The wooden spooners in the Canberra premier league this season will be relegated to a newly established nine-team second division.

The winner in the second tier - which is essentially the Capital League rebranded - will earn a spot in the top flight after next season.

It means from 2020 one team will be promoted and one team will be relegated, adding more spice to the respective ends of each ladder.

Queanbeyan City finished top of the Capital League last season and coach Goran Josifovski said the new system was terrific for soccer in the region.

"I like it, I wish it started a year earlier but the club is happy about the process, it gives all the NPL2 clubs something to aspire to and it’s good for the development of players and youth football," Josifovski said.

"The initiative from Capital Football is fantastic, it couldn't come soon enough to be honest. They've been doing these sorts of things across the country for some time and we've been a bit reserved and worried whether there is the player base but if you build it they will come.

"When you play sports you always want to win but this certainly adds an additional incentive and will have a real beneficial impact on football in Canberra

"At the elite level, you need that week in week out competition. It’s hard to gauge but I’d like to think the top three or four in NPL2 are as good as the bottom three or four in NPL1, but we’ll see."

The Monaro Panthers finished bottom of the premier league last season and captain David Jenkins said the threat of relegation will keep them on their toes this year.

"It’s definitely exciting because if you're not doing so well there’s a punishment for it," Jenkins said.

"It’s going to force a few teams to put in that extra effort because everyone wants to be in that top division, nobody wants to go down.

"The way all the squads have been lining up I think the whole year is going to be competitive and it’s only 18 rounds so there’s not that much room to slip up.

"Every game is going to count, from the start of the season all the way to the end. Especially for us, we’re going to need to fight for the three points every single round.

"The last few years the club has struggled a bit but we’ve bought in a few new players this year and I think we can definitely turn it around we might surprise a few teams.

"We’re eager, we’re keen, we’re young and we’re ready to go."

Reigning premier league champions Canberra FC's captain Ian Graham backed the new format and his team to defend their title - even without superstar striker Thomas James.

"You can’t really replace someone like TJ but the style we’re going to play this year is a bit different to last year, so there’s no pressure on anyone to take anyone's place from last year," Graham said.

"We’re really excited, it's been a short preseason but really intense, a lot of new ideas have come in, a few new players as well.

"It should be good to get on the field and show everyone what we can do."