Football Australia confirms Legacy ’23 Final XI with addition of Tony Armstrong

Avatar
Tony Armstrong
Image credit: Football Australia

Football Australia has unveiled the final ambassador to join the Legacy ’23 line-up, welcoming ABC News Breakfast Sports Presenter and former professional athlete, Tony Armstrong.

A proud Gamilaroi man, Tony Armstrong was born in Paddington, Sydney before moving to country NSW. He has been inspired throughout his childhood by amazing role models from within this diverse community, including his mother, whose encouragement and unwavering support was pivotal in him achieving his goals both on and off the sporting field.

Armstrong hopes that in his role as a Football Australia Legacy ’23 Ambassador, he can leverage what he has learnt from his own lived experiences and empower the next generation to have the confidence to stand for what they believe in, go after their own goals, and help shape the future of football in Australia.

Of the opportunity to be involved with Legacy ’23, Armstrong said in a statement:

“I’ve always been a football fan throughout my life, so when I had the opportunity to become a Legacy ’23 Ambassador I was humbled. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM is going to be a moment in time that we always look back on, where we took the game to the next level and built the foundations for the next generation of women and girls, and boys, to come together and move forward.”

“I was very lucky to have access to high-performance facilities and coaches early on in my career, so I know how important it is to have clear pathways and infrastructure to support the growth of our game. Coming from a diverse background myself, sport was always a way in, and we are now seeing this transition to the women’s game, with more young girls looking to sport as a career, not just as a player but through media and administration roles as well.”

Football Australia CEO James Johnson added via press release:

“We are so excited to have such a genuine and passionate advocate for our game in Tony Armstrong to join as our eleventh and final Football Australia Legacy ’23 ambassador. Tony represents everything that is great about football – from the drive, passion, and humility to his commitment to high performance, diversity, and inclusion.”

“With authentic voices like Tony amongst our influential Legacy ’23 ambassadors, we have a wonderful opportunity to drive meaningful change and create a legacy for our sport and community, which endures long after Australia has hosted one of the largest sporting events in the world,” Johnson said.

Previously announced Football Australia Legacy ’23 ambassadors making up the Final XI include:

  • The Hon. Julie Bishop, Chancellor of Australian National University
  • Elizabeth Broderick AO, Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert to the United Nations
  • Julie Dolan AM, Matildas cap #1
  • Kurt Fearnley AO, Paralympic champion
  • Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia
  • Azmeena Hussain OAM, Director Football Victoria and social justice advocate
  • Narelda Jacobs, NIAG Member and Network 10 Presenter
  • Kate Jenkins, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner
  • Awer Mabil, Subway Socceroo
  • The Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Queensland State Premier

The Legacy ’23 Plan, developed by Football Australia, will ensure Australia can realise the long-term benefits of hosting this prestigious global sporting event can have on every community across the country. From economic, social, physical, and mental health benefits to its promotion of social cohesion and multicultural inclusion, Legacy ’23 will introduce new and expand existing programs to ensure the future of football in Australia is stronger than ever before.

The programs will aim to increase participation, improve community facilities, optimise high-performance offerings, drive leadership and development of the sport as well as encourage local and international tourism as Australia and New Zealand recover from the global pandemic.

As the world’s biggest women’s sporting event, it is expected that over a billion people across the world will tune in to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Eastern Suburbs Football Association Announces First All-Female Referee Course and Expanded Women’s Competition

Avatar
Image Credit: Football NSW

The Eastern Suburbs Football Association has opened its 2026 season with three structural investments that reflect the growing ambition of community football associations to address participation, representation and development gaps simultaneously, beginning with the delivery of its first all-female Football Match Official Course.

The course, held at Matraville Sports High School and led by female liaison committee member Michelle Hilton and 2025 Referee of the Year Ariella Richards, brought 25 new female referees into the association ahead of Round 1. The initiative targets one of the most persistent imbalances in community sport, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in officiating roles at every level of the game, by creating a dedicated entry point separate from the mixed course environment that many women find unwelcoming.

The Women’s Premier League has also expanded, now featuring eleven teams and introducing a WPL1 and WPL2 structure following the first ten rounds of the season. The tiered format creates more competition opportunities for clubs across the region while providing a clearer development pathway for teams at different stages of growth. Returning clubs Randwick City, Glebe Wanderers, Easts FC and Sydney University join established sides in what the association describes as one of its most competitive women’s seasons. ESFA clubs have continued to perform strongly in state-wide competitions including the Football NSW Sapphire Cup, State Cup and Champion of Champions.

Building the next generation

The season opened with an inaugural Development League Gala Day for Under-9 to Under-12 boys and girls, bringing eight clubs together in a structured development environment ahead of Round 1. Sydney FC A-League Women’s players attended the event and engaged directly with young participants, a deliberate effort to connect grassroots players with visible examples of where the pathway leads.

“We are committed to creating more opportunities for clubs, players, coaches and referees to thrive, with a strong focus on participation opportunities to suit participants of all abilities and aspirations,” said ESFA CEO John Boulous.

The three initiatives, a new referee entry point for women, an expanded women’s competition structure, and a development-focused junior gala day with elite role models present, together reflect an association responding to the participation pressures the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has brought into sharp relief across Australian football.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

Avatar
Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend