month the Australian Championship isn’t just about results.
‘It’s about opportunity – for players, for clubs and for the communities who have always been the heartbeat of our sport,’ she said.
In contrast, the A-League has been running for 20 years, but is fading into obscurity.
Dwight Yorke was a massive coup for the A-League in 2005 – but since then marquee signings of his pedigree have been few and far between
Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero lit up the competition after signing with Sydney FC (pictured, celebrating a goal in 2012 against Western Sydney Wanderers)
While the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke and Robbie Fowler were instant hits for the A-League given their respective football pedigrees, crowd numbers have dropped off alarmingly in recent years.
The demise of Western United in August was another blow the embattled competition didn’t need, and on Friday, Mark Jackson quit as head coach of the Central Coast Mariners to pursue a fresh opportunity overseas.
It comes just a week before the 2025-26 A-League men’s season begins.
Tellingly, A-League fixtures are set to clash with Australian Championship games over the next few months.
Some fans will be forced to choose where they will get their football fix – and the answer could be grim for the A-League.
But as many fans will attest to, as long as professional clubs on local shores aren’t threatened by the prospect of relegation each season, mediocrity will follow.
Meanwhile, those featuring in the Australian Championship know it is a chance to show what they can do on a higher stage.
Wests APIA FC striker Jack Stewart is one such star.
Wests APIA FC striker Jack Stewart (pictured left) is using the Australian Championship to show football coaches and scouts he has what it takes to be a professional footballer
Five years ago, Stewart feared his chance at making it in professional football was over before it started.
The former Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC youth player travelled to the US for an opportunity to break into the Major League Soccer (MLS) through the college system.
Then the world shut down during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
‘Everything was kind of closed, so I just had to start again,’ he told the ABC.
Now 27, the high school teacher still yearns to be a professional footballer.
‘This [second division competition] is a great opportunity,’ he said.
‘I don’t have that long either….I’ve got to enjoy these moments because I don’t know how many chances I’m going to get at this.’
