AFC medical course shares valuable knowledge with key regions

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Image credit: AFC website

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has shared valuable medical knowledge with key regions, ASEAN and East, across the five-day Football Emergency Medicine and Anti-Doping Course.

Hosted by The Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand), the course presented to 20 Member Associations (MAs), from November 23rd to the 26th.

Conducted at the BDMS Rehabilitation Centre in Bangkok, the course was led by Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh and assisted by a variety of AFC Instructors.

The course was separated into two segments. The first segment facilitated a number of theoretical sessions and lectures on the most recent developments in football emergency medicine.

While the second segment initiated a variety of active practical sessions. These sessions provided live training on the management of critical medical emergencies on and off the pitch, sessions also covered anti-doping concerns.

Additionally, BDMS Instructors for Advance Life Support trained and assured participants were proficient in on-field emergency management of cardiac arrest, concussion, trauma and other injuries.

Dato’ Dr. Singh outlined the goals of the course.

“The contents of this course is tailored to provide the latest evidence-based practices in management of emergencies on the field in line with those of FIFA,” he said via press release.

“The AFC wants to deliver a message, which is ‘unity of doctrine’ – this means that if a sudden cardiac arrest incident occurs, the medical staff will respond in a standardised protocol as implemented in accordance with the FIFA Emergency Action Plan.

“This course is part of the low-cost, high-output educational activities organised within Asia by the AFC and reinforces the AFC’s commitment in maximising the potential of our Member Associations.”

In her opening speech, Mrs Nualphan Lamsam, President of FA Thailand expressed pride for the course.

“Your presence reflects our shared commitment to advancing football across Asia. It is a privilege to host such a distinguished group whose efforts empower athletes and shape the sport’s future on the global stage,” she said via press release.

“The AFC Football Emergency Medicine & Anti-Doping Regional Course embodies the strong partnership between the AFC and FA Thailand. This initiative is designed to advance expertise in sports medicine — an indispensable aspect of football, where intensity and physicality define the game.”

The presentation was the second leg of the course, the first had been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May, for Western MAs.

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

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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

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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.

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