Inspiring the future of women’s football: The Growing Football Community grant now open

Avatar
Image Credit: Football Australia

Grassroots football is where the game grows. It is where players find their first team, coaches develop skills, and clubs function as part of local communities. Football Australia’s Growing Football Community Grant is designed to strengthen those foundations, with a particular focus on creating more opportunities for women and girls to play, coach and stay involved in football. The 2026/27 program is now open, and eligible clubs and associations can apply for grants of up to $5,000.

What is the Growing Football Community Grant?

The grant forms part of Football Australia’s Growing Football Fund, which was established with the support of CommBank following the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 hosted in Australia. Its main goal is simple: help clubs and associations attract and retain women and girls in football. Funding can support projects that improve the experience of existing players or create new pathways into the game. It can also help clubs develop coaches and build more inclusive, safer environments.

The program is about more than getting people onto the pitch. It aims to create the conditions that encourage participants to keep coming back.

Who does it support?

The program is aimed at eligible football clubs and associations across Australia. For participants, that can mean new opportunities to play, and for coaches, it can mean better access to education and development. For clubs, it can provide practical support to remove barriers that can make participation harder.

Previous grants have supported a wide range of grassroots projects, and these have included ‘come and try’ programs, female-only football activities, subsidised registration fees, improved playing uniforms, coaching education and leadership programs. The program also has a strong regional and community focus. Football Australia says 93 of the 297 clubs supported across the first three grant rounds were from regional and remote communities.

What is the community benefit?

The biggest impact can extend beyond the individual player. A club that creates a stronger pathway for girls can help build participation across an entire community. Better coaching can improve the experience for players. More women in coaching and leadership can create new role models. Removing financial or practical barriers can also make football more accessible.

That can help clubs build stronger connections with families and their local communities. Football Australia’s stated objectives include providing quality experiences for new and returning participants, developing community coaches and helping clubs create inclusive and safe environments that support the retention of women and girls. Recent recipients show how that can work in practice. Broulee Stingrays Soccer Club is using grant funding to support a female coaching pathway in the Eurobodalla region, including subsidised coaching courses for girls from the age of 14.

How can clubs apply and key dates

Applications for the Growing Football Community grants opened on the 8th of September. The deadline is 10 pm AEDT on Tuesday the 20th of October. Clubs and associations should first review the Growing Football Community Grant guidelines and check their eligibility.

Applicants then need to develop their project and budget before completing the online application. The application asks clubs to explain how their project aligns with the program objectives, the barriers they face and how the funding will help address those barriers. Successful applications are scheduled to be announced in December, with funded projects to be delivered during 2027.

For clubs looking to grow women’s and girls’ football, the grant offers an opportunity to turn a local idea into a practical community project. The impact does not stop with one season. Stronger pathways, better coaching and more welcoming clubs can help build a football community where more women and girls can start playing, stay involved and find their place in the game.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Melbourne Victory and BYD drive innovation through new major partnership

Avatar
Image Credits: Shutterstock

Melbourne Victory has officially welcomed BYD as a Major Partner and the Club’s exclusive Motor Vehicle Supplier for the next 12 months. At a partner launch bringing together the two organisations, the focus is on building around innovation, growth and a drive for success. The partnership will place BYD at the centre of Melbourne Victory’s fan experience. The brand will feature on the front of both the A-League men’s and women’s home and away jerseys. This gives BYD a strong presence across matchdays, broadcasts and digital content throughout the season.

The partnership extends well beyond the playing kit. BYD will be integrated across Melbourne Victory’s media, Academy and community assets. The two organisations will also collaborate through Member and pathways programs. This creates opportunities for BYD to connect with Victory supporters across multiple touchpoints.

For BYD, the partnership provides a direct connection with Melbourne Victory’s growing supporter and member base. The automotive brand has built a rapidly expanding presence in Australia and New Zealand. Its partnership with Victory provides another platform to build awareness and engage with Australian consumers. BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins said the alignment between the two organisations was a key factor behind the deal.

