Australian football needs to further explore the potential of Twitch

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Twitch continues to be one of the world’s leading platforms to live stream content and Australian football should build their presence on the service.

The FFA launched the E-League in 2018, a competitive Esports league where professional gamers played and represented A-League clubs in the FIFA video game series.

The league is broadcast on the Amazon subsidiary Twitch, with viewing numbers impressive across the board.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the opening night of the E-League saw 138,000 people tuning into the show, a figure which was bigger than most A-League games in the past few years.

Speaking at the time of the launch, former FFA head of commercial, digital and marketing, Luke Bould, explained that the idea behind the E-League was to attract a younger audience and build awareness of the A-League’s brand.

“We’re being entrepreneurial, we’re taking a risk. We have to be there and for us it’s a strategic advantage, there’s a million plus people playing this game and we don’t have enough fans of the A-League. We can try and influence them through this media,” he told SMH.

Bould claimed the E-league’s opening night attracted a larger social media following than any other streamed event covered by the FFA (including Bert van Marwijk’s unveiling before the 2018 World Cup).

“That’s the strongest thing we’ve ever done in terms of social platforms, whether it’s live press conferences, it’s by far the strongest thing we’ve ever done,” he said.

Fast forward two years, the E-League now has over 6,000 followers on Twitch and just under four million video views.

The Esports competition has engaged fans successfully on Twitch, but there are more options that Australian football can take advantage of on the platform.

Those in charge could develop strategies to encourage the sizeable E-League fanbase to further engage with real life A-League content, on the same service.

The issue is, there is no official A-League account on the live-streaming service.

The absence of this could be seen as a missed opportunity.

La Liga recently became one of the first major European sports competitions to join Twitch.

On the service, they now broadcast behind the scene’s footage, preview and review shows, special programs on featured players in the competition and much more.

The Spanish competition’s partnership with Twitch also allows for collaboration opportunities which benefits the streaming community.

Could the A-League enter a similar partnership on a smaller scale?

Since Fox Sports has currently cut back on producing A-League magazine shows, it could address a current hole in the market.

Producing exclusive real-life content on Twitch could also see more young football fans flocking to the platform, in addition to those who are already interested in the E-League competition.

It helps that Twitch is an extremely popular platform for a young audience (a market which Australian football administrators are currently targeting), particularly male.

According to Globalwebindex, 73% of Twitch users are aged between 16-34, with 65% of all users being male.

Another possibility for the Australian game is to follow the likes of famous clubs such as Real Madrid and Juventus, as well as leagues such as the English Premier League, in broadcasting live matches on the platform.

Real Madrid and Juventus have their own channels on the service and they have broadcast friendlies and youth team matches.

The English Premier League live-streamed matches on Twitch for UK users earlier this year for the first time.

With murmurs that the FFA Cup is set to be broadcast on YouTube next season, it may not be the worst idea to showcase some of those games on Twitch instead.

It would open up potential commercial opportunities for the present and the future, on a platform where Australian football needs to increase its visibility.

It could not only benefit A-League clubs, but also maximize the exposure for NPL clubs competing in the cup competition.

If Australian football is serious about its focus on engaging a digital audience, Twitch needs to be further entrenched in its plans.

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Bundesliga DNA to the Boardroom: German-born Martin Kugeler Takes the Helm at Football Australia

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Image Credit: Stan

German-born executive, Martin Kugeler, shaped by Europe’s football culture and based in Australia since 2009, will step in as Football Australia CEO in February as the game eyes a defining 2026.

Reaching new heights

During the press conference held earlier this morning, Kugeler displayed both confidence and ambition as he prepares to lead a new era for Football Australia next month.

“Football in Australia has a strong foundation for growth. Our national impact is massive,” he said, highlighting both the immense number of participants and local clubs in Australia. He then continued to underline both the Socceroos and the Matildas as valuable assets in the nation’s football sphere.

“We have exceptional national teams that continually make us proud. They perform at a truly global scale and unite not only the football community, but the entire nation.”

With both the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the FIFA Men’s World Cup both on the horizon in 2026, the year certainly represents a huge opportunity for both the men’s and women’s game to showcase Australian footballing talent on an international scale. But the focus, as Krugeler underlined, will extend beyond the national team and address all levels of football in Australia to help the game grow.

“Football brings people and communities together. For a healthy lifestyle, for connection, for enjoyment, for belonging, powered by a remarkable, passion [and] dedicated players, referees, coaches, volunteers and fans,” he continued.

An inspiring reminder to all those involved in the game across Australia, and one which will hopefully show participants and stakeholders at all levels that 2026 will begin a new period of stability, growth and innovation.

 

Expertise, passion and ambition

Of course, the dawn of a new era for Football Australia cannot be successfully achieved without addressing the past and current issues, while still keeping an ambitious eye on what football can become at both national and international level for Australia.

Alongside Kugeler in the FA leadership team will be Football Australia Chair, Anter Isaac, as well as former Matilda, and current interim CEO of Football Australia, Heather Garriock. With their combined industry expertise and true passion for the game, all fans, players and stakeholders can be optimistic for the future of football governance in Australia.

But while expertise and passion are undoubtedly valuable assets for the FA, it remains essential that these help to inform the decisions and solutions made with the game’s best interests at heart.

 

 

 

 

Central Coast Mariners enter into liquidation after financial troubles

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It was announced on Monday this week that the Central Coast Mariners will be temporarily managed by the APL Board during the sales process. The decision comes after several years of uncertainty and financial challenges within the club.

 

Short-term survival, long-term stability

It has been no secret that the Central Coast Mariners have struggled to balance their success on the pitch with administrative security off it. Years of financial turbulence and ownership changes have brought significant challenges to the club, culminating in the decision to enter the club into liquidation and seek a new buyer. 

While a sales process is completed and a stable, long-term owner sought out to secure the long-term future of the Mariners, the APL will act as a managing body on an interim basis. APL Chair, Stephen Conroy, has affirmed the board’s intentions to ensure the club’s survival despite current uncertainty. 

‘The APL Board is resolute in its commitment to fans and stakeholders to protect the game’s best interests, and make decisive action to ensure the ongoing growth, stability and integrity of the A-Leagues,’, he said via an APL statement on Monday. 

‘As custodians of the game, we believe it is the best course of proactive action – for the short and long term interest of the Club – to terminate the current CPA under the current ownership, and run an expedited and robust sale process to find a new and stable long-term owner for the Mariners,’ he continued. 

For now, the priority remains with ensuring the survival of one of the A-League’s most successful clubs. It is, of course, not just about the short-term survival of financial or commercial assets, but about restoring the long-term stability of the club’s board and the trust of the Mariners’ loyal fanbase.

 

A-League funding difficulties 

When previous owner, Richard Peil, announced his departure from the club in 2024, issues with funding from the APL were cited as explanations for the financial challenges experienced during his tenure. Across the span of two seasons, the annual distribution from the APL to each club fell from $2.35 million to $530,000. 

With such a significant cut, the Central Coast Mariners struggled to continue operating. Peil departed in 2024, returning operations back to Mike Charlesworth who had acted as chairman from 2013 to 2022.

The move came as a shock to the league and to the Mariners’ fanbase, who had enjoyed an incredible treble-winning year in 2024 and became the first professional men’s football club to achieve the feat. With such impressive achievements on the pitch overshadowed by challenges off it, the Central Coast Mariners are unfortunately not the first club faced with conflicting fortunes.

Mere months ago, Western United entered a period of ‘hibernation’ during the 2025/26 season to address several financial and legal issues. The decision left players and staff stranded, and featured as a source of criticism for the APL in the A-League Men Report 2024/25.

 

Hope for the future

Despite the troubling implications of another A-League club plagued by financial issues and with news breaking yesterday that the Central Coast Mariners’ Academy has also entered into liquidation, the future of the club is by no means over. 

As the main professional sports team representing the entire Central Coast, the club has huge potential to be both a sporting and commercial centre for the region going forward. Furthermore, with an impressive training infrastructure at the Mariner’s Centre of Excellence, and a proven history of high-quality players and coaches, the club has some of the essential ingredients to achieve new levels of success. 

The one thing which of course still remains, is a reliable and stable team behind the scenes who can steer the club back to the top of the A-League. To this end, Conroy has expressed his confidence in the APL to find the right buyer. 

“We believe in the value that Central Coast Mariners bring to the A-leagues. They’ve shown with the right investment and community engagement, they have a vibrant fanbase and a proven ability to consistently compete for on field success,” he said. 

“We are confident that with the engaged local and international interest, we can find the right buyer for the Mariners to take the Club forward and ensure their long term success.”

While uncertainty remains around the Mariners’ current situation and future owners, it will be hoped by fans, players and staff that years of off-pitch turbulence can be put to rest by a more stable and successful future. 

 

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