Football Queensland hosts first C Diploma course in four years

Liam Watson
C Diploma course
Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland (FQ) has hosted the state’s first female-only Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course since 2018, sparking more development opportunities for women in coaching.

16 candidates from clubs across Brisbane took their next step on the coaching pathway as they completed Part 1 of the course in November.

In an ongoing objective to contribute to Football Australia’s target of 100,000 registered coaches, FQ will regularly conduct coaching programs by providing dedicated coaching staff. With the impact of Covid-19 less than it was just a couple years ago, it will lead to programs being consistently run, such as for AFC C Diploma qualifications.

In general, the coaching pathways can be either from community-based or advanced coaching courses, creating pathways to move from grassroots all the way up to the professional environment.

Football & State Technical Director Gabor Ganczer said in an FQ statement:

“As outlined in our recently released 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan, Football Queensland is committed to achieving 50/50 gender parity in participants, referees, committees and club officials by 2027,” he explained. 

“Growing the number of female coaches across the state is critical to meeting this gender parity target, so we’re excited to provide more development opportunities for our female coaching candidates as we support them in their progression by offering female-only courses.

“Football Queensland has already been very active in the delivery of courses specifically for female coaches at the community level, and just recently we were proud to deliver the country’s first ever female-only Football Australia/AFC B Diploma. 

“We’re excited to further strengthen the opportunities for progression from community coaching for female coaches through the delivery of the Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course which we hope to deliver more regularly in the future.”

FQ Club Development Ambassador – Head of Coaching Davide Bertamini added via press release:

“It is fantastic to see such high demand for female-only courses in Queensland, with over 50 female coaches expressing their interest in the recent female-only Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course,” he said.

“Attendees heard from highly experienced presenters during part 1 of the course including CommBank Matildas Assistant Coach Mel Andreatta, while other special guest presenters including CommBank Junior Matildas Head Coach Rae Dower will join us for part 2. 

“It was wonderful to receive some fantastic feedback from attendees who highlighted the encouraging and supportive environment that was created on the course as they were challenged to reflect, think critically and grow as coaches.  

“In addition to creating more development opportunities for female coaches, Football Queensland is also focused on providing additional learning opportunities for our female coach developers including Priscilla Tan and Lauren Mangan who were in attendance to observe and assist throughout the opening three days of the recent female-only C Diploma. 

“A number of other female coach developers will be invited to join us for part 2 of the course as we continue working to strengthen the pathway for female coaches and coach developers throughout the state.” 

For more information on coaching pathways, you can find it here.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Project ACL: The initiative leading the way on injury research

Avatar
Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

Launched in 2024, the research project recently welcomed two US-based organisations: the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

 

About Project ACL

Led by FIFPRO, PFA England, Nike and Leeds Beckett University, Project ACL aims to research ACL injuries and understand more about multifactorial risk factors.

After piloting in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Project ACL will expand to the NWSL in the US, reflecting the global importance of the project’s research and outcome.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the NWSLPA and NWSL to Project ACL,” said Director of Women’s Football at FIFPRO, Dr. Alex Culvin, via official press release.

“Overall, we believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change in the soccer ecosystem and that players, competition organisers and stakeholdersaround the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.”

Interviews with over 30 players and team surveys across all 12 WSL clubs provided the project’s research team with valuable information about current prevention strategies and available resources.

Furthermore, the project tracks player workload and busy schedule periods during the season through the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring tool, therefore gaining insights into the link between scheduling and injury risks.

 

Looking to the data

Project ACL’s partnerships with the WSL – and now the NWSL – are immensely valuable for the future of player welfare in women’s football.

Although ACL injuries affect both male and female athletes, they are twice as likely to occur in women than men. However, according to the NWSL, as little as 8% of sports science research focuses on female athletes.

In Australia, several CommBank Matildas suffered ACL injuries in recent years: Sam Kerr was sidelined from January 2024 to September 2025, Ellie Carpenter for 8 months after suffering the injury while playing for Olympique Lyonnais, and Holly McNamara came back from three ACL’s aged 15, 18 and 20.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The 2025/26 ALW season saw several ACL incidents, including four in just two weeks.

 

Research, prevent, protect

Injury prevention and research are vital to sport – whether professional or amateur.

But when the numbers are so shocking – and incidents are so common – governing bodies must remember that player welfare comes above all else. Research can inform prevention strategies. Prevention means players can enjoy the game they love.

The work of Project ACL, continuing until 2027, will hopefully protect countless players across women’s football from suffering long-term or recurring injuries.

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.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend