BUILDING BLOCKS SPECIAL 🗣️You asked, Matt Windley answers.Following the release of his blueprint for a new Australian football pyramid, Matt joins Football360’s Lachie Flannigan to respond to the biggest questions raised by fans.How would an A1 and A2 system be funded? Would crossover fixtures work? Could existing A-League clubs survive relegation—and would the model truly create an open pathway for clubs across Australia?00:00 Introduction01:36 How would the system be funded?07:00 Why have crossover games?12:02 Why not create one expanded A-League?15:04 Would teams play enough games?18:14 Could A-League clubs survive relegation?21:38 Where would the new clubs come from?25:49 What if a promoted club cannot survive?28:11 Would it still be a closed shop?30:54 Would mainstream sports fans care?34:38 What needs to happen next?37:34 Final thoughts

South Melbourne and Melbourne Victory will meet for the first time in a historic Australia Cup final—and it could be one of the most significant matches Australian club football has ever seen.Matt Windley is joined by Football360’s Lachie Flannigan for Episode 16 of the Building Blocks vodcast to unpack South Melbourne’s semi-final victory over Lions FC, the remarkable crowd at Lakeside Stadium and whether the final can sell out AAMI Park.They also discuss what the match could mean for South Melbourne’s A-League ambitions, the future of Australia’s football pyramid and whether this is already Melbourne’s biggest football rivalry—before the teams have even faced each other.03:02 – South Melbourne’s comeback against Lions FC04:31 – The remarkable crowd at Lakeside Stadium07:51 – Can the Australia Cup final sell out AAMI Park?08:42 – Why this match comes at a crucial time11:10 – What the final could mean for South Melbourne13:13 – ACL Two and the OFC Pro League question14:19 – Does this rivalry have long-term staying power?15:50 – Could other traditional clubs create the same excitement?17:00 – Is this Australian football’s biggest-ever club game?

In the latest episode of the Building Blocks vodcast, Matt Windley explains his in-depth blueprint for promotion and relegation to be introduced into Australian football.

READ THE FULL BLUEPRINT AT FOOTBALL360.COM.AU.

The 161-page document represents a roadmap to a bold new future, explaining how an A1-A2 structure could become a reality, how much it would cost, how it could work and an actual plan to get there.You are invited to read it and make up your own mind.

0.00 - Intro to the A1-A2 Blueprint

5.16 - Something for everyone

7.45 - A1-A2 in a nutshell

8.56 - Why this is important

11.35 - Things to be mindful of

14.30 - The mechanics

23.57 - Distributions and parachutes

28.03 - Licence fees and unitholding

33.53 - Crossover fixtures

40.20 - Finals and promotion playoffs

42.36 - Evolution over time

50.00 - The costs

1.05.53 - Value creation

1.09.32 - Wins for fans and existing clubs

1.11.00 - Silver Lake and the 2029 reset

1.14.05 - Ecosystem opportunities

1.16.05 - Lessons from Japan

1.19.04 - Risks - of change and status quo

1.21.40 - Be bold, be brave

A bumper 6000+ Australia Cup crowd between Preston Lions and South Melbourne has sparked a discussion so great that it's prompted an emergency instalment of the Building Blocks vodcast!

Matt Windley joined Football360's Lachie Flannigan to discuss the incredible spectacle, in a wide ranging chat that included: 

- The night - the crowd, the atmosphere, the ground.

- Preston's resurgence as a club - how have they risen through the pyramid to make nights like this possible?

- South's emergence over the last year or so professionally competing not just in the Australia Cup, but the Championship, NPL and the OFC Pro League.

- Is South Melbourne's A-League push real? Is it realistic? Where it's at?What will it take for them to come in?

