Azerbaijan’s Second League: Back to Square One

After years of promises and online rumours, Azerbaijan’s Football Federation finally created the Second League. Long seen as a pie-in-the-sky concept backed only by romantic football lovers, this ambitious project if implemented properly, will forever change the nature of Azerbaijani football.

In an ideal world where nothing ever goes wrong and Azerbaijani football hasn't mastered the art of seizing the moment, the list of the benefits that a national second league can bring is huge. That includes, but is not limited to, more minutes at a higher level for predominantly young and local footballers; a new market for clubs to buy and sell players, as well as for Azerbaijan Premier League clubs to send players on loan; opportunities for lapsed and new fans to be brought in by the colour and passion of a new league; more content to offer broadcasters and market; and more pathways for footballers, administrators, referees, coaches and media alike.

The current structure dictates the Second League teams can't be relegated, meaning teams near the bottom of the standings don't have much to play as the season progresses, making for 'dead rubber' matches. For advocates of the league, it represents an important missing link on the domestic scene, offering benefits that can drift not just to those within it but also up and down the pyramid, and a vital step towards developing the game.

Cynics claim it is a hubristic vanity project too far for a sport already teetering on the edge in the country. They say the FA has far bigger priorities to address within its existing framework; it is a distraction from bigger problems that exist everywhere from the elite to the grassroots level.