The Australian Championship kicked off on Friday night at Lakeside Stadium in suburban Melbourne, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of over 6000 fans, vividly illustrating the event’s impact.

South Melbourne, the home club where Ange Postecoglou established his reputation as a staunch defender in the National Soccer League (NSL) before moving into coaching, triumphed over Sydney Olympic FC 3-2 in a thrilling match.

Though only extending until early December, the newly formed second division with 16 teams is seen by many die-hard football fans nationwide as a long-awaited development.

Looking ahead to 2025, the rebranded Wests APIA FC, Sydney United, and Marconi possess rich football legacies, while Heidelberg United FC demonstrated their prowess by advancing to 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.  

Additionally in the Australian Championship, Wollongong Wolves stand as former NSL champions, and teams like Preston Lions, Avondale FC, and Canberra Croatia consistently deliver exciting performances in their respective state leagues.

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.

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.

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.’