The Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC), which represents 120 National Premier League outfits, proposed a second tier competition incorporating every state and up to16 teams.

However after Friday’s plan was released the FFA said that funding a second division would impact on all parts of the game.”

Yesterday, the governing body seemed to take a more conciliatory approach, writing to the AAFC that a national second tier competition was a wonderful objective and they were keen to see the plans.

 AAFC Chairman Rabieh Krayem told FourFourTwo that he was delighted to have received word from FFA CEO David Gallop even though the initial response was unsatisfactory.

“Our Association wrote to David Gallop on Sunday outlining what we thought was a disappointing response from the FFA,” Krayem said.

“But we are happy the FFA has taken a more positive approach or conciliatory approach in relation to discussion so we take that as a positive and we move forward in having a discussion with them.

“This is the first time in fact that we’ve really had some open dialogue. The fact that we can sit down and have a discussion means the FFA has seen us as a stakeholder in the game and we look forward to having those chats.

“We are talking about a second tier competition and everyone thinks it should happen.

"Now the whole consultation process is about how we can make it happen and the FFA will have an integral part in it.”

Under the AAFC plan, The Championship would be a separate entity from the FFA and Kreaym said this all ties in with potential plans for the A-League to be run by an independent body.

“That’s all part of the consultation process,” he said.

“We have put a model forward for the best interest of the game and if it were to be run by an independent board then obviously that discussion would continue with all the stakeholders in the game.

“We still believe, and a lot of people believe, that in the best interest of the game that it would be run, that it should be run, independently of the FFA.”

In the letter to the AAFC, Gallop wrote the A-League clubs could lose $2m each if money were directed to a second-tier national competition but Krayem denied this was the case.

“We are very clear that the second tier proposal is to be independently run and without drawing on any finances out of the game at the moment,” he said.

“That’s part of that whole process - to show people and outline how the second tier can be funded without drawing on any funding from the FFA or any state member federation or A-League clubs.

“This thing has to stand on its own two feet because everyone knows there is not enough money in the game now, and we are not about to create a second tier competition that’s going to drain more money out of the game.”