Football Victoria announce 30 new 5-Star clubs

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Football Victoria has confirmed the 30 latest inductees into the Club Engagement Program (CEP) 5-Star club.

The 5-Star status was awarded to 22 community, 1 NPLW and 7 NPL clubs across Victoria.

Seven clubs were inducted into the exclusive group last year.

Football Victoria CEO Peter Filopoulos claimed the creation of the CEP and Club Ambassadors were an important initiative under the state federation’s strategic pillar of Clubs. The program helps clubs throughout the state become stronger and gives them the opportunity to provide consistent positive experiences for all.

The CEP is an on-line development platform that gives clubs the chance to answer a series of questions regarding all aspects of their football such as:

  • Governance and Capacity;
  • Female Participation;
  • Inclusive Participation;
  • Facilities;
  • Meeting Demand;
  • Community Citizenship; and
  • Football Experience.

The program’s objectives and a number of its measurement methods were used last month by Football Federation Australia. The federation launched the program as The National Club Development Program (NCDP).

Mr Filopoulos said the program recognised clubs for the things they did well, but also gave them an aspirational template to strive for further success.

“Our clubs and players are the very reason FV exists.  We have a commitment and a duty to help them be viable, sustainable and successful. We want them to be the very best they can be regardless of status, geography or demography,” Mr Filopoulos said.

“We know that our clubs are all different because of their demographics, socio-economic factors, facilities, local council relationships, competitor activity and regional factors.

“Ensuring they are strong, vibrant and delivering great experiences for all is a core strategic pillar of Football Victoria to help grow the number of participants of all ages, genders and abilities in our great game.

“Over the past two years in Victoria, we have invested heavily in directly engaging clubs with our Club Ambassadors and providing them with a successful framework to improve. We welcome the NCDP being rolled out nationally by the FFA.”

The full list of all the Victorian 5-Star clubs is below.

5-Star Clubs League
Altona City SC Community
Aspendale SC Community
Berwick City SC Community
Brighton SC Community
Brimbank Stallions FC* Community
Casey Comets FC Community
Chelsea FC Community
Collingwood City FC Community
Coonans Hill SC Community
Craigieburn City FC Community
East Gippsland United FC Community
Essendon Royals SC Community
Fawkner SC Community
Glen Eira FC Community
Hampton Junior SC Community
Keilor Park SC* Community
Maribyrnong Swifts FC Community
Mount Martha SC Community
Myrtleford Savoy SC* Community
North Caulfield Junior & Women FC Community
Sandringham SC Community
South Yarra SC Community
Spring Hills FC Community
Thomastown Raiders FC Community
Wangaratta City FC* Community
Williamstown SC Community
Ballarat City FC NPL
Brunswick City SC NPL
Dandenong City SC NPL
Dandenong Thunder SC NPL
Green Gully SC NPL
Moreland City SC NPL
Moreland Zebras FC* NPL
Pascoe Vale FC* NPL
Whittlesea Ranges FC NPL
Bayside United FC NPLW
Calder United SC* NPLW

*Existing 5-Star Club

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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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