New reform?

On the fourth floor, the goal is Upper Austria

Domestic soccer from the 2nd league downwards is currently in need of reform. The "Krone" asked the country's highest league for new regional league ideas. A solution with Upper Austria or Carinthia is on the table.

In June, the framework agreement with the Bundesliga regarding promotion to the second division was terminated by the ÖFB virtually out of the blue. Even more exciting: although the provincial associations had blocked the idea only last year, working groups were set up for a possible reform of the soccer leagues below. The next meeting on the topic will take place on September 13 in Salzburg - one day before the election of the new regional president. If you ask around in the lower house for reform ideas for the regional league, you quickly realize that there is a desire for change!

Almost three quarters of all Salzburg league clubs believe that a joint league with Upper Austria (instead of Tyrol and Vorarlberg) would be a better solution. There is skepticism as to whether the clubs will be able to keep up economically in the long term. In sporting terms, however, they are close. A look at the Regionalliga Mitte and the OÖ-Liga shows that Salzburg's neighbors also rely on Salzburgers, despite having almost three times as many inhabitants. There are almost 90 players from Salzburg or with a past here.

Coach Mario Lapkalo from Salzburg League leaders Seekirchen is also in favor of this solution, but adds: "That was already an issue when I was still playing myself." Hans Hajek, who coached Neumarkt in the Westliga for a long time, is more skeptical: "You eat up the kilometers there too, nobody should underestimate that. What's more, they pay twice or three times as much there!"

A Carinthian pushes ahead
On Sunday, Carinthian official Wolfgang Oswald proposed six third leagues, with Salzburg playing together with Carinthia. This idea will probably only work if there are two 2nd leagues above it. A concept is to be presented by the end of the year.