Football Queensland’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan to meet National Ambition

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FQ Strategic Plan
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Designed to meet the targets and ambitions of a united, national strategy for the game, Football Queensland has released the 2023-2026 One Football Strategic Plan.

The purpose is to bring communities together through football and represent its vision as a leading football nation where everyone is inspired to live and love the game.

If the targets and ambitions of a united national strategy are to be successful, it is necessary to streamline the governance and administration and integrate critical strategic and operational functions and to support the execution of sport initiatives.

The transformation of moving towards an agile, modern, fit-for-purpose framework for football is in line with the international standards and best practices of sports governance in the country.

Football Queensland has dedicated its time and effort by working closely with Football Australia and other Member Federations to unify the sport behind a common purpose and a shared vision with a One Football pathway.

The Strategic Plan covers Football Australia’s vision detailing topics such as focus areas and measures of success across the four main pillars, providing the state of affairs from a national perspective while at the same time covering in-depth plans for implementation at the state level to delivering strong results for football in Queensland.

With the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, it is of utter importance that the next generation of female participants have a chance to be a part of the world game for which it will involve developing the right pathways, constructing the necessary infrastructure and increasing the support of clubs by delivering the right results in the states across the country.

The governing body of the state is bound to achieve 50/50 gender parity for participants, referees, committees and club officials by 2027. A key component is leaving a lasting legacy for future generations by welcoming the potential for all women and girls across all parts of the game, by giving the opportunity for all.

The four strategic pillars involved in Football Australia’s One Football Plan are Participants and Clubs, Elite Teams and Pathways, Fans and Unifying Football.

The first pillar’s ambition is to be the most accessible sport in the country where everyone can play any time, anywhere, with the focus areas ranging from driving participation retention and growth, especially for women and girls at the national level to evolving Football Queensland’s referee strategy and enhance the referee academy in the state level.

Football Queensland’s key targets are:

  • 328,000 registered participants
  • 9,400 registered coaches
  • 62,000 women and girl participants
  • 3,600 registered referees

The second pillar priority is to reimagine the Australian development for its players by producing world-class teams, players, coaches as well as referees in the country to build capacity in strengthening pathways for improved player results by providing the best technical practice into clubs through an expanded academy of Football Queensland and a coordinated club development program at the state ambitions.

Football Queensland’s key targets are:

  • 20% national representation across all levels
  • 15 Advanced Coaching Courses
  • Home of Football project delivered before 2026
  • 25 advanced female technical directors

National ambitions for the third pillar are to attract and increase an inspired fanbase who adore and devote their time and effort to Australian football properties, the focus areas involve enhancing the passion for the national teams and establishing modern products to drive fan engagement to organising new fan engagements around the current leagues, championships and competition products.

Football Queensland’s key targets are:

  • 15,000-seat capacity tier 2 stadium
  • Convert passive fans to active
  • Celebrating achievements
  • Festivals of Football

Lastly, the aspiration of the fourth pillar is to unite the sport and to recognise the true potential of football not only in the state but in the whole country. By doing this the focus areas will be that administration will be improved in maximising operational efficiencies and governance will need to be enhanced to achieve greater alignment and focus of the national level to improving the football experience, supporting club development and unlocking the achievements of critical strategic objectives.

Football Queensland key targets are:

  • Football first decisions
  • Deliver an agile modern fit-for-purpose framework
  • Reposition resources in administration
  • Increase revenue and efficiencies

Football Queensland has and always will value respect, pride, integrity and unity at all levels of the game.

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Eastern Suburbs Football Association Announces First All-Female Referee Course and Expanded Women’s Competition

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Image Credit: Football NSW

The Eastern Suburbs Football Association has opened its 2026 season with three structural investments that reflect the growing ambition of community football associations to address participation, representation and development gaps simultaneously, beginning with the delivery of its first all-female Football Match Official Course.

The course, held at Matraville Sports High School and led by female liaison committee member Michelle Hilton and 2025 Referee of the Year Ariella Richards, brought 25 new female referees into the association ahead of Round 1. The initiative targets one of the most persistent imbalances in community sport, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in officiating roles at every level of the game, by creating a dedicated entry point separate from the mixed course environment that many women find unwelcoming.

The Women’s Premier League has also expanded, now featuring eleven teams and introducing a WPL1 and WPL2 structure following the first ten rounds of the season. The tiered format creates more competition opportunities for clubs across the region while providing a clearer development pathway for teams at different stages of growth. Returning clubs Randwick City, Glebe Wanderers, Easts FC and Sydney University join established sides in what the association describes as one of its most competitive women’s seasons. ESFA clubs have continued to perform strongly in state-wide competitions including the Football NSW Sapphire Cup, State Cup and Champion of Champions.

Building the next generation

The season opened with an inaugural Development League Gala Day for Under-9 to Under-12 boys and girls, bringing eight clubs together in a structured development environment ahead of Round 1. Sydney FC A-League Women’s players attended the event and engaged directly with young participants, a deliberate effort to connect grassroots players with visible examples of where the pathway leads.

“We are committed to creating more opportunities for clubs, players, coaches and referees to thrive, with a strong focus on participation opportunities to suit participants of all abilities and aspirations,” said ESFA CEO John Boulous.

The three initiatives, a new referee entry point for women, an expanded women’s competition structure, and a development-focused junior gala day with elite role models present, together reflect an association responding to the participation pressures the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has brought into sharp relief across Australian football.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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