Transparency concerns over Capital Football NPLW club cut process

But Capital Football chief executive Phil Brown was confident the board - who will make the decision at Wednesday's board meeting - would act in the best interest of ACT soccer.

A lack of female players and disparity of talent led to the governing body's premier league standing advisory committee and the technical committee deciding to remove one club to make the 2021 NPLW an eight team competition.

All clubs had to apply to be part of next year's comp, with applications closing on Monday.

Brown will process those applications before then handing a summary and recommendation to the board to make a final call at next week's meeting. Their decision will be announced next Friday.

But Leisha Lister, a board member of the World Congress on Family Law and Children's Rights, questioned the transparency of the process as well as the independence of the board members.

Capital Football has seven directors, including chairwoman Fran Sankey.

While board members aren't allowed to have an official position at a club, a lot of them are past or present players.

For example, Sankey's a life member of Weston Creek.

The Monaro Panthers, one of the teams in the firing line, said the decision to cut a club was "shortsighted".

Lister, whose daughters play for Woden-Weston, raised concerns about the process.

She also questioned why Capital Football didn't simply cut their own club Canberra United Academy and send the players back to their original clubs.

"Tell us what's going on, tell us the process and get rid of any look that could be perceived [as biased]," she told The Canberra Times.

"If I'm a member of a club ... and I'm sitting on that panel to determine who stays there, could it be perceived I've been biased?

"Yeah probably. Even if I haven't been it's a perception. You eliminate that by not having it."

MORE CANBERRA SPORT

Brown was confident the board wouldn't let their own allegiances affect their decision making.

While he said it wasn't his decision, he backed the Canberra United Academy as a valuable addition to the soccer landscape.

He said the criteria included on-field performance over the past three seasons, fielding teams in all age grades, any forfeits and coaches' qualifications, as well as future plans.

"To be eligible for the board you can't hold an official position with a club committee," Brown said.

"Everyone in football has some kind of history in the game, but the board are absolutely committed to what's in the best interests of football and I have no concerns as to the ability of the directors to endorse a position that's in the best interests of the game."