Canberra NPLW: Canberra United Academy, West Canberra Wanderers reserve grade sides face finals sprint

Capital Football advised clubs at the start of the month semi-final games may be changed due to the National Youth Championships in Coffs Harbour.

NPLW reserve grade matches were locked in for September 18 but as the Canberra United Academy had several players representing the ACT this week, it sought to change the game's date.

It's allowed under the NPL regulations, provided the clubs involved notify the peak body 14 days before, and teams are given a date seven days prior to the original game day of the alterations.

But it's understood 14 days' notice was not given by CUA. And they and their opponent, the West Canberra Wanderers, were only given 24 hours' notice about their new kick-off date. Officials told them on Thursday the game was on Friday.

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Law and development officer Leisha Lester was consulted by the Wanderers, and subsequently informed Capital Football clubs should have been notified of the changes by September 11, not September 15.

"The rules and the regulations are there to keep the competition fair and to ensure that there's certainty in the games, and so that everybody has an ability to field a team and be prepared," Lester said.

"They have to give a date of the change seven days prior. Now that's not just, 'Hey, we're going to change it'. It's a date, seven days before, so that's the 11th of September. And they would have had weeks leading up to that 11th of September to negotiate or to put forward another date. That didn't occur."

It was announced in June the youth nationals would take place on September 19-23, before ACT teams were announced August 8. And although the NPLW reserve grade regular season finished last week, CUA had secured its spot in the top four some weeks prior.

That is why Lester said it was reasonable to expect CUA and the peak body would have been aware of the scheduling and whether players would be available prior to September, making this avoidable.

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Capital Football chief executive Chris Gardiner disagreed and said a number of teams were impacted by representative duties, the schedule of which was outside of the association's control and unexpected.

He said both teams were impacted but it was CUA who sought a postponement, with only 10 players available.

"The two clubs were unable to agree a time earlier in the week," he said.

"CF proposed Friday night as a last resort, but WCW cited the regulatory requirement that seven days' notice be given, so the game could not be played Friday night. WCW were informed of the decision to agree to their demand not to play Friday on Thursday."

The match will instead take place on September 26, and the winner will then play the preliminary final 48 hours later, before the grand final is held three days after that.

It means CUA or the Wanderers may possibly have to play three games in six days if they progress to the grand final.

Gardiner said the number of games for the winning team was regrettable but unavoidable.

"The game was scheduled at the earliest possible date to enable both clubs to field competitive sides, in the light of other scheduled games, and consistent with the stricture that the seven day notice period be enforced as demanded by WCW," he said.

Either CUA or the Wanderers will face Belconnen United in the preliminary final on September 28, after the United side fell to Canberra Olympic in the qualifying final on Sunday.