Football Victoria announce new Futsal referees course

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Football Victoria has announced a new Level 3 course for Futsal referees, with the intention of strengthening refereeing for the small sided game.

The course will certify anyone 13 years or older to referee Football Victoria sanctioned Futsal matches, and will be hosted by FIFA/AFC Futsal Referees Instructor Adrian Tamplin.

Held virtually in two parts, the course will conclude with an exam and practical session. The date of this third part is yet to be announced.

The course aims to get as many referees qualified as possible, as the COVID pandemic has reduced the number of referees available for all sports. Football Victoria is seeking to further engage women referees through their development of Futsal-specific courses.

Anthony Grima, head of Futsal and Commercial at Football Victoria, said there has been a strong response to the announced course.

“Because of the situation we are in with COVID, we have given participants the flexibility of hosting this course virtually, and we have had an overwhelming response from all around Victoria,” he said.

“It’s essential that we have referees qualified to ensure the best possible football experiences for the players as well.”

Grima adds that the opportunity for a Victorian to represent their state at national and international tournaments is a possibility.

“There are opportunities out there for advancement, which are pathways for referees to represent their state at the national futsal championships,” he said.

“There are 5 FIFA futsal accredited referees in Australia, and they are all from NSW. I’d like for the next Futsal FIFA referee to be from Victoria.”

The course will cost $150, with registration closing at 5pm Friday 16th July. It will be held on the following dates:
Part 1: Virtual – Tuesday 20th July 2021, 7pm – 10pm
Part 2: Virtual – Tuesday 3rd August 2021, 7pm – 10pm
Part 3: Exam & Practical Session – Date TBA

Follow this link to find more information about the course or register your interest.

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Filopoulos: Football Must Move Beyond Campaigns to Win Fans for Good

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Image Credit: Perth Glory

Global marketing and advisory firm Bastion has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Peter Filopoulos as Managing Director, Experience. This decision brings one of Australian football’s most influential administrators into a new phase of the sports business landscape.

Filopoulos, who has held senior roles across Football Australia, Football Victoria and Perth Glory, will lead Bastion’s experiential and partnerships division, applying a football-informed lens to brand engagement.

Drawing on his time in the game, Filopoulos emphasised the importance of cohesion in building meaningful fan connections.

“For me, the biggest lesson is that fans don’t see brand, content and experience as individual silos, they experience it all as one connected ecosystem,” he said.

“At Football Australia, the work resonated most when everything was aligned; the team, the narrative, the partners and the matchday experience all working together to feel cohesive and authentic. That’s when engagement moves beyond interaction and becomes something far more meaningful.”

He added that too many organisations still treat fan engagement as short-term.

“Where a lot of organisations fall short is treating fan engagement as a campaign. It’s not, it’s an always-on system.”

Filopoulos’ move reflects a broader shift within football, where commercial growth is increasingly driven by experience-led strategy.

“At Bastion, we put experience at the centre—because it’s where the brand comes to life, where partners integrate in a way that adds real value and where fans genuinely connect,” he said.

“Our focus is on building platforms that bring fans closer to the brand… Get that right, and you’re creating something people actively want to be part of.”

Pushing for First Nations representation in the game with Football Queensland’s Murri Cup

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Image Credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland has announced the inaugural FQ Murri Cup, a two-day tournament celebrating First Nations cultures and showcasing Indigenous football talent from across Queensland, to be held at Nudgee Recreation Reserve on November 28 and 29.

The competition, developed in close consultation with Football Australia’s National Indigenous Advisory Group and Football Australia’s General Manager of First Nations Courtney Fewquandie, will feature a Coles MiniRoos activation, a Charles Perkins XI Talent ID session and a community stallholder zone alongside the on-field competition. Expressions of interest are open now for individuals and teams across the state.

More than a tournament

The launch arrives at a moment when the structural underrepresentation of First Nations Australians in organised sport, at the administrative, coaching, and pathway levels, is under sustained scrutiny. Football, like most codes, has historically failed to build the kind of community-embedded structures that make sustained Indigenous participation possible rather than incidental.

The FQ Murri Cup is a direct response to that gap. By centering First Nations culture within the competition itself, rather than treating it as supplementary to a standard football event, the tournament signals a shift in how the game positions Indigenous participation as a community with its own relationship to the sport that deserves its own platform.

The inclusion of a Talent ID session carries specific weight. Structured pathways into elite football have not always been accessible to players from regional and remote Indigenous communities, where geography, cost and cultural barriers compound one another. Embedding that opportunity within a culturally safe environment lowers the threshold at the point where it most frequently closes.

“The FQ Murri Cup will bring together First Nations players, families and communities for a two-day celebration, providing a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of First Nations participants within our game,” said Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci.Mu

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