“At BYD we’re enormously excited to welcome the Melbourne Victory into the BYD family as an exclusive automotive partner,” Collins said.

“What really appeals to us was the culture of innovation and the hunger for success.”

That alignment is reflected in the way the partnership will operate. BYD will not simply appear on Melbourne Victory assets. The brand will be connected to the Club’s members, fans, business network, pathways and community programs. Melbourne Victory Managing Director Caroline Carnegie said the partnership reflects a shared ambition for continued growth. She also highlighted the organisations’ common focus on leading, connecting and inspiring their communities. Together, Melbourne Victory and BYD will bring the partnership to life across matchdays, media, community initiatives and supporter experiences throughout the 2026-27 season.

The ball is no longer just being improved it is being connected

Avatar

The humble football is becoming one of the more technologically advanced objects on a football pitch.

Across the A-Leagues, Mitre’s new Ultimax Pro is focused on improving what happens when the ball is kicked, while LaLiga has taken the next step by turning the ball into a source of live match data.

The contrast shows how football technology is moving in two directions at once, improving the physical performance of equipment while increasingly connecting it to the digital systems surrounding the game.

Refining the Physical Object: Mitre’s Ultimax Pro

The Ultimax Pro, which will be used across the 2026/27 A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women seasons, incorporates Mitre’s HyperFlow, HyperFoam, HyperSeal and Delta Skin technologies.

Its debossed grooves are designed to reduce drag and improve stability in flight, while the cushioning, bonding and surface technologies are aimed at producing consistent rebound, durability and control. The ball carries FIFA Quality Pro certification, reflecting the testing standards required for professional match balls.

The technology is largely invisible to supporters. Its purpose is to make the ball behave more predictably for players, rather than fundamentally changing the football itself.

Connecting the Ball to the Digital Ecosystem: LaLiga’s Sensor-Driven Approach

LaLiga’s approach is different.

The Spanish competition has introduced a radio-frequency sensor developed by KINEXON into its PUMA match ball, with the technology being used across every LaLiga EA Sports fixture this season.

The sensor continuously transmits information about the ball’s position and the precise moment of contact. Around 12 antennas installed in each stadium capture the data and feed it into LaLiga’s wider technology infrastructure.

That gives the ball a role beyond simply being the object of play.

Knowing exactly when the ball is touched can help officials in a variety of situations. Offside, handballs, deflections and other decisions where a difference of milliseconds can affect the outcome could all benefit.

But the more interesting development may sit outside officiating.

LaLiga is using the connected ball to create xBALL, an official data layer that can feed broadcasts, digital products and future second-screen experiences. Data such as shot speed, ball spin and trajectory could all be incorporated into its media and digital products.

The ball is no longer just something that manufacturers compete to make faster, more durable or more responsive. It can also become a source of proprietary data that leagues can use to improve broadcasts, develop digital products and create new ways for supporters to understand the game.

The Ball as Part of Football’s Intelligence Layer

Mitre is refining the physical object. LaLiga is connecting that object to the digital ecosystem of the match.

Together, however, they point to the same direction of travel.

Football equipment is becoming increasingly intelligent.

The evolution is not necessarily about adding technology for its own sake. In the A-Leagues, the objective is consistency: predictable flight, touch and rebound. In LaLiga, the objective is precision and information: knowing exactly where the ball is and when it was touched.

The commercial opportunity comes from what can be built around those capabilities.

As stadiums become more connected, broadcasts become more data-rich and clubs and leagues collect increasingly detailed information about matches, the football itself can become another input into that infrastructure.

It also changes the relationship between equipment manufacturers and competitions.

A match ball used to be primarily a physical product supplied to a league. Connected technology creates the possibility of the ball becoming part of a broader technology stack involving officiating systems, broadcast platforms, analytics and fan-facing digital products.

The A-Leagues are starting with the physical performance of the ball. LaLiga is showing what can happen when that physical object becomes connected.

The next generation of football technology may not be something players wear or referees use.

It may be the ball itself.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend