Australian soccer has been plagued this week by grand final drama, after the Australian Professional Leagues sold the men's and women's showpiece events to the NSW government.

It has divided fans, with some threatening walkouts at games this weekend, but Football Australia chief executive James Johnson has revealed plans to address one of the other sore points in the game.

Johnson said an announcement on a second-tier league would be made "very soon", with a new competition to be owned and run by Football Australia.

National Premier League teams from across Australia will be invited to enter an expression of interest process.

"We will be coming out very soon with an expression of interest process to kick off the second tier [and] that will happen in the new year," Johnson told The Canberra Times.

"My view is that an open market is healthy, and I think it is healthy from an economical standpoint and from a sporting standpoint, where you've got a lot of competition in the market now.

"It can't change overnight, because these are structures that need to continually reform over years and years. But we think we can add value by establishing a second tier."

Once released, Football Australia's detailed plans should fire up a debate among supporters of the world game.

It appears there will be a notable separation from the A-League, at least initially, with a proposed winter fixture making a promotion and relegation model running at the same time unlikely.

Hopes are that the second-tier competition will be an improvement on the NPL, and will enhance the standard of play and also offer greater opportunities for footballers in their own backyard.

Johnson wants the competition to be linked with NPL clubs from every state and territory "as a start".

"We will have a second-tier competition that will be played in winter," he said. "And I'd like to ensure that is connected to the NPL, at least, as a start."

The A-League Men's fixture runs from October to June, while the A-League Women play between November and April.

Globally second-tier domestic competitions are the norm.

In top soccer nations there are multiple divisions of domestic football with a promotion and relegation model.

Promotion and relegation gives fans more than just a championship to fight for, and it's been an element that's been missing in Australia.

Talks of a fresh second-tier league have been going for decades in Australian footballing circles, but it's just within the last few years that the movement has gained momentum once again.

In October representatives from the Association of Australian Football Club and its National Second Division Partner Group met to discuss the potential of the new competition, aiming to begin in 2024.

AAFC chairman Nick Galatas led the meeting, with Canberra Croatia and Gungahlin United among the 30 clubs backing a national second division.

Johnson acknowledged that getting a second-tier competition right will "take a lot of work", but he's confident their approach is sound.

"I think we've just got to put some practical steps on the table and a second tier for Australian football is a good thing," Johnson said.

"It means we'll have more young Australian players playing more match minutes.

"We think it would be played at the same time as the NPL and community football, which is a great way to engage our two million-large community base.

"So we're very excited by the project, and we're looking forward to announcing our plans."

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