Football Queensland has announced a new club shield system which sorts teams into three tiers – National Club Development Program, Skill Acquisition Phase and Youth Academy.
The move to bring in three levels of tiers comes as a way to improve affordability for players, a key strategic focus for Football Queensland.
Football Queensland says that the new visual approach will provide clarity and transparency for the football community – showing exactly where each club sits.
The example of a Tier One Club is given as at least a four star NCDP rating, a gold academy rating and silver SAP rating.
Meanwhile the example of a Tier Two club has a three star NCDP rating, a silver academy rating and a bronze SAP rating.
The example of a Tier Three club has a one star NCDP rating, a bronze academy rating and a silver SAP rating.
The shields will be available by the end of 2020 and will display the club’s tier and ratings for 2021.
Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci said the new shield system will make it easier for parents and players to choose which club to play at.
“With the introduction of these new measures to strengthen accountability, transparency and visibility around how each club is performing across 85 areas, the Club Shield will also serve as a mechanism to ensure participation fees represent value and are as affordable as possible, as clubs will now be assessed accordingly,” he said.
“It’s crucial that Football Queensland continues to take steps that assist parents and players with making informed choices about the club they play at and, equally, clubs that take positive steps, build capacity and make progress with their technical programs can celebrate their success in a meaningful way.
“Forming part of ongoing club assessment through the recently announced FQ Club Development Unit, the Club Shield system is presented as a digital design and will serve as a club ‘snapshot’ of standards based on a three-part measuring system.”
Each club will be able to display their shield on their website and club collateral. The shields will also be able to be viewed on Football Queensland’s website.