Football Queensland’s new FQ Academy to go statewide in 2022

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Football Queensland (FQ) have announced the launch of their brand-new FQ Academy, which is set to be unveiled across the state next year.

The purpose of the FQ Academy is to help provide a clearer development pathway from community football to Australia’s national teams and professional leagues for Queensland footballers aged seven to 17.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci outlined the player-focused FQ Academy will expand and unify FQ’s range of advanced development and pathway programs under a single banner.

“The FQ Academy consolidates the nine individual programs currently delivered by Football Queensland across eight centres around the state and binds them together behind a common purpose and shared vision for the game,” Cavallucci said.

“All of the junior players involved in FQ’s Regional TSP and SAP programs will now form part of the top tier of the FQ Academy.

“Players who need more development time will also have the opportunity to take part in the new ‘Development’ tier, which broadens opportunities for players and extends talent identification throughout Queensland.

“Both the Academy and Development tiers will include weekly training sessions, holiday clinics, small-sided tournaments, position specific training programs and opportunities to take part in various FQ State Carnivals.”

The FQ Academy will be bolstered by further investment in regional football with the appointments of new Club Development Ambassadors in Wide Bay and Whitsunday Coast.

“We are in the final stages of recruiting additional Club Development Ambassadors who will live and work in the Wide Bay and Whitsunday Coast regions to deliver coach education and drive player development in new FQ Academy centres, further demonstrating FQ’s commitment to regional player development,” Cavallucci said.

“In the Wide Bay, Central Coast, Whitsunday Coast, Northern, and Far North & Gulf regions, Football Queensland will continue to expand and deliver new programs in the FQ Academy.

“Following a 12-month review into SAP across SEQ, clubs within the existing SAP Leagues will transition to new FQ Academy Leagues and participation will be through selected club academies currently rated by FQ’s comprehensive Club Assessment process.

“We now have a more consistent and visible pathway for aspirational footballers which is quality-controlled and accredited by Football Australia and consistent with the advanced Junior NPL structure already in place in SEQ.

“This aligns all Queenslanders with the national development and Talent ID system, linking junior players with the Matildas and Socceroos.”

You can find out more on the FQ Academy here.

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Queensland Government grants boosts growth and affordability

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Image credit: PxHere website

Queensland’s sporting community will benefit from comprehensive state government grants, which will help kids join local clubs, support elite athletes, and upgrade facilities.

For children

  • Access up to $200 in FairPlay vouchers per eligible child to assist with sport and recreation club membership costs.
  • Support of up to $800 is available through Emerging Athlete Pathways for athletes and officials under 18 attending state, national and international competitions.

For clubs and organisations

  • Become a registered organisation to accept FairPlay vouchers, allowing eligible children to use up to $200 towards membership, registration or participation fees.
  • Register your organisation’s competitions at state, national and international levels through Emerging Athlete Pathways to enable athlete and official funding eligibility.
  • Apply for the Minor Infrastructure and Inclusive Facilities Fund to create accessible, safe and inclusive community sport and recreation spaces.
  • Not-for-profit sport and recreation organisations can access Active Clubs funding to support volunteers and deliver flexible, safe physical activities to boost participation.

Disaster recovery

  • Eligible not-for-profit sport and recreation organisations affected by significant weather events can apply for up to $5,000 through the Sport and Recreation Disaster Recovery Program to restart operations.

Other Sports and Recreation funding sources

  • Explore funding opportunities for not-for-profit organisations through your local council.
  • Contact your state sport and recreation organisation for information about activity-specific funding options.
  • Access various funding programs for individuals and sporting organisations through Sport Australia.

Sporting clubs have always been vocal about the importance that government backing has in the upkeep of the sporting industry.

Though it will take time to see the full effect of these grants, this comprehensive list of grants shows that Queensland’s government is dedicated to supporting its sporting industry.

It’s a positive sign and hopefully, it will help increase the sporting output and relieve the financial stress for the people of Queensland. A strong sporting Queensland is a benefit for sport in the country as a whole.

Learn more here.

Football Queensland advocates referee education across the state

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Image credit: Andrey Popov via Shutterstock

Football Queensland’s referee strategy for 2025-26 focuses on developing quality refereeing with clubs to enhance the game quality in the state.

FQ has piloted this move with clubs Logan Lightning FC and Moreton City Excelsior FC ahead of the program’s expansion in 2025.

This program should deliver a positive referee and club environment for referees offering extensive pathways for excellence and recognition.

FQ manager of Referee Development Mark Simon-Green has supported this program.

“The club referee program delivers significant benefits by boosting community involvement in refereeing, strengthening referee participation and the quality of referee education within our local clubs,” he said via press release.

“The club referee program will significantly enhance referee coverage and address appointment inefficiencies by enabling young referees to officiate at their clubs before and after their matches, while also providing focused training and support at a single venue.

“Our initial selection and the success of Logan Lightning and Moreton City Excelsior FC as the two pilot clubs in the program reflected their significant commitment to referee training.

“As we expand the initiative to additional clubs across Queensland in 2025, club referees who are registered to a club will be able to officiate MiniRoos matches and, with the support of a Football Queensland registered match official, also officiate Under 13s, Under 14s, and Under 15s boys’ and girls’ academy and community level junior football matches.

“All clubs who participate in the program from next year will be required to have a designated Club Referee Coordinator responsible for overseeing the appointment of match officials, ensuring ongoing support for referees, and facilitating the smooth rollout and operation of the program.”

Referees are key to football at all levels and are a hot topic for the sport, however, quality referees struggle to get the education and support needed to deal with the pressures of the role.

FQ’s Investment in referee education at the club level shows that the FQ and its clubs support education for good officiating to fix officiating problems.

Providing referee’s good education is an important step in helping them have the confidence to continue, this program will hopefully grow the respectful relationship between referees and the spectators and players of the sport.

A promising start that in time will tell if it has been delivered.

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