FIFA concussion campaign reaches 835 million people

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Image Credit: FIFA

FIFA has revealed key figures from the Concussion: Suspect and Protect campaign, six months after the campaign’s launch.

Releasing the results on World Head Injury Awareness Day, FIFA found that the campaign – developed in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO) – had reached approximately 835 million people worldwide.

Across the world, FIFA detailed how the campaign had engaged 482,700 people online, including 2,070 toolkit downloads.

Launched in September 2024, the campaign has been adopted by more than 90 Member Associations (MAs) across all of the confederations in differing capacities.

One of the prolific adopters of the Concussion: Suspect and Protect campaign has been the Federation of Ugandan Football Associations (FUFA). FUFA has been extremely committed to the cause, delivering numerous briefings to all of its national teams and resharing the campaign across its media channels.

Additionally, FUFA has worked tirelessly with their medical teams to set up the FIFA Concussion Protocol for Medical Staff and the FIFA Concussion Protocol for Grassroots Football across the country’s football tiers.

FUFA Head of Medical, Dr Apollo Ahimbisibwe emphasised FUFA’s dedication to adopting concussion prevention measures.

“The Federation of Uganda Football Associations is proud to support the concussion awareness campaign, a joint initiative by FIFA and the World Health Organization,” he said in a press release.

“We are committed to raising awareness about concussion among Uganda Premier and FUFA Women Super League players, national teams, coaches, medical staff and all stakeholders involved in the beautiful game.

“Through education and training, we emphasise that no match is worth the risk. To ensure a safe playing environment, we will extend this critical message to every corner of the country, reaching schools, non-league football clubs and all football enthusiasts. The safety and well-being of our players are paramount, and we are dedicated to making the game safe for all participants.”

As the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup approaches, FIFA has already begun to deliver courses and concussion prevention measures in preparation for the new tournament.

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Football Victoria recognised in Pride in Sport Index 2026

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Image credit: Parilov / Shutterstock.com

The Silver Status shows Football Victoria‘s commitment to providing Victorians with a safe, inclusive landscape for all to enjoy the beautiful game.

Everyone’s game

Earlier this month, the Australian Pride in Sport Awards recognised several organisations and individuals across the nation who continue to champion inclusive spaces in the world of sport.

Among the nominees was Football Victoria, who received the Silver Status. FV Executive Manager Equity, Programs and Government Relations, Karen Pearce, expressed her pride at the achievement.

“Achieving Silver Status in the Pride in Sport Index is an important reflection of the work being done across Football Victoria to ensure LGBTQ+ people feel safe, welcomed and included in our game,” Pearce said via official press release.

“We remain committed to embedding inclusive practices across all levels of football, and continuing to create environments where everyone can belong, participate and thrive.”

 

Inclusion matters

While recognition is always a positive reflection of successful work behind the scenes, it is important to remember what the work intends to achieve.

Football – and sport in general – is a unique opportunity to bring diverse communities together, and to compete, spectate and enjoy the game on an equal playing field.

Furthermore, as custodians of ‘the world’s game’, governing bodies, fans and players around the world all share the responsibility to empower marginalised groups to feel included.

Two months ago, The Premier League introduced their own initiative – Premier League With Pride – reflecting their own commitment to ensuring football grounds, schools and academies remain welcoming.

 

Final thoughts

There is no place for hate or abuse in football, whether on a grassroots field or professional stadium.

Football Victoria will continue its journey and commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community – at all levels of the game – for many seasons to come.

Football Queensland to celebrate Female Football Week with statewide events, awards and coaching programs

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Brighton women's football motion
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Football Queensland will mark the 2026 Female Football Week with a program of statewide events, competitions and professional development opportunities running from May 8-17, as the governing body continues to push for broader access and representation across all levels of the women’s game in Queensland.

The nationwide initiative, now a fixture on the Australian football calendar, provides a concentrated period of visibility for female participation across playing, coaching, officiating and administration: areas where structural underrepresentation has historically limited both the growth of the game and the opportunities available to women and girls within it.

“Female Football Week provides us with a valuable opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women and girls across our game while continuing to increase the accessibility of football in Queensland,” said Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci. “We encourage our clubs to host their own Female Football Week events and activations for female participants.”

 

Elite Competition Meets Community Access

The centrepiece of Football Queensland’s program is the return of the NPL Women’s Magic Round to Nudgee Recreation Reserve on May 8 and 9, featuring five NPL Women’s Round 13 clashes alongside a Girls United Junior Carnival and family-friendly activations. Each Magic Round game will feature an all-female refereeing panel, a deliberate and visible commitment to developing the next generation of female match officials at a moment when referee shortages are among the most pressing structural challenges facing the game nationally.

A Women in Football networking event will be held on the opening night of Magic Round, bringing together coaches, match officials and administrators. The inclusion of that event alongside elite competition is significant because it positions professional development and community building not as supplementary activities but as core components of what Female Football Week is for.

The Central Coast region will host its own Magic Round on May 16, featuring a Youth Girls game and three FQPL Central Coast Women’s matches, while a Darling Downs Junior Girls Day will take place at Captain Cook Park on the same day, extending the reach of the week’s programming beyond the southeast corner of the state into regional Queensland.

 

Coaching access as a structural priority

Football Queensland will deliver a series of female-only coaching courses around Female Football Week, with clubs also able to express interest in hosting their own. The initiative addresses one of the most persistent barriers to female representation in football administration- its coaching pipeline.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented at all levels of the game in Australia, and the barriers to accreditation, including cost, availability and the cultural environment of mixed coaching courses, compound one another in ways that individual ambition alone cannot overcome. Female-only courses create environments where women can develop without those barriers, and their delivery during Female Football Week signals that the commitment extends beyond celebration into structural change.

The Girls United Carnivals, running in both Metro and Far North and Gulf regions alongside the Q-League Schools program at Meakin Park, extend that access to players at the earliest stages of their football journey.

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