"It's been a long road and a hell of a long negotiation,but it's well worth it. We've waited years for this;the game has been in this state for too many years to remember.

"The shackles are off. We don't have to listen to someone about how to do it,when to do it,where to do it ... now we just do it. We're going to deliver something that is absolutely phenomenal and every bone in my body believes in it."

The split gives the A-League clubs the operational and commercial independence they have been fighting for,but FA will still retain significant regulatory oversight of the professional game,allowing it to set football's broader strategic agenda.

Under the agreement,FA will have the final say on the timing of the A-League and W-League seasons,expansion,contraction,club licensing criteria and how clubs will be granted access to the top domestic and international competitions – although the intention is for the APL to be involved in a meaningful consultation process on all of those points.

It means FA will have the ultimate power to implement promotion and relegation in the A-League,although there is no commitment to do so at a particular time,and work is continuing on a financially viable model for a national second division.

While club owners were initially keen on an English Premier League-style split,which would have given them a much broader sense of self-determination,the end result is similar to how the J.League and Chinese Super League function in tandem with their national federations.

"Each constituent now has defined roles and responsibilities,and the ability to make the right contribution to the growth of the professional game,"FA chief executive James Johnson said.

"We have been able to create a unique model,which draws upon global best practice whilst allowing for local specificities."

But while FA and the APL are now separate,and happy for that to be the case,both organisations are likely to enter the broadcast rights market in 2021 as a partnership.

Almost every broadcast property within the Australian game is set to come up for grabs in the new year,with the A-League's contract with Fox Sports due to expire at the end of June,while international matches involving the Socceroos,Matildas and the 2023 Women's World Cup will also go to tender.

"We've had a lot of discussions with the clubs about this and the commercial discussions are going to continue,"Johnson said.

"There is an absolute appetite to go into the market in a one plus one equals three scenario,where we understand that together we're going to bring in more revenues and unlock more commercial value for the whole game if we do it together.

"We'll have to co-ordinate internally about how we're talking to commercial partners,who's doing what but,on the face of it,I think you'll see a very united Australian game in the market."