Football Queensland have confirmed four clubs have been successful in their application to play in the NPL Queensland Women’s competition from 2021.
Those clubs are Virginia United, Olympic FC, Peninsula Power and Brisbane City.
The teams were selected by an NPL Women’s Assessment Panel, who followed a range of stringent criteria.
The four clubs will form part of an initial 16-team competition in 2021, which will split into two, after each team has played each other on one occasion.
From 2022 onwards promotion and relegation will be introduced into the system.
Football Queensland Board member and former Matilda Amy Chapman oversaw the moderation process and explained the high standards of the successful applicants from the highly competitive field.
“I firstly want to congratulate the four clubs that have been awarded licences and sincerely thank the 14 in total that submitted either an application or expression of interest,” she said.
“The strong appetite among clubs to want to be part of women’s football is something to celebrate.
“The interest levels and the overall high quality of applications reaffirmed the football community’s confidence in the NPL Women’s reforms FQ has announced in recent weeks.
“Virginia United, Olympic FC, Brisbane City and Peninsula Power provided exceptional submissions that exceeded the selection criteria, factoring in essential considerations such as female facilities and programs, and most critically demonstrated each club’s capacity, willingness and strategy to take the women’s game to the next level.
“The key criteria demonstrate that FQ is strategically focused on driving opportunities for women and girls, and unlocking the legacy of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.”
Football Queensland will liaise with all clubs over the coming months to continue to prepare for the expanded 2021 competition, which will also lead into a two-tier Senior Women’s system in 2022.