Football Queensland invest heavily into referee development  

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Football Queensland have announced a significant investment into referee development, with seven Referee Coach and Development Officers appointed across the sunshine state.

The officers will work closely with the FQ referee department to raise the standard of officiating in Queensland.

“On behalf of Football Queensland, I’d like to congratulate the Referee Coach and Development Officers who have been appointed to the newly-created roles,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“In the 2020–2022 Strategic Plan, we identified the need to grow referee numbers across the state whilst improving the quality and standard of refereeing. The appointment of these seven Officers represents the biggest investment Football Queensland has made in match officials and a step change in achieving our strategic referee outcomes.

“This announcement follows the implementation of a range of new FQ referee initiatives in the last 18 months, including the first-year referee pack, referee e-learning platform and the Referee Academy.

“It was fantastic to see these new initiatives result in an 18% increase in referee registrations in February 2020 compared to February 2019, however we know there is still more important work ahead to realise our Strategic Plan target of reaching 2,200 referees by 2022.”

“These appointments will ensure that we have consistency across the state with regards to referee education and coaching, fitness training and assessments, and will be critical in supporting the delivery of FQ’s Strategic Plan outcomes.”

FQ State of Referee Manager, Jacqui Hurford, said of the new developments: “The Referee Coach and Development Officers will assist the FQ Referee Department with the recruitment and retention of referees in each zone, while providing a new level of support to match officials from a local perspective.

“The zone-based Referee Coach and Development Officers will also provide valuable guidance to FQ on how we can better assist the zones in strengthening referee development and support.

“With additional development coordinators, appointment coordinators and quality coaches now supporting the work already being undertaken at a zone level, particularly in regional areas, we are confident that FQ is heading in the right direction and on track to increase referee numbers across the state.”

The seven Referee Coach and Development Officers are Marsh Camille (Sunshine Coast), Brad Burton (Wide Bay), Trevor May (Mackay), Sam Williams (CQ), Cory Skilton (North Queensland – Southern Conference) and Nathan O’Connor (North Queensland – Northern Conference).

In the Gold Coast zone, Mark Simon-Green will oversee the role with the help of locally appointed referee coaches.

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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
Image Credit: Shutterstock

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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