Explaining Teqball’s incredible growth in Australian football

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Image credit: International Teqball Federation website

Teqball is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world and its popularity internationally is starting to slowly make waves in the football culture amongst A-League clubs and state federations in Australia.

Its fast and exciting nature make it enjoyable to play and the sport combines elements from football and table tennis. Its versatility allows an opportunity for anyone to play, and it is suitable in various different settings.

The National Teqball Federation of Australia is the governing body for the sport of Teqball in Australia and was established as recently as 2022 with the headquarters based out of Melbourne, Victoria.

In the past fortnight they have expanded their portfolio of partners, adding Football South Australia and Western United to the A-League clubs such as Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar and the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Through these partnerships, the federation has hosted demonstration events to familiarise people with the basics, been involved in clubs matchday fan zones to increase exposure as well as offer many local clubs a free Teqball table to get more people playing.

Their mission is simply to promote and develop Teqball across the country, organise national competitions, identify and support talented players, and provide educational and training programs for players, coaches, and officials.

In deeper focus, the main goals for the Australian Teqball Federation include:

– Promotion and Development: Increasing awareness and encouraging participation in Teqball at all levels.

– Competitions: Organising national competitions and facilitating Australian players’ involvement in international Teqball events.

– Talent Identification: Supporting talented Teqball players and providing opportunities for them to excel both domestically and internationally.

– Education and Training: Offering training programs, coaching clinics, and workshops to enhance the skills and knowledge of all involved in the sport.

The Federation has a big ambition of being an Olympic sport at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and they have announced what the future will look like in order to try and achieve it:

– National Championships: Hosting annual national championships to determine the top Teqball players and teams in Australia.

– Local Tournaments: Supporting local clubs and communities in organising Teqball tournaments, fostering grassroots development of the sport.

– International Representation: Ensuring that Australian players have a presence in international Teqball competitions, such as the Teqball World Championships.

– Community Engagement: Engaging with the community through events, exhibitions, and partnerships to promote Teqball and a healthy, active lifestyle.

It’s clear that The Australian Teqball Federation is on the rise and A-League clubs and state federations are jumping on board to help it grow.

As the sport popularises overseas for its ability to hone skills on top of providing an engaging form of rehabilitation, Australian clubs are incorporating it in matchdays, training and events that they host, showing the potential for growth is huge for the sport.

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Football South Australia renews partnership with Datacord as Community Football Commitment Deepens

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Image Credit: Football SA

Football South Australia has announced the renewal of its partnership with Datacord, continuing a relationship that has grown steadily since the South Australian print and document solutions provider first entered the football community as naming rights sponsor of the Collegiate Soccer League Division 1.

That initial agreement, which saw Datacord align with one of Adelaide’s most historic amateur competitions, marked the beginning of what has since developed into a broader commitment to South Australian football at every level. The renewed partnership extends Datacord’s involvement beyond the CSL and into the wider Football SA ecosystem, with clubs across the state now able to access exclusive offers and preferred pricing on photocopying, managed print services and tailored business solutions.

The practical value of that access should not be understated. Community football clubs operate on tight margins, relying heavily on volunteer administrators managing everything from registration paperwork to grant applications. Cost-effective print and document solutions reduce the operational burden on those volunteers, a small but meaningful contribution to the sustainability of clubs that form the backbone of the game in South Australia.

“George is a great supporter of sport in South Australia and we are delighted to have Datacord as a supporter of football,” said Football SA CEO Michael Carter. “Service is second to none and we highly recommend their services to the business community within the Football Family.”

For Datacord Managing Director George Koutsoubis, the renewal reflects a genuine investment in the community rather than a transactional commercial arrangement. “It is important to support the local community, and Football South Australia is the perfect place to start spreading the word about Datacord and what we do for the South Australian community,” he said. “We are locally owned and operated, and I think it is a great partnership to be part of.”

Football NSW releases $600,000 towards Grassroots Grants to meet Participation Pressure

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The Victorian State Government has announced new grants and funding for 11 new community infrastructure projects for local football clubs, totalling $3.8 million.
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Sixty-five football clubs across New South Wales have secured a combined total of nearly $600,000 in funding through the NSW Office of Sport’s Local Sports Grant Program. It follows as a result of Football NSW’s scale of demand for community sport support and the growing pressure on clubs struggling to keep pace with surging participation.

The grants, covering 69 individual projects across the Football NSW footprint, will fund facility upgrades, equipment purchases, participation programs and accessibility improvements: the unglamorous but essential infrastructure that determines whether community clubs can function at the level their members require.

The Local Sports Grant Program made up to $4.65 million available statewide in 2025, with $50,000 allocated to each electoral district and individual grants capped at $20,000. Football’s share of nearly $600,000 reflects the sport’s status as the largest participation code in NSW, and the degree to which that status has not always been matched by corresponding investment in the facilities and resources required to sustain it.

Volunteers carrying an unsustainable load

The announcement arrives against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the volunteer workforce that keeps community football operational. Across NSW, thousands of volunteers dedicate significant unpaid time each week to administration, ground preparation, canteen operation and the logistical demands of running competitive junior and senior programs. As participation numbers climb, driven in part by the sustained visibility of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the legacy of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, those demands have intensified without a corresponding increase in the resources available to meet them.

“As the largest participation sport in NSW it is pleasing to see almost $600,000 will be reinvested back into supporting our players, coaches, referees and volunteers to improve the football experience across our community clubs,” said Helen Armson, Football NSW’s Group Head of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Affairs.

The equity dimension

The distribution of the grants across 65 clubs and 69 projects also speaks to the geographic breadth of football’s footprint in NSW, and to the uneven distribution of resources that has historically characterised community sport in this country. Clubs in outer metropolitan and regional areas tend to operate with smaller budgets, older facilities and thinner volunteer bases than their inner-city counterparts. Grant programs structured around electoral allocation, rather than club size or existing resource base, provide a degree of equity that market-driven funding cannot.

The kinds of projects funded under this program disproportionately benefit clubs serving communities where the barriers to participation are highest. A club that cannot offer adequate facilities or equipment is a club that turns players away, often without intending to.

Football NSW has used the announcement to call on the NSW Government to maintain and extend its investment in the sport. “We urge the government to continue to invest in football,” Armson said, in the midst for a nation-wide push for a $343 million decade-long infrastructure fund to address the facilities gap across the state.

The nearly $600,000 secured through this round is meaningful. Against the scale of what is needed, it is also a measure of how far the investment still has to go.

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