Applications open for Power of Her funding initiative in South Australia

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The South Australian Government is accepting applications for the first round of its $18 million Power of Her funds program, dedicated to improving facilities, equipment and programs for women’s sport.

First announced in October last year, the fund follows the Power of Her Leadership Symposium, which brought together leaders from six South Australian women’s sport teams to discuss the future needs of female sport.

Surging demand for female participation in football, after the success of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, has highlighted the need for a greater provision of high-quality resources in South Australia.

As a result, the State Government has quarantined $10 million of the proposed $18 million for women’s football developments only.

The fund is divided into two streams: programs and equipment, and infrastructure. For the remainder of the 2023-2024 financial year, $2 million will be available ($1.8 million to infrastructure and $200,000 to programs and equipment).

Funding uses could include the construction of female-friendly changerooms, an increase in player and coaching programs, and more equal provisions of football equipment.

According to Football SA (FSA), girls’ and women’s participation in football will grow 33% in the next three years, and CEO Michael Carter is thankful for the State Government’s contribution to  harnessing the growth of women’s football in South Australia.

“Initiatives that support the improvement of spaces to play for our rapidly growing football community are to be applauded,” he said via government release.

“The funding announcement to support women and girls’ infrastructure will have a profound impact on future participants in sport.”

South Australian Premier Peter Malinsauskas adds that the funding scheme goes beyond helping football thrive, and will strive for greater physical activity participation amongst females.

“By making these investments in infrastructure, programs and projects that facilitate greater participation of girls and women, we can ensure the World Cup leaves a legacy for generations to come,” the Premier stated.

“This will deliver a social, health and community dividend and result in a more equal society.”

Applicants will require a funding partner to match at least 50% of the funds, which will effectively  unlock a further $10 million worth of investment.

However, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Katrine Hildyard, says the government will support applicants in their mission to receive the game-changing funds.

“We’ll be working alongside State Sporting Organisations, associations, Councils, local clubs and schools to ensure female friendly initiatives that meet the driving needs of South Australian women and girls are funded and provide greater opportunity for all South Australian girls and women to take up or deepen their participation in their chosen sport,” the Minister said in a statement.

“The upgrade and development of sporting facilities, programs, and equipment is exceedingly important to ensure that girls and women of all abilities can participate and I am so proud that this grant program will help deliver them.”

Following the success of the NSW Football Legacy Fund, the Power of Her initiative will hopefully deliver the same positive impact for South Australian football.

Applications for the first round close on April 3rd, with applicants to be notified of the result in June this year.

To apply, you can do so here.

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FQ Academy State Championships Return to Moreton Bay

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Image Credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland (FQ) has confirmed the FQ Academy State Championships will return to Moreton Bay from Tuesday, 7 July to Saturday, 11 July 2026, delivered in partnership with City of Moreton Bay across South Pine Sports Complex and Moreton Bay Sports Complex.

This year’s edition is the most expansive yet. Under 13 to Under 16 Boys and Girls divisions will compete, drawing talent from the FQ Academy Leagues and the statewide FQ Academy Emerging Program, with regional centres from Wide Bay, Central Coast, Whitsunday Coast, Northern, and Far North & Gulf all represented.

The split-venue format is new. Boys’ fixtures will be held at South Pine Sports Complex, with girls’ fixtures at Moreton Bay Sports Complex- a structural change that reflects both the tournament’s growth and FQ’s broader push to elevate the event experience.

“More teams than ever before will participate in an expanded edition of the event this year, showcasing the skills of our most talented emerging players as they compete in a high-performance environment in front of FQ talent identification and technical staff,” said FQ State Technical Director Tom Laxton.

The Championships also carry direct selection implications. With the 2026 CommBank Emerging Matildas and Emerging Socceroos Championships on the horizon, Moreton Bay will function as a key filter in FQ’s ‘One Queensland’ talent identification pipeline.

City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery welcomed the event’s return, pointing to the region’s infrastructure investment as central to its appeal as a host. “We’ve invested in quality sporting infrastructure to ensure young athletes have access to the best possible facilities, and it’s great to see that recognised with major events returning to our city,” Flannery said.

Football SA Unveils Sweeping Reform Plan for Men’s Soccer Competitions in Adelaide

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Following the earlier announcement that Football South Australia had commissioned an independent review into the future direction of Senior Men’s Competitions in Greater Adelaide, the process has now concluded. The review, undertaken by Sports Advisory Partners Australia (SAPA), examined the current competition landscape and provided a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening player pathways, supporting club development, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the game.

