FQ Academy drives football growth in Far North & Gulf Region

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Image credit: Matimix

Football Queensland (FQ) marked major milestones in youth and junior player development across the Far North and Gulf (FNG) region in 2024, as the FQ Academy continued to establish itself as the leading pathway for developing football talent in the area.

FQ have put a focus on academy over the last 12 months, utilising different programs and partnerships to help springboard off the men’s and women’s international success.

The overall goal is to have Queensland at the forefront of Australian football talent, representing the Socceroos and Matildas in high volume.

Club Development Ambassador – Far North & Gulf (Cairns) Jack Southwell discussed the many reasons why there has been a surge in the region, following FQ’s plans of focusing on academy success.

“Football in the Far North and Gulf is flourishing, with more promising young athletes than ever before gaining access to top tier coaching and competitive opportunities through the FQ Academy, driving a surge in participation and engagement from both players and clubs, and fuelling a growing enthusiasm for the game across the region,” Southwell said in a press release.

“This year, the region has experienced a 350% increase in the number of players involved in the FQ Academy, with over 220 players—both male and female—joining the program. This surge in participation speaks to the increasing recognition of young players in the quality of development provided by the FQ Academy to help them reach their full potential.

“One of the standout achievements of the 2024 season was the selection of 27 local players from the FNG region to represent Queensland at the National Youth Championships, showcasing the FQ Academy pathway’s excellence in elite coaching, specialised development, and competitive opportunities.

“This alignment with national technical standards not only highlights the growing strength of the FQ Academy but also continues to open doors for local talent to reach the highest levels of the game.

“Building on the success of 2024, Football Queensland will continue to strengthen local coaching expertise and enhance player development across the Far North and Gulf region in 2025, creating a sustainable and advanced football ecosystem for players, coaches, and clubs to thrive.”

This comes after FQ confirmed their Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) Youth and Junior programs will partner with Brisbane Roar for 2025.

This is to aid the QAS program into developing more professional players through a strengthened, narrow pathway that utilises the states only professional team.

The recent moves by FQ to focus on their academy structure and progress is proving to be successful and they are strongly committed to creating opportunities for players, coaches, and clubs to reach their potential. Football Queensland looks forward to another successful season in 2025.

FQ will continue to prioritise growth in the Far North and Gulf region and beyond, with the FQ Academy at the forefront of this mission.

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South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

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