Anzac Soccer Ashes trophy discovered after 69 years

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Last sighted in 1954, the Anzac Soccer Ashes trophy has been found.

The trophy was recently discovered by the family of Football Australia Hall of Fame Member, Sydney Storey, who served as an administrator of the game between 1922-1966.

Built by New Zealand trophy maker Harry Mayer in 1923, the Ashes were contested between Australia’s Socceroos and New Zealand’s All Whites.

Nearly 70 years passed before the grandchildren of former Australian Soccer Football Association (ASFA) Chairman Sydney Storey discovered the prized possession – in pristine condition in a suburban garage.

“The fact that the Ashes have been found is a huge win for soccer history, and also for the Anzacs both, so we’re very excited that they’re in good condition,” the Storey family stated. 

“This is not just a trophy, it’s a symbol of Australia and New Zealand working together, playing together, and looking after each other – it’s really, really powerful.

“Of course, how it is used again is up to Australia and New Zealand, but at least it’s now available to the football organisations as a first step. 

“In any case, this Anzac trophy is important to the history of Australia and New Zealand, as a symbol of our two countries working together, it can play an important part in celebrating the spirit of togetherness of the Anzacs.” 

The trophy was revealed to Australian football historians Trevor Thompson and Ian Syson, who have conducted extensive research on the series and have previously advocated to find the lost trophy.

“This is quite possibly the greatest domestic treasure there is in the game. It is a fabulous thing to have in such good condition,” Thompson emphasised. 

“It’s packed with so much imagery about the unity of the two countries, and the razor case that had been to Gallipoli referenced the recent experience of fighting shoulder to shoulder during the First World War. 

“This assumed a legendary status and between both countries, built on the sacrifices that had been made by the men fighting in the armed forces from both countries against a common enemy. 

“It’s an emblem more of unity than it is of opposition, which is intriguing for a trophy commemorating a sporting contest.” 

Football Australia Chairman Chris Nikou claimed the recovery of the prized Anzac Soccer Ashes is a great story for the game.

“Preserving and celebrating the history of Australian football has become a renewed focus for Football Australia over recent years, where the recovery of the Anzac soccer ashes is a special moment for not only football but in trans-Tasman history.

“The story attached to these soccer ashes is extraordinary, and its journey is a symbol of the courage and camaraderie of the Anzacs, where this shared spirit continues to be demonstrated every time Australia and New Zealand take to the sporting arena.

“I would like to extend our gratitude to the Storey family for not only recovering this important piece of history but donating this item back to Australian football so that fans on both sides of the Tasman can further reflect upon the storied history between the two nations.”

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

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Image Credit: SCFC

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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