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FFA independent review of national teams – what are the implications?
Football Federation Australia (FFA) have announced they will address the way the Australian national teams are managed, by progressing with an independent review,
The FFA will address the decision-making processes and how items are reported to the FFA board, with the focus being that teams are operating at the highest standards.
It comes as the FFA seeks to learn from their handling of former Matildas coach Alen Stajcic.
The timing of his sacking from the head role raised question marks as he was the one to help guide the Matildas to the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
A situation like that, where legal action was taken by Stajcic, is something that the FFA doesn’t want to happen again.
It’s what has prompted the FFA to act and understand if there’s a better way of handling these issues in the future.
“The decision of the Board to replace Alen Stajcic as the Matildas coach is not under review or subject to review. However, the process raised questions for the Board on the manner in which conduct, performance and information are addressed by FFA as an organisation,” FFA Chairman, Chris Nikou.
The FFA have decided on a three-person panel who will all be involved in the decision-making processes and be part of the review.
The panel will be chaired by Diane Smith-Gander who is a professional non-executive director, alongside Rod McGeoch and Liz Ellis.
McGeoch is another non-executive director while Liz Ellis is a former captain of the Australian Diamonds netball team.
As part of their role, the panel will take part in interviews with FFA senior management and national team staff and need to evaluate documentation, information and correspondence.
A report will be compiled to the FFA board by the end of October 2019, with more details to come when that time comes about releasing information.
Football Queensland (FQ) has celebrated a successful year of player development in the Northern region across youth and junior football through the FQ Academy.
The FQ Academy is Queensland’s only recognised way for players to achieve state and national team representation and showed significant progress over 2024. The Northern region covers some of Queensland’s rural major hubs, including Townsville, Charters Towers, Ayr and Ingham.
In the Northen region, over 150 players participated in the FQ Acadamy across the U9 to U16 age groups, illustrating the influence of adopting Football Australia’s latest national technical standards.
The success of the FQ Academy in the Northern region was further embellished through the selection of 10 local players in Queensland state teams, to compete at the Girls and Boys National Youth Championships in Melbourne and Wollongong.
FQ General Manager, Football & State Technical Director, Gabor Ganczer, expressed his joy for the achievements in the Northern region.
“2024 has been a tremendous year for football in the Northern region, with significant strides in player development as the FQ Academy continues to play a pivotal role in providing young athletes with access to world-class coaching and competitive platforms that continue to raise the standard of football in the region,” he said via press release.
“The progress seen throughout the region is the result of a sustained, long-term approach to player development, with a focus on upskilling coaches and equipping clubs with the tools and resources they need to ensure all players are supported at every stage of their journey.”
FQ Senior Manager, Technical (Northern Conference), Michael Edwards applauded the work of the FQ Academy.
“The inclusion of local players in the Queensland state teams highlights the significant impact of the continued investment in Northern football programs, helping to elevate talented athletes to elite levels of competition,” he said in a press release.
“The foundation we’ve laid this year, with the FQ Academy at the forefront, will not only set the stage for greater success in the years to come but also drive the continued growth of football in the Northern region and beyond, ensuring clear and accessible pathways for all players to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.”
Football Queensland remains committed to developing the level of coaching skill and to enhancing player development in the Northern region in 2025 and beyond.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Dans Destinations
On Wednesday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will ratify Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast as hosts of the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2026. Games will be played across Stadium Australia and Western Sydney Stadium, the Perth Rectangular Arena, Perth Stadium, and the Gold Coast Stadium.
While the Women’s Asian Cup is a momentous occasion for Australian football, the exclusion of Melbourne stands as a missed opportunity.
Known as the sporting capital of the nation, Melbourne holds an incredibly passionate soccer fanbase and has continually delivered excellence on the pitch.
Zealous and Loyal Fanbase
Most recently, Melbourne hosted six Women’s World Cup games at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, otherwise known as AAMI Park, in 2023 for hungry audiences. Of the six games, five reached over 90% capacity according to AuStadiums, illustrating the desire Melbournians and Victorians have for more football.
Furthermore, Victorians have consistently shown up to support their teams across both the men’s and women’s A-Leagues. According to AuStadiums, in last year’s ALW season, AAMI Park was on average the most attended stadium of the grounds which had hosted 10 or more games, averaging 3,500 people per game. This accomplishment built off of the 22/23 season where AAMI Park had also averaged the largest crowds for stadiums for which had hosted multiple games.
In the men’s competition, AAMI Park has been by far the most played at stadium, with more than 30 games played at the stadium each season since the 21/22 season. Through this, AAMI Park has consistently achieved the highest total attendance of any A-League stadium and has additionally maintained strong crowd averages.
AAMI Park was the third most attended ground on average last year for stadiums which had hosted multiple games. Additionally, AAMI Park also appeared the most in the top 10 attended games of the year, hosting four of the largest crowds of the 23/24 season.
To deny such a passionate fanbase the opportunity to see their national team, and other elite Asian teams, locally, would be a travesty. Compounding it, the decision to neglect one of Australia’s most beloved, professional and modern stadiums on a global stage is another disappointment.
World Class Facilities
In the latest Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) 2023-24 A-League Men Report insights from players, executive teams and coaches, AAMI Park was one of the highest scoring stadiums across Australia and New Zealand.
In terms of pitch quality, measured by the pace, smoothness, hardness and overall quality of the surface, AAMI Park scored above average. Depending on the hosting team, the stadium was rated between 3.5 stars to 4 stars placing it above the 3.2 average across the league.
Additionally, AAMI Park recorded the best atmosphere leaguewide when Melbourne Victory played, achieving a 4.4-star rating. Nearly half a star higher than the second-best atmospheric stadium.
These sentiments were similarly echoed in the most recent PFA A-League Women Report from the 2023-24 season. The report illustrated AAMI Park as one of the premier stadiums in the country, with the ground achieving a 4-star and near perfect 4.9-star rating, across its two hosts.
Australia’s Most Liveable City
In combination with providing a world class stadium for some of the world’s best teams, hosting games at AAMI Park in Melbourne at the Women’s Asia Cup would have propelled Australia’s image on the global stage by highlighting one of the world’s most liveable cities. Ranked fourth in the world for most liveable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index 2024, Melbourne continues to showcase the very best of Australia.
Travelling fans would get to enjoy the cultural events and sights Melbourne has to offer, while also finding their way to and from games easily due to Melbourne’s simple public transport system.
Furthermore, Melbourne would not only highlight the best of Australia to travellers, but to an ever-increasing global audience. With the rise of interest in women’s football, the amount of people watching and interacting with games has increased exponentially.
According to FIFA, over two billion people engaged with the Women’s World Cup in 2023. Furthermore, the tournament produced over 2.72 billion viewer hours, a 9.2% increase in consumption from the 2019 Women’s World Cup. With so many eyes now on women’s football, it makes sense to put forth Australia’s best.
Conclusion
Fortunately, as Australia’s most loved team, the Matildas will draw crowds wherever they play, having now sold out 16 home games in a row.
Yet the neglect of Melbourne from the Women’s Asia Cup will prevent one of the country’s most fervent fanbases, which has repeatedly supported the national team and the A-Leagues, from witnessing one of Australia’s most important sporting events.
