The way the Australian football community has responded to the post-COVID-normal life this year has been extraordinary and the 2022 participation figures are to be credited to the efforts of Member Federations, A-League Clubs, Associations, Zones, Community Clubs and the large number of volunteers.
The last three years has been a period of significant changes in football and also in the wider society of Australia and around the world, with 2022 being another year of taking the necessary steps to improving the game in the country by taking transformative measures towards the continued evolution and growth of the game.
In December of last year, Football Australia approved the successful completion of a transaction that saw 33.33% of the economic and voting interests within Australian Professional Leagues (APL) be provided to global private equity firm, Silver Lake.
Silver Lake is a leading global technology investment firm, with combined assets of more than $90 billion under management and committed capital along with a team of professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia.
The investment will propel technology enhancements and innovation targeted at improving the fan experience and driving the development of Australia’s premier professional men’s and women’s football competitions, the A-Leagues, along with providing Football Australia to deliver an exciting agenda for improvement of Australian football, as part of the aspiring 15-year vision.
Financial report:
The period for the year ending on 30 June 2022 (FY2022) saw Football Australia operations gradually saw resuming to the levels of the pre-COVID arrangement, the positive news that the restrictions of international travel and the ability to host the Socceroos match in round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Asian Qualifiers, and also the Matildas being able to host their matches in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023 – all were well received.
With the unbundling of the professional leagues officially occurring in July 2021, FY2022 was the first year of Football Australia’s operations with the A-Leagues entirely excluded.
The following results were achieved for Football Australia:
- Operating deficit before grants and distributions for the
year ended 30 June 2022 of $2.4 million - Grants and distributions for the year ended 30 June 2022
totalling $1.3 million. - Net deficit before discontinued operations and
extraordinary items for the year ended 30 June 2022 is
$3.7 million. - Net surplus after discontinued operations and
extraordinary items for the year ended 30 June 2022 is
$3.6 million. - Net Members’ Equity at 30 June 2022 is $21.0 million.
Activity report:
A noteworthy grant revenue is linked to Football Australia’s blueprint of its Legacy ’23 plan to invest in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – it has allowed the funding of $12 million over two years from the Australian Government.
This has provided the means of opportunity for an increased expenditure into the seniors of Australian Football and the Youth Women’s National Teams, as well as the original vigour of Football Australia’s national Club Development Program (Game Plan).
In relation to the technical development, a web application form was created to implement to assist coaches and technical directors to manage live scouting together with reports on the players potential and performances after the matches, which will support Member Federations technical staff to build resources to allow education for coaches in the future.
The five pillars of Legacy ’23 are participation, facilities, leadership and development, tourism and international engagement as well as high performance.
Participation:
As at 2021:
- 356,607 female participants
- 26.67% female participants
Facilities:
As at October 2022, the National Facilities Audit has identified that nationally, 40% of existing football facilities are classified as female friendly.
Leadership & development:
Currently, females represent:
- 20% of active coaches
- 13% of active referees
- 50% of Football Australia Board members
Tourism and international engagement:
In August 2022, the federal government committed funding to the Pacific Women’s Player Pathway Program. This program is aimed at giving elite women footballers from Pacific regions the opportunity to participate in and benefit from Australian high-performance infrastructure, expertise, and competition.
High performance:
In 2022, Football Australia has provided our women’s National Teams as follows:
Generally speaking, football’s engagement from a political perspective and an electorate level through to the national office level secured $141.3 million in funding towards infrastructure projects into the sport, the highest of any sport, of which it included $47.4 million from the ALP.
MiniRoos is the foundational program of grassroots football in Australia, encompassing both the MiniRoos Club Football and MiniRoos Kick-Off programs for all participants in football aged 11 and under.
The MiniRoos Kick-Off saw participant numbers hit over 13,000, the highest number of participants in the program since 2019 (prior to COVID-19 disruption).
National teams:
The national stage for Australia’s Women’s team, CommBank Matildas, have turned their attention to building a squad full of depth ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, while falling short in the continental championships earlier in the year with a quarter-final exit.
The following months that followed saw a list of highlights, counting the long-awaited homecoming in front of over 15,000 fans at CommBank Stadium in a well-deserved 3-1 win against Brazil, the excitement of new talent and the large turnout of crowds for home international matches.
With five players reaching a century of international appearances for the Matildas, four players were welcomed to the national team giving the platform to recognise their potential and gift for years to come.
Meanwhile for the Subway Socceroos, after a strong and persistent qualification of matches played away from home due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had not hosted a game on home soil since October 2019 playing against Saudi Arabia in a tough and tight affair that finished goalless.
Playing two rounds of qualification against the UAE and Peru, the Men’s national team persevered in the end by qualifying for a fifth successful World Cup that will be remembered as one of the great Australian sporting moments in the country’s history.
Competitions:
Formerly known as the FFA Cup, the Australia Cup, broke records that saw A-League Men side Macarthur FC defeating NSW National Premier Leagues Sydney United 58 2-0 at CommBank Stadium almost breaking the record Cup attendance playing in front of 16,461 passionate fans.
The highlights of the Australia Cup 2022 were known for various reasons such as a record of 742 club entries across the country, achieving record crowds and breaking broadcast audiences, along with a highly successful tournament capturing the heart and minds of the Australian football community throughout 2022.
The Magic of the Cup displayed fairy tale moments such as Sydney United 58 triumphing over A-League sides Western United and Brisbane Roar, with Oakleigh Cannons also claiming a hard-fought win against Sydney FC.
However, when Oakleigh Cannon’s 13-year-old reserve goalkeeper Ymer Abili was subbed on late for his side against Macarthur FC, attracting worldwide attention was arguably the highlight of the tournament and undoubtedly for years to come.
The Annual Review can be viewed in full here.
