Football Queensland to celebrate Female Football Week in March

Avatar

Football Queensland have announced their 2021 Female Football Week will be held from March 1 to March 8.

The week-long initiative will conclude on International Women’s Day.

“Football Queensland is delighted to announce this year’s Female Football Week, which will recognise the contributions of women and girls in our game while promoting female participation across all areas of football,” FQ President Ben Richardson said.

“Women and girls are the future of our game, and Football Queensland is committed to strengthening pathways, developing infrastructure and delivering high-quality participation experiences to create more opportunities for women and girls to join our game as outlined in our Strategic Plan.

“This is a focus now more than ever as we enter the centenary season of women’s football here in Queensland, look ahead to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to be held on home soil, and prepare to launch our 2021-2023 Women and Girls Strategy.”

“Football Queensland is proud of the progress we are making to grow the women’s game across the state, and we’re excited to celebrate this year’s Female Football Week alongside the opening round of the NPL Junior Girls competition and the ground-breaking new Kappa Women’s Super Cup,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“It’s been fantastic to see such a strong interest in the inaugural state-wide competition especially from our regional clubs, with 55 teams from community level to the NPL Queensland competing from across nine regions.

“Unlocking new opportunities for female players across Queensland, the Kappa Women’s Super Cup will kick off on the final weekend of Female Football Week and showcase some of the state’s best female players.

“Football Queensland’s Female Football Week celebrations will then continue into the following week, with a number of programs and initiatives planned as we look towards the opening round of our NPL Women’s competition on March 12.

“We encourage our zones and clubs across the state to join us in celebrating the contributions of women and girls in our game as part of Female Football Week by running their own initiatives and events which we look forward to supporting.”

Clubs in Queensland can register their Female Football Week initiatives and view event ideas here.

Avatar
Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

Football Queensland’s two-year referee strategy to drive development and retention

Avatar
Image credit: Andrey Popov via Shutterstock

Football Queensland (FQ) are embarking on a transformative journey.

Seeking to elevate the current refereeing regime on a state-wide level is a high-priority within their objectives. The Referee Strategy plan will run from 2024 until 2026, where the current framework of officials officiating within Queensland looks to be recrafted.

Referees are the unsung heroes of any sport, especially football. The decisions they make as a collective can have historical ramifications. They are ultimately tasked with making correct decisions, while under the microscope of the entire footballing audience, governing bodies and participants all watching attentively on to hear of what the decision may be, which ultimately impacts their respective teams.

The constant pressure, scrutiny and tension they are under does not go unnoticed, nor should their presence. Referring on a global scale is a tedious aspect of sport. It is simple to attract people that are keen to participate within a sport on a playing level. In an officiating role, it is a whole different kettle of fish.

The Strategic Pillars 
The priority placed upon the recruitment and retainment of officials is a focal point of the FQ referee strategy. Unification of their already established referee base is crucial. Their primary objectives include:

3600 FQ Registered Referees across all formatted of football within Queensland.

50/50 Parity: Resulting in FQ wishing to foster 1250 more female referees.

Queensland founded referees to be represented on a global scale.

Developing pathways for educators, referees and match day officials.

With all of those objectives in mind. To execute such a tall order is achievable all through the basis of a solid foundation. The “Strategic Pillars” assorted to accumulate 3,600 referees by the year 2026 include the following stages. 

Pillar #1: Recruitment and Outreach
The re-imagination of talent recruitment, combined with diversification and expansion all are at the forefront of the strategies initial phase.

Pillar #2: Pathways and Opportunities 

Creating a community that thrives upon the continuous growth of refereeing through the establishment of a unified culture, spearheaded by the passion involved for the game and officiating.

Pillar #3: Retention and Engagement

The pressures involved within the occupation can deter potential participants or current officials for wanting to exercise their skillset within the field. The third phase within the pillars involves support directed towards the wellbeing of officials. Ensuring that they are recognized, celebrated, supported and encouraged.

Pillar #4: Training and Development

The fourth and final phase is equally as important as the previous three. The creation of cohesion amongst a community is of great importance. Looking to gain participants through revolutionary training activities in which showcase the intense art form of officiating in an engaging manner, while improving and establishing skills.
There are currently over 2000 registered referees within FQ.

They are attempting to increase their refereeing basis by 425 participants, compounding each year until 2026 while striving to double their current female referee basis.

As a footnote to Australia’s presence on a global perspective within the football world, we remain a nation in that possesses immense interest in the sport, yet haven’t found their strides in translating that passion into becoming a top-level contending country upon the football pitch on the international scale.

It was Queensland’s very own Jarred Gillet who pathed the pathway in which Australian referees should look to charter. From officiating some of the A-leagues all-time greatest clashes to becoming a primary referee within the Premier League all over the span of 11 years.

It’s a feat in which FQ will strive for within this new strategy plan. All for the benefit of football within the state of Queensland, and most importantly, for Australia.

Nike acquire South American giants as primary kit sponsors

Avatar
Image credit: Nattawit Khomsanit / Shutterstock.com

The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) have officially confirmed a partnership formulated with American sport apparel juggernaut Nike.

The agreement arrives in a timely manner for the international side, given their decision go unbranded after their Puma sponsorship had culminated in 2023.

Nike become the ninth kit manufacturer held by La Celeste Senior men’s national team throughout their history. Initially, their first ever kit sponsor was with Nike’s primary rivals Adidas with the partnership beginning in 1972 and ending in 1983.

Since their 8 year relationship with Adidas, the national side where constant in changing their kit manufacturer. With manufacturers changing hands 6 times in the span of 24 years, it was until 2003 where Puma had become primary endorsers.

The endorsement of Puma lasted from 2006 until 2023. The leaping Puma Cat logo shared a fruitful tenure with Uruguay, experiencing a fourth place finish at the 2010 South Africa world cup campaign, in which was riddled with nostalgia and controversy from La Celeste.

The mind shifts back to when a 31 year old Diego Forlan showed the footballing world on the grandest stage, his immense quality. Storming home with the Golden Ball, Goal of the Tournament and joint top scorer of the competition.

Beyond the 2010 campaign, Uruguay would go on to qualify for the next three editions beyond their best finish since 1970. They were also in collaboration when Uruguay lifted the Copa America in 2011, a mere 16 years since their last victory.

Founded in 1964, Nike is the benchmark in athletic apparel and footwear. Most of the world’s greatest athletes across multiple sporting codes are endorsed by Nike, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

Nike have been busy with their national team acquisitions, The German Football Association (DFB) where another powerhouse international outfit accumulated by the American brand, with the partnership commencing in 2027.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend