The Canberra United Academy and its secrets to success

Staff Writer

2022 has been another hugely successful year for the Canberra United Academy.

Graduates Alexia Karrys-Stahl and Chloe Lincoln both earned their first top level contracts with United, while past alumni continued their trajectory upwards.

Young winger Hayley Taylor-Young had a breakout year and found her feet in a new role as a fullback, while Emma Ilijoski, Laura Hughes, and Karly Roestbakken’s careers continue to grow.

Roestbakken played her second season with Norwegian club LSK Kvinner and barely missed out on Matildas selection for the Asian Cup. Lincoln and Ilijoski, meanwhile, just featured for the Young Matildas in their victory over New Zealand. Lincoln also earned the club’s Rising Star award.

And while it was a tumultuous year on field for the club, the Capital Football pathways are as strong as they’ve ever been.

Capital Football Technical Director Phil Booth sees this success as an extension of the program’s core values and resources.

“Canberra United Academy is set apart from other teams not only by its all-weather synthetic training facilities, its training load and load management and through its continued use of GPS tracking, which is now available to all age groups,” he said.

“Supported by constant access to physiotherapists, sports psychologists and conditioning coaches, the link to Canberra United’s Liberty A-League team is seamless with the same club culture and values being displayed.

“Canberra United Academy prides itself on diversity with having highly accredited female and male coaching staff. Its coaches are in constant communication with Football Australia technical staff as we support and build stronger connections with FA National Teams. The Academy strives to continue to look at new opportunities to bring into the academy, to always give our players the best experience possible.”

The Canberra United Academy is addressed during an NPL game.

As it stands currently, the academy hosts programs from the 9-12 skill acquisition phase all the way up to first grade football. This includes u13, u15, u17, reserves and first grade teams in the NPLW.

Watching players like Lincoln making their first starts for the Young Matildas shows the commitment the program encourages in all of its players all the way through to national level.

While she is one of the success stories, not every player goes all the way up. While it is a challenge to keep players engaged, those pathways outline a clear path to top level success.

“This is a key part of our club culture and values and is not only done through our players and parents’ engagement- we have a clear and transparent player pathway for our player from CUA to CU and hopefully onto the Matildas,” Booth said.

“We continuously place our players in the challenging environment for their own personal development in the team environment. This honest and open development process/opportunities create bonds both with the parents and players to create a great working relationship.

“This has the outcome that the players and parents feel comfortable within the academy and agree that the process/opportunity is in the best interest for their daughter to reach their full potential.”

The recent success of the academy team in the NPLW is another point of pride for Booth and Capital Football.

Canberra United Academy made the jump to fourth place in the competition last season. Fielding a strong side at the highest level of NPLW isn’t of vital importance, but speaks to the development of the players within the programs.

“The success of the Academy has many factors,” Booth explained.

“We look at developing the individual in the team environment, so we can have many different moments of success. For the individual is playing up and has success, for the team playing in finals and feeling the excitement and nerves.”

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Brisbane Roar partners with PlanPay for 2026/27

Staff Writer
Image Credit: Brisbane Roar

TWELVE months ago, as the 2025/26 A-League Men’s season kicked off, Brisbane Roar’s active supporter group surged back to life.

‘The Den’ – as they’re known – had been a famous feature of the Roar’s Championship-winning glory years. Now heavily re-populated by a younger wave of supporters, their enthusiasm through early-season results against Macarthur, Melbourne City and Newcastle made them, momentarily, the talk of the A-League.

The Roar’s administration understand what a crucial role their supporters play in the health of the club – be they the new generation at the front of The Den, or the loyalists who have ridden the ups and downs of their 21 A-League seasons.

So, they have partnered with Australian-founded company PlanPay, to soften the financial barriers and increase fiscal flexibility for those wanting to cheer on the Roar’s men’s and women’s sides, helping to get them in the stands as early as possible.

‘Membership is the most important thing we offer, but given the current cost of living crisis, it’s also the hardest ask at the moment,’ Roar’s Head of Public Relations and Communications, Joseph Esposito, told Soccerscene.

‘When you’re targeting families of four, or youngsters, a full membership can be a big hit in one go. It’s important to be realistic, so having an option like PlanPay lets members spread that cost over time with no interest and no credit check.’

‘It also means we can get people to commit to membership earlier, to come on board and be part of something. It works on both ends, allowing us to offer an earlier price point for potential members – and most importantly, we’re not asking them to spend beyond their means.’

One of PlanPay’s key advantages is its ability to align payment schedules with how Australians actually earn their income.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics payroll data from March 2024, approximately 86% of Australian employees are paid weekly or fortnightly, with 33% receiving weekly wages and 53% paid fortnightly. In comparison, just 12% are paid monthly.

Despite this, many traditional membership payment options are structured around upfront or monthly payments, which don’t necessarily align with household cash flow.

By offering weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments, PlanPay allows Roar supporters to choose a payment schedule that suits their payday and household budget, making football memberships more manageable without relying on credit, interest or debt.

The partnership is also timely in a local sense; the ABS has also found sports participation costs in Brisbane rose 9.6% in the year to June 2025. Furthermore, as of March 2026, 41% of Australians had used a BNPL service in the past six months (Finder).

‘From our end, it’s essentially a bit like a modern layby. You choose your membership, pay a small deposit, and then pay the rest in instalments on the schedule that suits the individual,’ said Esposito.

‘Once the first payment is made your membership is fully active. We have previously had monthly payments to ease the pinch, but opening it up to have fortnightly or weekly options, more often makes it a whole lot easier to have people in.’

