Surf Coast FC are the second team to withdraw from the National Premier League in Victoria (NPLV), revealed in a statement by Football Federation Victoria (FFV) on Friday.
Outlining the signed licence agreements and junior and senior competition structures for the 2014 season, the FFV announced that Surf Coast FC would be the second team alongside Eastern Lions to withdraw from the state’s second tier competition.
“Eastern Lions and Surf Coast have decided not to accept the offer of an NPL licence,” the statement said.
FFV also confirmed that Eastern Jets and Border FC had defered their licences until the 2015 season.
The decision leaves both NPL and NPL 1 with 14 teams each in Victoria, while the under-20 competition will consist of 14 teams each in both east and west conferences.
People have already taken to social media to voice their displeasure at the decision that will “leave dozen[s] of kids stranded”, with one follower saying, “I can’t believe the club went to all that trouble then pull out so soon. Geelong needs two clubs for balance.”
Another said, “I also feel gutted for all the children that had their hopes and dreams based at GO ROAR.”
FFV will release the NPL fixtures on Wednesday, February 26, with the competition rules to be announced on Tuesday, March 4.
Here is the final league structure:
[ws_table id=”65″]