- The other ambitious clubs across Australia showing the potential path forward for Australian football 

#ALeague #PromotionRelegation #AustralianFootball #Soccer #Football360 #BuildingBlocks

Australia's football pyramid is full of untapped potential. But what can Australian football learn from Japan?In Episode 13 of the Building Blocks Vodcast, Japan-based football journalist Dan Orlowitz takes us inside the evolution of the J.League and explains how Japan built a pathway from community football to the professional game.Orlowitz explores why Japan introduced promotion and relegation, how the J.League responded to economic challenges, and why building the foundations of the football pyramid was so important to its long-term growth.The wide-ranging conversation also explores:• How Japan built its professional football pyramid• Why promotion and relegation needs the right foundations• How J2 and J3 transformed Japanese football• The importance of club licensing and financial sustainability• Why community clubs need a pathway to the professional game• How Japanese clubs have invested in infrastructure and development• Why the J.League has continually evolved its model• What Australian football can learn from Japan's 30-year journey• Whether Australia can build a genuine pathway from grassroots to the A-LeaguePlus, we explore the challenges and opportunities facing Australian community clubs through our Breaking Barriers project.

Australia's football ecosystem is full of untapped potential. But how does the A-League unlock it?In Episode 12 of the Building Blocks Vodcast, former Channel 10 Head of Sport and one of the architects behind the Big Bash League's television success, David Barham, discusses what Australian football can learn from some of the country's biggest sporting success stories.Barham explains why he believes promotion and relegation is critical to the long-term future of the A-League, how it could dramatically increase the value of the competition's broadcast rights, and why football still has greater growth potential than any other sport in Australia.The wide-ranging conversation also explores:• How the Big Bash became a television powerhouse• Why Channel 10 wanted to reinvent the A-League• The mistakes football has made in chasing broadcast revenue• Whether hydration breaks could actually increase TV rights value• The importance of boutique stadiums and packed atmospheres• Why innovation will be key to the A-League's next media rights dealPlus, we catch up with Berwick City veteran and former Melbourne Victory defender Matthew Foschini as the club continues its ambitious journey through the Breaking Barriers project.#ALeague #PromotionRelegation #AustralianFootball #Soccer #Football360 #BuildingBlocks

lexi Lalas and Mike Grella have made Tanner Kidwell’s life hell. Why? But, also, wait - who is Tanner Kidwell? Kidwell is a rare commodity on these shores. An American football player.Not American Football - soccer!

Kidwell is a striker for Berwick City Soccer Club.He joins Matt Windley for a pre-World Cup episode of the Building Blocks podcast alongside extended cuts of Archie Thompson and Naum Sekulovski Breaking Barriers interviews on their time playing at the Morwell (Gippsland) Falcons in the NSL ahead Berwick City’s clash with Gippsland United this Saturday.

SixFive Stadium Experience Vice President of Business Development Adam Torpey joins Matt Windley for Episode 10 of the Building Blocks podcast to break down a bold idea that could reshape Australian football infrastructure.The conversation explores a proposed $30 million modular stadium concept, how these venues can be built in as little as 12 months, and why they are designed to operate like permanent football homes rather than temporary structures.Torpey also discusses what this could mean for the A-League and the wider Australian football pyramid, and why he believes the next 6 to 12 months could be a breakthrough moment for the model in Australia.Building Blocks is a Bruce Originals podcast, produced as bonus content for the Breaking Barriers documentary series, which you can watch exclusively on Football360.

Yoogali SC senior coach Luke Santolin joins Matt Windley for Episode 9 of the Building Blocks podcast to tell the remarkable and emotional story of one of Australia’s most unique regional football clubs.From dominating regional competitions to earning promotion into Canberra’s NPL system, Yoogali SC became proof that ambitious country clubs can compete at a higher level. But after reaching the heights of the NPL, the Griffith-based side now finds itself without a place in the football pyramid altogether.In this episode, Santolin opens up on the club’s rise, the devastating decision to remove Yoogali from Capital Football’s system, and the bigger questions it raises about the future of regional football in Australia.Building Blocks is a Bruce Originals podcast, produced as bonus content for the Breaking Barriers documentary series, which you can watch exclusively on Football360.

Former A-Leagues Commissioner and current Sutherland Sharks president Greg O'Rourke and Berwick City’s longest-serving player, Jarod Blackbourn, who scored a worldly scissor kick last week, join Matt Windley for the latest episode of Building Blocks, a Bruce Originals Podcast series talking about the Australian football issues raised by their documentary Breaking Barriers.