\u201cOur club is 100 per cent devoted to being at the highest possible level afforded to us,\u201d Carrozza said.<\/p>\n
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The iconic Adelaide City strip. Photo: Football Australia <\/p>\n
\u201cIf there was a model that was sustainable, affordable, gave us the opportunity to promote our (club) \u2026 the sky is the limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our heart of hearts, we\u2019re ready. In my opinion, we could be asked tomorrow. Providing it\u2019s affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n
And frankly, why shouldn\u2019t they be dreaming?<\/p>\n
For those unfamiliar with Adelaide City\u2019s considerable contribution to Australian football, we\u2019re not talking about some ambitious suburban outfit with delusions of grandeur.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re talking about a three-time NSL champion. A foundation member of the national competition in 1977. A club that reached the national finals in 11 consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n
A club that helped develop some of Australian football\u2019s greatest names, including Aurelio Vidmar, Alex Tobin, Carl Veart, Damian Mori, Milan Ivanovi\u0107 and Ross and John Aloisi.<\/p>\n
Adelaide City won national championships in 1986, 1992 and 1994. It was, quite simply, one of the giants of Australian football.<\/p>\n
And yet, like so many of the clubs that built the sport in this country, City found itself effectively locked out of the national league system following the NSL\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n
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Young faces enjoying Australia\u2019s new second tier. Photo: Football Australia<\/p>\n
For more than two decades there has been no meaningful pathway back.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
The Australian Championship, which commenced its second season last weekend, has provided Adelaide City with its first sustained national competition opportunity since leaving the NSL.<\/p>\n
The club qualified by winning the 2026 NPL South Australia Championship, having twice previously explored becoming a foundation member of the new national second-tier competition.<\/p>\n
Both attempts ultimately fell over.<\/p>\n
Carrozza is understandably determined not to jeopardise the future of an 80-year-old institution chasing an opportunity that could prove financially unsustainable.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s an important distinction between being financially responsible and being content with your lot in life.<\/p>\n
When the A1-A2 concept championed by Building Blocks was put to Carrozza, the Adelaide City president was particularly receptive to the prospect of a genuine pathway back to Australia\u2019s top flight.<\/p>\n
His enthusiasm was tempered, however, by an understandable appreciation of the financial realities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all need to be sustainable,\u201d Carrozza said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be that guy that\u2019s come in 80 years and \u2026 the bricks have tumbled because we bit off more than we can chew.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut without ambition and without risk, there\u2019s no reward.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a sentiment that goes to the heart of Building Blocks.<\/p>\n
And if that ambition were to one day win out, imagine the possibilities. Like, an Adelaide derby for instance?<\/p>\n
We got a taste of it during the 2022 Australia Cup when the two sides met in the Round of 16 at a packed Service FM Stadium, with United triumphing on penalties after scores were locked at 2-2 after extra time.<\/p>\n
A regular derby at A-League level could drive unparalleled levels of interest in the game in South Australia.<\/p>\n
For now, we have United in the A-League and City making its push in the Championship.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s Building Blocks episode coincides with the commencement of that competition\u2019s second season, with 16 clubs again competing across a group stage and knockout finals series.<\/p>\n
To explore what might come next, we spoke to three people approaching the competition from different perspectives.<\/p>\n
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Great scenes in Adelaide. Photo: Football Australia <\/p>\n
Carrozza, Luke Wilkshire (Wollongong Wolves coach) and Adrian Vlastelica (Sydney United 58 captain).<\/p>\n
Three different perspectives on what the Australian Championship currently offers, what it could become in 2027 and beyond and ultimately how it might fit into a more connected national football structure.<\/p>\n
For Carrozza, the preference is clear: an expanded, permanent national second division offering ambitious clubs greater certainty and a meaningful pathway forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think year three, with a 10-team comp, because that sounds quite probable, if better a 12-team comp, hopefully with four states involved, not just three,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think everyone\u2019s screaming for promotion and relegation. It\u2019s everyone\u2019s dream. The question is how?<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you go to someone who\u2019s just dropped $20 million \u2026 on a licence to be in the A-League and say \u2026 there\u2019s no coming back if you do get relegated. What does that look like?<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then what does it look like for a club such as Adelaide City to get to that point and now you\u2019re forced into greater costs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Building Blocks is also available on Football360\u2019s YouTube Channel. <\/p>\n
Your Next Read<\/p>\n
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