Following several months of collaborative development alongside the nine member federations, Football Australia has announced the release of their One Football Strategy document.
Having procured the strategy through a number of in-person working group meetings around the country over the past 18 months, this document serves as both a commitment from Football Australia and each Member Federation around the direction for the game, and as an expression of a common desire to work collectively to take Australian football to new heights by 2026.
A first of its kind for Australian football, the One Football Strategy establishes a framework with targets for Australian football that each Member Federation will align and contribute to.
It acknowledges the diversity of football in Australia, and the different local contexts that can be seen across the continent, by providing Member Federations the opportunity to localise responses and approaches while still working towards a consistent vision for the future of the game.
The Strategy opens with 12 different targets for Australian football by 2026, to be achieved by FA working together with Member Federations and the broader Australian football community.
These targets will be achieved via work through four distinct pillars, representing different ways that members of the Australian football family engage with the game:
- Participants and Clubs
- Elite Teams & Pathways
- Fans
- Unifying Football
Each of the four pillars includes a specific ambition for the future of Australian football, as well as several focus areas, initiatives and results that will see football move closer to realising that ambition.
The Pillars are underpinned by three enablers:
- Reshape the game for Women & Girls
- Leverage the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Align digital and data strategies
According to Football Australia’s statement, these enablers will guide thinking and contribute to the success of all four pillars.
Over the past 20 years, football has been the fastest growing sport in Australia, and it remains the largest club-based participation sport in the country today.
This scale provides opportunities for the game to come together collaboratively, using a fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup qualification for the Subway Socceroos and a home 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the CommBank Matildas to kick off an exciting period for Australian football.
The Member Federations, in various stages of the strategic planning cycle, will develop or release strategic plans that are inspired by this collaboratively developed strategy for the game.
Football Australia envision the document’s release as a critical step to progressing Principle VII of the XI Principles, ensuring that the game moves towards a more connected and united Australian football family – working together to deliver the best possible experience for all those who live and love football.
The FA One Football Strategy 2022 – 2026 can be read here.