PlanPay was founded in Sydney in 2022 as a digitised lay-by for travel, and has since moved into ticketing, sports, and live events alongside expansion into the US and UK.

The company is now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, while maintaining its engineering, customer support and onboarding presence in Australia. PlanPay continues to partner with merchants globally to bring another way to pay, to more fans, Brian Learst, Chairman of PlanPay said:

‘We are thrilled to help Brisbane Roar FC lower the total cost of attending their matches by providing fans with debt-free, interest-free flexible payment plans.’

‘PlanPay allows fans to purchase the best seats early and customise their payment size and timing.’

Both the Roar’s men’s and women’s side present as fascinating prospects this season.

Newly-appointed women’s manager Johnathan Clemente is the youngest manager in A-Leagues history, with his charges looking to better last season’s impressive semi-final finish.

Meanwhile, the men’s outfit kicked off their second season under Michael Valkanis on Friday at Suncorp Stadium with an impressive win over Perth Glory, and will again rely on the energy and passion of those in the stands to drive their success both on and off the field.

‘Our fans are not just the present, but the future. In that regard, it’s not about getting them to spend beyond their means; it’s about allowing them to get in earlier, and in an easier way,’ continued Esposito.

‘Lots of younger fans are students, or they’re early in their working lives. Being realistic about it, paying a full season membership can sometimes be a real barrier, especially if they’re living out of home, paying rent for the first time.

‘Having PlanPay allows them to have the option that isn’t acquiring interest or debt, makes it easier for them to budget, and most importantly allows them to do what they do, without spending beyond their means.’

Make Membership More Accessible for Your Fans — Talk to PlanPay

What is an A-League licence actually worth?

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

South Melbourne’s push to enter the A-League has reopened an old debate about who gets to play at the top level of Australian football. Beneath the arguments about history, identity and sporting merit sits a more consequential business question: what should a place in the competition actually cost?

Following its Australia Cup triumph, the debate and discussion around South Melbourne’s bid to enter the A-League has reignited. Co-president Bill Papastergiadis has indicated the club is open to discussing a licence fee, while arguing it does not need an equity stake in the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).

The question is whether entry to the A-League should be treated purely as a commercial asset to be purchased, or whether it should also provide a pathway for clubs capable of bringing genuine value to the competition.

The Price of Admission

A licence offers access to a national platform, broadcast exposure, sponsorship opportunities and the country’s highest domestic competition. The APL is entitled to protect that value and ensure any new entrant has the financial resources, infrastructure and governance to sustain a professional operation.

South Melbourne should not receive a free pass because of its history, supporter base or Australia Cup success. Winning a knockout competition is not the same as demonstrating the capacity to operate a professional club across an entire season.

But a licence fee should not become a barrier that protects the competition’s existing membership at the expense of its future.

There is also a risk that licence fees become little more than short-term sugar hits for the competition, delivering an immediate injection of cash without addressing the longer-term challenge of building sustainable clubs, growing audiences and increasing recurring commercial revenue.

Assessing the Value of Established Clubs

South Melbourne is not starting from scratch. It has an established supporter base, a home at Lakeside Stadium and a storied history in Australian football. Its profile and recent success give the APL a tangible proposition to assess, rather than a business plan built entirely around projected growth.

Nor is South Melbourne necessarily alone. Other established Australian clubs may have the supporters, facilities, community connections and ambition to make a credible case for joining the professional ranks. Not all would be ready, and maybe not all would strengthen the A-League. But that is precisely why the league needs clear, consistent criteria to assess potential entrants on their financial capacity, infrastructure and commercial potential as well as what they could contribute to the competition.

That contribution should count. New audiences, local rivalries, sponsor appeal and stronger connections between community and professional football all have value. An established club may offer a different proposition from launching a new team and trying to build a supporter base from the ground up.

There are, of course, significant costs involved. South Melbourne would need to demonstrate how it could fund professional men’s and women’s programs, generate sustainable revenue and protect its existing operations. A licence fee must be considered alongside the rights, obligations, access to central revenue and commercial opportunities that come with entry. The price cannot sensibly be separated from what a club receives in return.

The Promotion and Relegation Question

This is also where the debate connects to the lack of promotion and relegation. If the system is considered financially unviable under the A-League’s current structure, clubs and supporters deserve a clear explanation. What are the specific financial, stadium, broadcast or governance barriers? What would need to change to make it possible? It is simply down to the licence fees that have already been paid by the existing A-League clubs?

Promotion and relegation is clearly not an immediate or realistic solution, and introducing it would not automatically create a healthier competition and ecosystem. But if it remains off the table, Australian football needs to offer ambitious clubs something more tangible than an uncertain promise of expansion.

Providing a Clear Pathway

A transparent licensing process, published entry criteria and a clear explanation of what clubs must demonstrate would at least provide a pathway to work towards. Clubs investing in players, facilities and academies need to understand what it takes to reach the top. Supporters deserve to know how their clubs can progress, too.

The A-League needs entrants capable of surviving and investing for the long term. It also needs to recognise the value that established clubs can bring. If the price of entry is focused primarily on extracting the largest possible payment, the league risks overlooking opportunities to grow its audiences, strengthen rivalries and deepen its connection with Australian football.

South Melbourne’s bid is an opportunity to test that balance. The question is not whether the club should simply be handed a place in the A-League, but whether Australian football can develop a licensing model that rewards financial responsibility while recognising the value of clubs that have already built something worth bringing to the national stage.

It seems a licence must have a price. But if the A-League wants to grow sustainably, it must also explain what that price is designed to achieve and provide a clearer answer to clubs and supporters asking how the pathway to the top is meant to work.

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