Good2GiveBack volunteer campaign launched by Football Queensland

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Volunteer Campaign

Football Queensland have announced the launch of their Good2GiveBack campaign, a state-first initiative designed to recognise the tireless work and contributions of volunteers across Queensland.

The Good2GiveBack campaign will provide an insight into why volunteers do what they do whilst also providing examples of how football clubs approach recruitment and retention.

Volunteer work is essential in the week-to-week running of grassroots football clubs and in the fostering of community spirit through sporting commitments, with people of all ages volunteering their time to ensuring the game we love can be played.

“Our game wouldn’t exist without the hard work and dedication of the thousands of volunteers across our Queensland clubs,” FQ President Ben Richardson said.

“We’re delighted to provide a new level of recognition for the individuals who play one of the most important roles in our game with this exciting new volunteer campaign.”

Football Queensland’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Cavallucci, further highlighted the significance of the Good2GiveBack campaign.

“The Good2GiveBack campaign strengthens our support of volunteers around the state, and will encourage more Queenslanders to give back to their local football clubs which are integral to the fabric of our local communities,” he said.

“With FQ’s increased focus on the support of Queensland clubs, the development of tailored volunteer guides and portals will continue to provide an unprecedented level of support for volunteers across our game while making their job easier.

“The Good2GiveBack campaign builds on these new support measures in order to grow the state’s participation base by recognising the hard work of the volunteers who play a crucial role in the delivery of football at all levels.

“Each volunteer will also become part of FQ’s Good2GiveBack Team, a community of dedicated and passionate individuals who are making a significant impact by volunteering at their local club.

“We have around 5,000 volunteers registered, but we know the true number of individuals contributing to our game in a volunteer capacity is closer to 30,000 across the state.

“We urge every volunteer in Queensland to register through Play Football to ensure we can provide them with the direct support and resources they need and acknowledge their contributions, while also providing them with insurance cover.

“As National Volunteer Week approaches, we look forward to highlighting and celebrating the work of our dedicated volunteers across Queensland, and through the Good2GiveBack campaign we can inspire even more members of our football community to give back to the game through volunteering.”

National Volunteer Week will be held from Monday, 17 May to Sunday, 23 May 2021.

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South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

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