A Sport Growing Faster Than Its Structure

The review was commissioned against a backdrop of rapid participation growth. FSA’s competitions have grown 22.5% in team participation since 2023, with over 250 new teams formed in 2024 alone, the vast majority at junior level. Yet despite this boom, the data tells a troubling secondary story: roughly one in four players aged 16 and over did not return to the game the following season.

The report identifies a critical bottleneck for players transitioning out of underage and youth competitions, warning that the current structure offers insufficient pathways for players aged 16 to 23; precisely the age group where drop-off is most acute.

Meanwhile, the SAASL, which remains the largest holder of senior men’s players in Adelaide, accounting for 53% of the total, has seen a 21.1% decline in player participation over the same period, a trend the report attributes in part to structural fragmentation and the gradual migration of clubs toward FSA competitions.

Eleven Recommendations, Some Contentious

SAPA put forward eleven recommendations, covering everything from youth competition restructuring to salary caps and referee development. Football South Australia has responded formally to each.

The most significant proposal calls for FSA to restructure its supporting competitions beneath the NPL and State League first teams, transitioning from the current Reserves/U18 model to U23, U20 and U18 tiers. This aligns with Football Australia’s Player Roster Principles and mirrors approaches already operating in Victoria and Western Australia. FSA has supported the change, flagging potential implementation in the 2027 season pending consultation with clubs about capacity.

A proposed community competition within the FSA structure, sitting below the State League but open only to FSA-affiliated clubs, has generated more measured enthusiasm from the governing body. FSA described it as “not a priority,” though acknowledged it would require broad stakeholder consultation if pursued. The review argues such a competition is necessary to stop players from either leaving football altogether or forcing FSA clubs to field teams across multiple associations, creating administrative duplication and volunteer strain.

SAPA has also recommended reinstatement of a salary cap across NPL and State League competitions, which was in place until 2020 before being dropped due to compliance difficulties. FSA says it will consult clubs on feasibility, with a possible return in 2027. The review noted that informal player payments in SAASL competitions, reportedly reaching $400–500 per game in some top-division matches, are undermining the league’s amateur status and smaller clubs’ ability to compete.

The Three-Association Problem

Perhaps the most persistent theme throughout the report is structural misalignment. Adelaide’s senior men’s landscape is carved between three separate associations, FSA, SAASL and CSL, with no promotion or relegation between them, divergent rules and regulations, and increasing overlap in the clubs that participate across multiple competitions.

In 2025, 39 of the 127 registered clubs in metropolitan men’s competitions were fielding teams across two or more associations. A survey of over 1,500 stakeholders found that only 27% of administrators believed the current three-association model supported strategic alignment, and just 26% agreed it maximised player transition from youth to senior football.

The SAASL, which has served the community for over 60 years, was described in the report as operating largely in isolation from the broader football ecosystem, with rules that are not aligned to FSA or CSL frameworks. FSA has supported a recommendation for greater collaboration between the associations, including a shared review of rules and regulations to be undertaken during 2026 with implementation targeted for 2027.

The CSL occupies an increasingly complicated position. Originally an inter-collegiate competition, it now includes FSA-affiliated clubs fielding lower-division teams alongside traditional university clubs. A majority of CSL clubs reportedly do not want non-collegiate suburban clubs in their competition, though the CSL Board has indicated it will admit such clubs where they align with CSL values.

Referee Shortages and Volunteer Fatigue

Beyond structural concerns, the review flags a growing crisis in match official availability and volunteer sustainability. FSA currently supplies accredited referees to 90% of SAASL Division 1-4 matches and 80% of CSL fixtures, reflecting how dependent the affiliated associations have become on FSA resources.

Volunteer burnout was among the most frequently cited concerns across stakeholder workshops. The report recommends FSA hire dedicated club development staff and consider offering affiliation fee subsidies to clubs that actively recruit new referees- an incentive-based approach to address what is described as a systemic lag between participation growth and official availability.

Looking Ahead

FSA CEO Michael Carter confirmed that stakeholder meetings will be scheduled in coming weeks to work through the recommendations in detail.

The Elizabeth and Districts Junior Soccer Association (EDJSA), an unaffiliated body serving roughly 3,900 players across the northern suburbs, is also named as a key opportunity. Bringing EDJSA into the affiliated system could significantly improve the junior-to-senior pipeline, though it would require investment from both FSA and Football Australia to avoid increasing costs for participants.

The changes, if implemented, would represent the most substantial restructuring of Adelaide’s soccer landscape in years. It’s one aimed at ensuring the sport’s growing base of junior talent has somewhere meaningful to go.

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