AFC Women’s Football Committee further reaffirms their pledge to grow women’s club football

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The AFC Women’s Football Committee’s commitment towards strengthening the foundations of the women’s club game was further underlined at its fifth meeting held in Chonburi, Thailand on Saturday.

Chaired by Mahfuza Akhter Kiron, the Committee praised the continued efforts of the AFC’s Member Associations in developing women’s club football against the backdrop of the ongoing AFC Women’s Club Championship 2022 – Pilot Tournament.

For the first time in the history of Asian football, the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2022 – Pilot Tournament witnessed the participation of teams from both the East and West regions, with the former reaching its decisive final match day in Thailand.

The Committee also held in-depth discussions on the impending launch of the AFC Women’s Champions League in 2024, which will be a significant game-changer for women’s football, agreeing on the overall considerations, as well as the entry and calendar principles with more information on the format and final details to be confirmed and communicated in 2023.

The Committee reviewed the Asian Qualifiers format for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2024, featuring 33 teams in entry. Necessary adjustments were made to the first two rounds in order to minimise the logistical challenges for the participating teams.

Additionally, members of the Committee approved the proposed dates of the AFC Women’s Youth Competitions in 2025 and 2026, namely the Qualifiers and Finals of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026, while providing the Administration the mandate to revise the dates where necessary.

The AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ Qualifiers Rounds 1 and 2 will be held from March 8 to 16, 2025 and August 11 to 17, 2025 respectively while the Finals is scheduled to be staged from March 23 to April 4, 2026.

Meanwhile, the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ Qualifiers Rounds 1 and 2 are set to take place from April 26 to May 4, 2025, and September 22 to 28, 2025, with the Finals planned for April 27 to May 10, 2026.

The Committee also approved the Competitions Regulations for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™, and noted the completion of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ History Book.

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

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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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