FA reveal 2021 Domestic Match Calendar

Philip Panas08/02/2021 6:00 am12/09/2021

Football Australia have released their 2021 Australian Football Domestic Match Calendar (DMC).

The key features of the 2021 Australian Football DMC include registration periods for Australia’s professional competitions, national team activity windows, A-League and W-League competition windows, final round match dates for the FFA Cup, as well as a standalone spot for the Festival of Football Week, which is set to be introduced in connection with the 2021 FFA Cup Final.

FA CEO James Johnson believes 2021 will be a year of transition towards a completely unified approach for Australian football.

“Flowing on from the unbundling of the Professional Leagues from Football Australia, an important regulatory function for Football Australia as the game’s Governing Body is to set the Domestic Match Calendar in order to lead the realignment of Australia’s football competitions and connect the football pyramid both domestically and globally,” Johnson said.

“The release of the 2021 DMC to football stakeholders, and to the public, is an important step in that process, and we expect to achieve even greater alignment in 2022 as COVID-19 eases and we apply key learnings and insights from 2021.

“Australia’s Domestic Match Calendar will play a vital role in Football Australia’s proposed new and modern transfer system by articulating domestic Transfer Windows which will provide opportunities to progressive clubs at all levels of the sport to conduct player transfer business and generate new revenue streams which can be deployed into the ongoing training and development of players, and the clubs themselves.

“The Domestic Match Calendar will also be fundamental to bringing to life numerous measures proposed in the XI Principles, which in turn supports our bold and exciting new strategic direction for Australian football. The DMC will aid the optimisation of competitions across all levels of the game, help us to reimagine the player pathway, help to increase match minutes for players both in club football and with our national teams, and support football as a sport which is played all year round,” he said.

The 2021 Australian Football Domestic Match Calendar can be viewed here.

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Football NSW 2025 Registrations Surge as Season Approaches

Noah Coopey19/03/2025 6:30 am18/03/2025

Image credit: Football NSW website

Football NSW community registrations have rocketed beyond the 200,000 marks, keeping pace to eclipse the record numbers set in 2024, as the code’s popularity continues to boom across the state.

Australia’s most populous state has been breaking records the last couple years with rising participation numbers. This year continues to solidify that trend.

Junior participation is leading the charge with more than 115,000 children aged 5-12 already signed up with local clubs as the winter football season draws near.

This sustained growth follows an exceptional 2024 season that witnessed a 9% increase in overall player registrations, with female participation skyrocketing by an impressive 17%.

Football NSW CEO John Tsatsimas was particularly proud with the increased junior and female representation.

“It’s pleasing to see the healthy number of juniors registering for the upcoming community football season,” Tsatsimas commented via official Football NSW Press release.

“It’s equally great to once again see female participation at the forefront of our growth.

“Our club volunteers and Associations have done a tremendous job in overseeing registrations within their local communities and we’re looking forward to seeing the new season get underway in April.”

Not just grassroots football in NSW, but nationwide, football participation has seen huge growth in youth and female participation.

A strong NSW football environment at the forefront of this surge is key to maintaining and cultivating participation.

Though with every increase in participating numbers, the community-based clubs bear the brunt of more demand.

Now more than ever, associations and clubs need sufficient support from the state Football federation if they want to continue these exciting results.

Though time will tell how much of an increase in players there will be, the report is promising.

How to maintain the players and bring more into the footballing community in the coming years will be the next big questions for all levels of football in the state and in the country.

Liverpool FC and Adidas Reignite Partnership

Kristy Nicolaou19/03/2025 6:15 am16/03/2025

Image Credit: Liverpool FC website

Liverpool FC and Adidas have announced a new multi-year partnership, agreeing to the return as the club’s official kit supplier from August 1, 2025.

This renewed collaboration with Adidas will see the iconic brand supply match kits, training gear, and culture wear for the club’s men’s, women’s, and academy teams, as well as LFC Foundation staff.

This alliance marks the revival of a storied relationship, with Adidas having previously provided kits during some of the Reds’ most successful eras.

Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan commented on the importance of this partnership and what it means for the club.

“Everyone at the club is incredibly excited to welcome adidas back into the LFC family. We have enjoyed fantastic success together in the past and created some of the most iconic LFC kits of all time,” he said via press release.

“Adidas and Liverpool share an ambition of success and we couldn’t be more excited to partner together again as we look forward to creating more incredible kits to help drive on-pitch performance. We’d like to thank Nike for their support over the last five years and wish them well for the future.”

The initial collaboration from 1985 to 1996 saw Liverpool secure multiple domestic league titles and FA Cup victories, while the subsequent partnership from 2006 to 2012 delivered further silverware, cementing adidas as a fan-favourite kit provider.

Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden expressed his excitement for the returning collaboration.

“We are extremely excited that adidas and Liverpool Football Club are teaming up once again. The club is one of the biggest and most iconic names in world football with a huge fan base,” he said via press release.

“The jerseys worn during previous partnerships are some of the greatest ever created.”

With the three stripes returning to Anfield, excitement is building ahead of the unveiling of Liverpool’s new home and away kits.

The designs will be officially revealed through Liverpool FC and adidas channels, with fans able to purchase the fresh range from the start of August.