Football Queensland re-elect Jackie Knight and Ross Thompson to Board of Directors

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Football Queensland has confirmed the re-election of Jackie Knight and Ross Thompson to the FQ Board of Directors following the Annual General Meeting held at Meakin Park on Sunday, June 12.

Knight is a senior financial executive with a reputation for providing strong commercial management and financial stability, efficiency and compliance in business. Currently focused on business consulting, she boasts expertise in transformation, process design and development, and profit maximisation.

Thompson is Group CEO of PeopleIN, the largest ASX-listed workforce management and staffing company in APEC. He has led in a wide range of multi-national corporate, sporting and military environments and built sustainable and profitable professional service operations in Australia, Asia and Africa.

“Football Queensland’s 20 members endorsed stability and continuity in re-electing both Jackie and Ross, having already made significant contributions to the game’s governance here in Queensland in their capacity as Board Members,” FQ President Ben Richardson said in a statement via FQ.

“The FQ Board is confident that they will continue to play an instrumental role in the growth and development of our game, bringing valuable experience and expertise across a range of business areas as we work towards further uniting football in Queensland.”

Following their re-election, Knight and Thompson will continue to serve on the FQ Board of Directors alongside Ben Richardson, Paula Robinson, Amy Chapman, Nigel Fanning and Matt McKay.

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Pushing for First Nations representation in the game with Football Queensland’s Murri Cup

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Image Credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland has announced the inaugural FQ Murri Cup, a two-day tournament celebrating First Nations cultures and showcasing Indigenous football talent from across Queensland, to be held at Nudgee Recreation Reserve on November 28 and 29.

The competition, developed in close consultation with Football Australia’s National Indigenous Advisory Group and Football Australia’s General Manager of First Nations Courtney Fewquandie, will feature a Coles MiniRoos activation, a Charles Perkins XI Talent ID session and a community stallholder zone alongside the on-field competition. Expressions of interest are open now for individuals and teams across the state.

More than a tournament

The launch arrives at a moment when the structural underrepresentation of First Nations Australians in organised sport, at the administrative, coaching, and pathway levels, is under sustained scrutiny. Football, like most codes, has historically failed to build the kind of community-embedded structures that make sustained Indigenous participation possible rather than incidental.

The FQ Murri Cup is a direct response to that gap. By centering First Nations culture within the competition itself, rather than treating it as supplementary to a standard football event, the tournament signals a shift in how the game positions Indigenous participation as a community with its own relationship to the sport that deserves its own platform.

The inclusion of a Talent ID session carries specific weight. Structured pathways into elite football have not always been accessible to players from regional and remote Indigenous communities, where geography, cost and cultural barriers compound one another. Embedding that opportunity within a culturally safe environment lowers the threshold at the point where it most frequently closes.

“The FQ Murri Cup will bring together First Nations players, families and communities for a two-day celebration, providing a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of First Nations participants within our game,” said Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci.Mu

QUT’s Future of Sport Conference to Shape the Next Era of Global Sport

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Image Credit: Queensland University of Technology

As Australia accelerates toward the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is set to host a landmark event that will bring together some of the brightest minds in sport, technology, and innovation.

The Future of Sport Conference 2026, taking place on March 27 at QUT’s Gardens Point campus in Brisbane, will unite international and Australian leaders to explore how research, technology, and cross-sector collaboration are redefining the global sporting landscape.

Held as a one-day flagship event, the conference represents a critical platform for dialogue across sport, government, academia, and industry. The aim is to collaborate for a shared vision of sport’s future in a rapidly evolving world.

Driving innovation ahead of Brisbane 2032

Positioned within the broader momentum of Brisbane’s Olympic decade, the conference will examine how emerging technologies and data-driven strategies are reshaping performance, fan engagement, and sporting infrastructure.

Delivered in collaboration with global partners including the MIT Sloan School of Management and supported by major industry stakeholders such as Cisco and PMY Group, the event highlights the increasing convergence between sport and advanced technology.

Key themes include:

  • Emerging sports technologies and performance analytics
  • Mental health and wellbeing in high-performance environments
  • The business of sport and sustainable futures
  • Inclusion and social impact through sport

These focus areas reflect a broader shift within the industry towards positioning sport as a driver of social change, economic growth, and community wellbeing, not just measuring its performance.

A global lineup of industry leaders

The conference will feature an impressive roster of speakers drawn from elite sport organisations, academia, and global technology firms.

International expertise will be complemented by leading Australian voices, including executives, high-performance specialists, and researchers shaping the future of sport both domestically and abroad.

Among them are figures working across professional sport, data science, and innovation, offering attendees rare insight into the trends and strategies defining the next decade.

Collaboration at the core

Beyond keynote presentations, the conference is designed to foster meaningful collaboration. An industry roundtable and networking opportunities will allow stakeholders to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and explore practical solutions to shared challenges.

From grassroots development to elite performance systems, the emphasis on collaboration reflects a growing recognition that the future of sport will be shaped not by isolated innovation, but by connected ecosystems.

Shaping sport’s future

As sport continues to intersect with technology, health, and society, events such as the Future of Sport Conference play a vital role in aligning vision with action.

By bringing together diverse perspectives, from athletes and academics to policymakers and industry leaders, QUT is positioning itself at the forefront of global sport innovation.

With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, the conference offers a timely and influential platform to not only discuss the future of sport but actively shape it.

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