Canberra United gets 'observer' status in new W-League, A-League model

Capital Football boss Phil Brown has backed the a new independently-run structure to thrive, with the governance to mirror that of major leagues in Europe.

The Football Federation Australia will surrender control of the A-League after an in-principle agreement was struck earlier this week.

It is not known how that will affect Canberra's hopes of securing an A-League licence in the future despite the FFA nominating the capital's bid as one of the next in line to join the competition.

The new entity will manage the A-League, W-League and youth league in Australia, with a transition from FFA in time for next season.

A governing body will be established to run the professional game while the FFA will continue to look after national teams and development pathways.

It will be overseen by an independent chairperson and representatives from each club, with two additional representatives from the FFA.

Women's team side Canberra United will participate with "observer" status because its only holds a W-League licence.

Capital Football boss Phil Brown believes the agreement will work in the best interests of the sport and encourages the new co-owners to work towards granting Canberra an A-League licence.

"Overtime should a licence be provided to Canberra for the A-League I'm sure there would a seat at the table for an entity of the club," Brown said.

"We've appreciated the support by the FFA with Canberra United. As we move into the future hopefully there's a licence for an A-League team in Canberra.

"Together with the new party, hopefully we're able to realise the commercial benefit of independently having a brand."

The New Leagues Working Group was established by the FFA last year to determine the independence model and provide recommendations for its implementation and governance.

But it has added another layer of uncertainty to Canberra's hopes of joining the professional men's competition.

The FFA has been supportive of having a team in the capital, despite snubbing Michael Caggiano's bid at the end of last year.

Canberra supporters raised the issue at a fan forum earlier this year, asking why the FFA refused to grant the capital a provisional licence before they conceded control of the A-League.

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"I have every confidence that the bid team will put a great case forward for Canberra," Brown said.

It's hoped the new operating model will lead to significant investment in the A-League, which could help Canberra's case should financial supporters put forward a lucrative bid.

"The concept of having independence for the clubs will certainly motivate the financial supporters of any new potential A-League club," Brown said.

Additional investment from all clubs will benefit the long-term future of the W-League. Brown hopes co-owners will improve conditions of the league and work towards a full home-and-away season.

"We'd love to see a full home-and-away season," Brown said.

"The FFA were working towards that and we certainly encourage the new co-owners of the league to try and achieve that as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile Capital Football is preparing for the Kanga Cup, which is the largest football tournament in the southern hemisphere.

Canberra will host 324 youth teams from across the country, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines.

"It's no small feat co-coordinating a competition with over a thousand games in total," Brown said.

"It's a big effort but the staff at Capital Football and volunteers have done really well."

The week-long tournament will kick-off with an opening ceremony on Sunday where the teams will marshal on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin. The opening matches will take place on the east and western lawns in front of Old Parliament House following the ceremony.