FFA announce plan to introduce ‘B-League’ by 2021

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Today, the FFA and chairman Chris Nikou announced a discussion paper that entails the plan to bring in a second professional division to the Australian soccer system.

In a statement made today, Nikou said, “There is general consensus between the stakeholders involved in this process, the Association of Australian Football Clubs, Professional Footballers Australia, Member Federations and FFA that a sustainable National Second Division would be a significant step forward for football.”

More comments and a general overview of today’s announcement can be found at this link below:

https://www.ffa.com.au/news/australian-football-working-towards-national-second-division-2021

The paper is 28 pages long, extensively detailing the steps required to implement the second division that would be welcomed with open arms by all Australian soccer stakeholders.

Fans, journalists as well as governing bodies have been clamouring for this for years now, with their cries seemingly no longer falling on deaf ears.

We have spoken previously about the importance of the second division in a previous article. You can find that article via this link below:

Why Australian football needs a promotion/relegation system to survive

The main point of the article was to explain why Australia could be left behind by other countries, should a second division not become a reality.

In the paper, this point is discussed. In section 2.2, the following statement can be found.

“With the possibility of more foreign players being introduced into the top tiers of Australian domestic football, providing a pathway for Australian players is vitally important to enable National Teams of the future to be successful. A National Second Division could enhance that pathway.”

It is clear that the FFA have taken the public’s advice on board and now, they will attempt to bring this vision to life.

A link to the paper can be found from the link further to the top of this article.

What are your thoughts on this announcement?

Are you for or against the implementation of a second division and promotion/relegation system in Australia?

Sound off on social media and let us know what you think. But one thing is for certain.

Exciting times are ahead if the FFA can pull this off.

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Caelum Ferrarese is a Senior journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on micro policy within Australasia and industry disruptions at grassroots level.

Football Victoria encourages state teams to take part in Governance Workshop Series

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Image credit: NakoPhotography / Shutterstock.com

Football Victoria are endorsing the joint partnership between the Victorian Government and VicSport, as football clubs across the state can become involved within the participation of case studies – dedicated to the understanding and importance of governance within sport.

Three workshops will eventuate over the course of May, June and July. Industry experts, sport directors and operating officials will all be in attendance at each workshop, discussing their insight upon the plethora of information they possess in correlation to Board Policy & Procedure (completed April 3), Risk Management (TBC in May), Sports Integrity (June 6) and Diversity & Inclusion (TBC in July).

VicSport are a Victorian non-for-profit organisation dedicated to attract as many Victorians as possible in participation and engagement across a variety of sports and/or physical activity.

Working in conjunction with the Victorian Government, it is their duty to ensure that recreation within the state remains at its optimal level.

Advocating, assisting and supporting its members since its inception in 1994, their extensive network branched out to over 3.9 million participants.

Football within Victoria has quite the pulse. Engagement levels are high within the amount of participants across all abilities and genders.

Knowing the importance of governance is fundamental for emerging and present clubs, hence the importance surrounding the FV in urging club officials in attending these various workshops.

Football Victoria have made continuous strides in becoming more accessible and engaging to potential participants. All-abilities April is a symbol of the inclusivity in which the state has made across the last decade.

Governance within sport is crucial. It covers a magnitude of aspects all required to be considered when operating an entity. Given the vast amount of contributors governance is essential for the promotion of accountability, sustainability and stability for a football club.

The success garnered on the park must be achieved off of it through a harmonious collective.

For up-to-date information, you can view it via VicSport here.

Football Queensland’s two-year referee strategy to drive development and retention

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Image credit: Andrey Popov via Shutterstock

Football Queensland (FQ) are embarking on a transformative journey.

Seeking to elevate the current refereeing regime on a state-wide level is a high-priority within their objectives. The Referee Strategy plan will run from 2024 until 2026, where the current framework of officials officiating within Queensland looks to be recrafted.

Referees are the unsung heroes of any sport, especially football. The decisions they make as a collective can have historical ramifications. They are ultimately tasked with making correct decisions, while under the microscope of the entire footballing audience, governing bodies and participants all watching attentively on to hear of what the decision may be, which ultimately impacts their respective teams.

The constant pressure, scrutiny and tension they are under does not go unnoticed, nor should their presence. Referring on a global scale is a tedious aspect of sport. It is simple to attract people that are keen to participate within a sport on a playing level. In an officiating role, it is a whole different kettle of fish.

The Strategic Pillars 
The priority placed upon the recruitment and retainment of officials is a focal point of the FQ referee strategy. Unification of their already established referee base is crucial. Their primary objectives include:

3600 FQ Registered Referees across all formatted of football within Queensland.

50/50 Parity: Resulting in FQ wishing to foster 1250 more female referees.

Queensland founded referees to be represented on a global scale.

Developing pathways for educators, referees and match day officials.

With all of those objectives in mind. To execute such a tall order is achievable all through the basis of a solid foundation. The “Strategic Pillars” assorted to accumulate 3,600 referees by the year 2026 include the following stages. 

Pillar #1: Recruitment and Outreach
The re-imagination of talent recruitment, combined with diversification and expansion all are at the forefront of the strategies initial phase.

Pillar #2: Pathways and Opportunities 

Creating a community that thrives upon the continuous growth of refereeing through the establishment of a unified culture, spearheaded by the passion involved for the game and officiating.

Pillar #3: Retention and Engagement

The pressures involved within the occupation can deter potential participants or current officials for wanting to exercise their skillset within the field. The third phase within the pillars involves support directed towards the wellbeing of officials. Ensuring that they are recognized, celebrated, supported and encouraged.

Pillar #4: Training and Development

The fourth and final phase is equally as important as the previous three. The creation of cohesion amongst a community is of great importance. Looking to gain participants through revolutionary training activities in which showcase the intense art form of officiating in an engaging manner, while improving and establishing skills.
There are currently over 2000 registered referees within FQ.

They are attempting to increase their refereeing basis by 425 participants, compounding each year until 2026 while striving to double their current female referee basis.

As a footnote to Australia’s presence on a global perspective within the football world, we remain a nation in that possesses immense interest in the sport, yet haven’t found their strides in translating that passion into becoming a top-level contending country upon the football pitch on the international scale.

It was Queensland’s very own Jarred Gillet who pathed the pathway in which Australian referees should look to charter. From officiating some of the A-leagues all-time greatest clashes to becoming a primary referee within the Premier League all over the span of 11 years.

It’s a feat in which FQ will strive for within this new strategy plan. All for the benefit of football within the state of Queensland, and most importantly, for Australia.

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