FFA to be renamed as ‘Football Australia’ following AGM

Liam Watson
FFA will be known as ‘Football Australia’ following unanimous Congress support in the 17th Annual General Meeting.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) will be known as ‘Football Australia’ following unanimous Congress support in the 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The backing came after a consultation process as part of the development of the XI Principles for the future of Australian football. 

The AGM was held via video conference on Wednesday afternoon (AEDT), alongside the release of FFA’s 2020 Annual Review.

FFA’s Members voted to re-elect Mr Chris Nikou to FFA’s Board of Directors, while Mr Stefan Kamasz was elected to the Board.

FFA Members also approved Football Coaches Australia’s (FCA) application to become a Provisional Member of the FFA Congress.

Following the AGM, Nikou was installed by his fellow Directors to the position of FFA Chair – a role he has fulfilled since November 2018.

“In extremely difficult circumstances, throughout 2020 as a Board, Management, and Staff, we have continued the important work of implementing the critical structural changes to our game that were agreed in 2018,” Nikou said.

“Our Board has been focused on taking the necessary steps to ensure the protection, enhancement, and continued growth of our game, whilst empowering FFA’s administration to chart a new path forward.

“Increased collaboration with the game’s stakeholders has seen the development of a range of initiatives that will underpin the game’s future development. Significantly, we are close to finalising the unbundling of the professional leagues from FFA. This development will mark a new era for the game in Australia.

“FFA’s commitment to working hand-in-hand with all of the game’s stakeholders to grow the game has never been stronger or more necessary.

“Finally, I would like to extend a warm welcome to new FFA Director Mr Stefan Kamasz, and look forward to his contributions to a Board which meets FFA’s ‘40/40/20’ gender representation principle and boasts a diversity of skills, expertise, and experience.”

FFA Chief Executive Officer, Mr James Johnson, said that FFA, through initiatives such as the XI Principles for the future of Australian football, has been able to establish a strong platform to launch the game into its future.

“Despite the challenges of the year, 2020 has witnessed many highlights for Australian football,” he said.

“Among the headline moments, we won the right to co-host the next FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2023, saw both Men’s and Women’s teams qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and launched the XI Principles for the future of Australian football, a new strategic agenda and 15-year vision for the sport.

“It is clear that we have already begun to change Australian football, and we are very well placed to capitalise on the opportunities before us.

“2021 will provide the opportunity to build on the momentum we have generated this year, and shapes as a year of implementation as we focus on bringing the XI Principles to life.

“Today we took another significant step on this new journey we have embarked upon when the FFA Congress unanimously resolved to change the organisation’s name from Football Federation Australia to ‘Football Australia’.

“This new name – which we will transition to over the coming months – signifies a fresh and exciting start for the game under the new strategic agenda, and a return to the roots of football in Australia.

“I firmly believe that the opportunity for further change and positive transformation in Australian football burns brighter than ever, and with the foundations that we have set in 2020 there is much to be optimistic about.”

FFA’s 2020 Annual Review includes financial and strategic updates, as well as reviews of performances and events from Australia’s national teams and competitions throughout the year. You can find it here.

Previous ArticleNext Article

South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

Avatar
Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

Avatar
Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend