The head of the National Premier League Victoria, and the Victorian Women’s Premier League (WPL) and has explained that women’s football in the state wasn’t ready for the NPL to be implemented ahead of the 2014 season.
Speaking during the launch of the new Sportsmart Women’s Premier League season, Bentley stated that Football Federation Victoria (FFV) were reluctant to rush into an NPL women’s format, instead opting to asses the success and limitations of the recently restructured mens product at seasons end.
“To be honest it probably wasn’t a bad thing that the woman’s NPL never got up given the speed at which the mens NPL got up,” Bentley said.
“I think having this year to learn from any mistakes and learn from experiences with the mens NPL will actually allow us to have a much better woman’s product come 2015.
“I think that allows us to to actually really get to grips with the clubs any get to grips with the FFV and what the mandate is going to be and actually be able to work to provide a really long term sustainable platform come 2015.”
The main concern for Bentley and the FFV at the moment is the gulf in class between the top clubs and the bulk of the competition.
Outside the top six teams in the WPL, the remainder find it difficult to match the best.
There is also a significant bridge between which facilities are available to certain clubs, with some unable to fulfil the NPL’s elite standards.
“Theres lots of different facets of it and when you look at the elite club licensing criteria that the NPL is based on, it comes down to governance, it comes down to player development, welfare,” he said.
“There’s a whole list of areas there that we will work with FFA to see what outcomes we want and then we’ll work realistically with the clubs, standing committees and other bodies who have a valuable input to then say alright how can we achieve those goals.
“But having sponsorship behind it and having media here is one of the main drivers in getting us up there.”
The sponsorship deal mentioned refers to the new three year partnership agreed upon by major sport retailer Sportsmart and the FFV.
Sportsmart will hold the official naming rights for the Women’s Premier League as well as all community junior leagues, additionally supplying an online store for merchandise and apparel.
“Women’s football in particular has been on the rise for some time, especially now in Victoria on the back of Melbourne Victory winning the Westfield W-League title,” Bentley said.
“We are delighted to have Sportsmart associated with the WPL.”
Additionally, FFV General Manager of Commercial, Marketing and Communications Anthony Grima, explained the benefits the Victorian football community would gain as a result of the agreement.
“This partnership will not only ensure commercial sustainability but will translate to major benefits for the entire football community,” Grima said.
“It will lift the professionalism of our organisation to a whole new level, while servicing the needs of all our key stakeholders including players, coaches, referees and most importantly our clubs, providing access to high quality teamwear, sporting equipment and retail products.”