10 team First Division to headline major tourny revamp

Tonci PRUSAC

GEELONG - A ten team Division One competition and promotion and relegation to and from Division Two are set to be introduced at this year's Australian Croatian Soccer Tournament as part of a major revamp of the popular annual sporting/cultural event.

Following discussions between the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand (Savez) and the hosting club, North Geelong Warriors, it has been confirmed that this year's tournament will see the introduction of a Men's Division 1 and Division 2 competition.

The ten combatants in the elite division will for the first year be selected according to a ranking system of the various leagues Australia wide, which has been devised based according to a Football Federation Australia formula.

Although both the Savez and the tournament organisers concede that this could open up a 'can of worms' and leave them prone to complaints from clubs forced into the second division, Savez president Ivan Vuletic is adamant the ambitious rankings system will work.

''There will be teething problems in the first year, as there are those ambitious clubs who want to play at the top level, despite being of an amateur/recreational status. It will be up to them to prove on the park that they deserve a spot in the top tier, alongside the Melbourne Knights, Sydney Uniteds, Adelaide Croatias and Canberra Croatias,'' Vuletic explained.

According to Vuletic, the top team from Division Two will gain promotion to Division One, while the bottom ranked team from Division One will be relegated to Division Two in 2009.

''To make the stakes even higher and to hopefully ensure the country's top Croatian soccer clubs attend every tournament with their best possible teams, in the event of a Division One team not turning up to a tournament the following year, they would automatically gain Division Two status.''

According to the head of the Geelong tournament's football operations, Joe Zilic, to give the organisers ample time to prepare, all member clubs of the Savez will be sent a first reminder around July and then a second one in August.

''Most states/territories are still going strong in their leagues at that stage, so they should be able to acknowledge what level of participation they will be looking at in the tournament.

''All finals for all divisions will be at North's stadium at Elcho Park, starting on the Saturday afternoon. As Division 2 winners are identified, they will need to come to Elcho Park from nearby Myers Reserve, which is roughly ten minutes from Elcho Park. They will have a little time to do that before their games begin,'' he explained.

According to Zilic, a basic structural draft fixture has already been compiled.

''The semi-finalists for both the Women's and Division 1 competitions will be the top two teams from each of the two groups, while in Division 2 only the winner from each of the eight proposed groups will advance through to the next stage - the quarter finals.'' he concluded.

The key, now, will be for the organisers to get an early commitment from all the member clubs intending to participate at this year's tournament.