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@ CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: SEASON 03/04 @
@ AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE GUIDE @
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|| Created by Daniel Adams (VillaNZ) ||
|| on 2nd December 2003 ||
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|| VERSION 1.0 ||
|| 26/12/03 ||
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1 - ABOUT THIS FAQ
_______________________________________________________________________________
This guide/FAQ is intended as part of a series which will eventually cover all
competitions in Championship Manager 03/04. I won't be explaining the general
workings of the game, how to use the interface or what tactics will win games.
What I will be explaining is how all of the different leagues and cups in the
game work - things that the user manual and other FAQ's don't really go into,
such as how many foreign players can be used in each league, how many teams get
promoted/relegated, things like that. So if that's what you need to know then
you've come to the right place. Enjoy.
This FAQ may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web
site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation
of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
Right now, this guide is only available from www.gamefaqs.com or at ProjectCM
(http://projectcm.thedugout.net) so if you found this on some other website,
please let me know.
Basically, unless otherwise stated, this is all my own work so don't steal it,
borrow it, publish it or stick it on your website without asking. Thank you.
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1.2 - Contact Me
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If you notice any huge errors in this guide or if there is something you'd like
me to cover in my next update or if you just want to tell me that this FAQ is
total rubbish then feel free to email me, or contact me on MSN or on the forums
at ProjectCM (username = VillaNZ).
2 - INTRODUCTION TO AUSTRALIA
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Australia's NSL (National Soccer League) is a pretty isolated league and isn't
as enjoyable as one of the European leagues, mainly because when you win the
league that's pretty much it. The only continental cup is played every four
years and is nothing compared to Europe's Champions Cup. Despite this it can
still be fun as an alternative from the likes of Serie A and La Liga and you'll
probably learn something about Oceanic soccer and it's relatively unknown
players.
PROFILE: AUSTRALIA
------------------
CONTINENT: Oceania
PLAYABLE TEAMS: 13
- Adelaide United
- Brisbane Strikers
- Football Kingz
- Marconi Stallions
- Melbourne Knights
- Newcastle Breakers
- Northern Spirit
- Parramatta Power
- Perth Glory
- South Melbourne
- Sydney Olympic Sharks
- Sydney United
- Wollongong Wolves
LEAGUES: 1
- National Soccer League
CUPS: 1
- NSL Challenge Cup
CONTINENTAL COMPETITIONS: 1
- OFC Club Championship
Here are some basic rules and restrictions that apply in Australia.
FOREIGN PLAYER RESTRICTIONS:
- Players who are NOT from Australia or New Zealand are regarded as foreign.
- Maximum of 4 foreign players allowed in squad.
TRANSFERS/LOANS:
- Work permits are needed for all foreign players (not from Australia or NZ).
- Work permits for the Australian league seem to go through a bit quicker than
in Europe, especially for players with big reputations.
For a more detailed description of work permits see section 3.1 below.
OTHER NOTES:
- There seems to be a bug in this league which makes a LOT of young players get
promoted from the youth team at the end of the first season. Usually somewhere
between 30 and 45 players!
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3.1 - Work Permits
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If you buy a foreign player who requires a work permit, you will be told of
this after the player accepts his contract. It is now up to CM whether the
player will allowed to join your team. The decision depends on a couple of
major factors.
- How good is the player: A player with a hatful of international caps is much
more likely to be granted work permit than a player who is struggling to get
reserve team football.
- How famous is the player: A big name player such a Ronaldo or Saviola will
almost certainly be granted a work permit but a player from a small club with a
small reputation is very likely to be turned down.
If the player is denied a work permit, you do get the chance to appeal and this
is worth doing as the 'powers that be' do sometimes change their minds for
borderline cases.
If the player is granted a work permit, you will notice a line in his
'Information' screen which keeps track of the amount of games that he plays.
This is shown as a percentage of the team's total number of games. If the
percentage is below about 50% near the end of the season, you will be told that
his work permit cannot be renewed, so make sure you give him enough appearances
over the course of the season.
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= AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE =
=====================================
TEAMS: 13
FORMAT: League followed by playoffs and Grand Final
SEASON: September - April
PROMOTION: None
RELEGATION: None
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: Grand Final winner qualifies for next OFC Champions Cup
FOREIGN PLAYER RULES:
- A maximum of 3 foreign players are allowed in the match squad.
PRELIMINARY STAGE:
- All teams play each other twice (home and away) making 24 games per team.
- The team that finishes top of league after 24 games is crowned 'Minor
Premier'. This is just to show that the team won the Preliminary Stage and
does not make them overall champions.
- The top 6 teams in the preliminary stage qualify for various stages of the
playoffs:
1st = Major Semi-Final
2nd = Major Semi-Final
3rd = Elimination Final
4th = Elimination Final
5th = Elimination Final
6th = Elimination Final
The playoff stage is broken down into several sections as follows...
ELIMINATION FINAL:
- 6th place vs. 3rd place
- 5th place vs. 4th place
- 2-leg matches
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if the game finishes as a draw.
- No away-goals rule
MINOR SEMI-FINAL:
- The 2 winners of the 'Elimination Final' matches play each other.
- One-leg match
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if the game finishes as a draw.
- Match played at the stadium of the team that finished highest in the league.
MAJOR SEMI-FINAL:
- 1st place vs. 2nd place
- 2-leg match
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if the game finishes as a draw.
- No away-goals rule
PRELIMINARY FINAL:
- Loser of the 'Major Semi-Final' vs. Winner of 'Minor Semi-Final'
- One-leg match
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if the game finishes as a draw.
- Match played at the stadium of the team that finished highest in the league.
GRAND FINAL:
- Winner of 'Major Semi-Final' vs. Winner of 'Preliminary Final'
- One-leg match
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if the game finishes as a draw.
- Match played at the stadium of the team that finished highest in the league.
The winner of the 'Grand Final' is the overall winner of the National Soccer
League.
=====================
= NSL CHALLENGE CUP =
=====================
WHO: Australian NSL teams
WHEN: Pre-season
HOW: Knockout cup
FOREIGN PLAYERS:
- No more than 3 foreign players allowed in the match squad.
FIRST ROUND:
- 10 NSL teams.
- One-leg matches.
- Golden goal extra-time / penalties used if the match finishes as a draw.
SECOND ROUND:
- 8 teams (the 5 winners from the previous round, plus the 3 teams who were
left out of the First Round).
- One-leg matches.
- Golden goal extra-time / penalties used if the match finishes as a draw.
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams.
- Two-leg matches.
- Golden goal extra-time / penalties used if the aggregate scores are level
after second leg.
- Matches played on neutral ground at Hume Reserve, Geelong.
FINAL:
- One-leg match.
- Golden goal extra-time / penalties used if the match finishes as a draw.
=========================
= OFC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP =
=========================
WHO: The best clubs from around Oceania
WHEN: Every 2 years in January
HOW: Tournament with group stage and knockout stage
FOREIGN PLAYERS: There are no restrictions on foreign players.
This tournament contains 8 teams: 2 from Australia and 1 each from New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, and Solomon Islands.
All the matches are played in one chosen country.
GROUP STAGE:
- 8 teams split into 2 groups of 4.
- Teams play each other once (3 games per team).
- Top 2 teams from each group go through to the next round.
SEMI-FINAL:
- One-leg matches.
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
FINAL:
- One-leg match
- Golden goal extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
The winner of the final is the champion of Oceania.
Well that's the end of this CM03/04 Australian league FAQ by VillaNz. I hope it
helped you understand the game a bit better. Look out for the next league FAQ
coming soon.
Other VillaNZ guides available from GameFAQs.com...
