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Nick Galatas: “XI Principles a step in the right direction to unify the game”

The Australian Association of Football Clubs (AAFC) has released a response to Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) XI Principles, supporting the call for a more inclusive governance strategy moving forward.

Speaking exclusively to Soccerscene, AAFC Chairman Nick Galatas believes the FFA’s new ‘living document’ is a step in the right direction to building a “vertical, democratic model” which will ultimately help to unify the game.

The XI Principles were publicly revealed on 2 July 2020 in release titled ‘XI Principles for the future of Australian football’. The discussion paper is intended to outline 11 key strategies to drive the growth of Australian football.

“The AAFC welcomes the FFA’s XI Principles. From our perspective it demonstrates a recognition that there are currently issues within football that need to be addressed, so we believe it is fantastic that they are inviting discussion and comment,” Galatas says.

“To the FFA’s credit, they have stated that it is a ‘living document’. This means they have opened the bidding to everyone involved in the game by encouraging them to participate and contribute.”

The AAFC represents National Premier League clubs from across Australia’s state federations and the ACT. The association advocates for the clubs and their more than 40,000 players around the country.

In its official response to the XI Principles discussion paper, the AAFC called on the need for a linked football hierarchy that will act as a fluid pyramid. This, according to Galatas would help to create a competitive system where ambition is rewarded, and clubs can earn progression based on merit.

“Unifying the game sends the message that people, and clubs are not categorised into positions. They should not be labelled and should not be given a function. Clubs should aspire to be the best that they can be and what the club’s members want them to be,” Galatas says.

The FFA’s new message under CEO James Johnson appears to be one of collaboration, an approach which differs to the previous strategy which inadvertently created a divide between the A-League and state-level clubs.

“We all want to see our top tier thrive. Unleashing the potential of our clubs, providing a linked structure, offers the best chance for our struggling A-League to be re-energised and become the top-tier we all want it to be, at the top of a linked, inclusive, fluid football pyramid,” Galatas said.

The idea of a linked system would likely lead to a stronger collective outcome from Australia’s football clubs, which would lay the foundations for a stronger national team.

One of the goals of the AAFC’s desire for a linked system would be the implementation of a national second division. He believes the creation of a competitive second division would reinvigorate the A-League and strengthen all levels of the game.

“Ultimately creating a linked system could lead to promotion and relegation. I say ultimately because we need to create that over time, but we want to see a real second tier that the strongest and most aspirational clubs can form,” he says.

“The remainder of NPL clubs can then form a tier below that. This would alleviate them from the burden currently imposed on them and make football more accessible for kids to participate at a junior level.”

In terms of governance, the seventh principle proposed by the FFA is to ‘Transition towards a modern, fit-for-purpose governance framework for football in Australia in line with global standards and best-practice sports governance in Australia.’

Although this model has not been clearly defined yet, Galatas says the ideal solution would be to implement a “vertical integrated democratic model” which clubs have direct representations in their federations.

“Clubs are members-based. They are run by the people who elect a committee to represent them. Since 2006 clubs are not members of the federation so we are aiming to achieve the implementation of a vertically integrated democratic model where there is linkage and representation from top to bottom,” Galatas says

This fits one of the AAFC’s key visions, to secure voting rights on FFA Congress. The body is already a congress member and considers it important to create a system that is not exclusive and involves those at the grassroots rather than isolates them.

The release of the XI Principles comes a little over a year since the FFA scrapped the controversial National Club Identity Policy (NCIP), a policy which Galatas believes alienated people, clubs and the link strong link between tradition, multiculturalism, and football.

“The NCIP was a slap in the face to the history of the game. Australia stands for inclusiveness and welcoming migrant culture and legacy. It smacked of a totalitarian approach. Abolishing the NCIP was the first step towards demonstrating inclusiveness,” Galatas says.

View a full list of the FFA’s XI Principles here.

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Victorian Labor commits $500,000 to Thornbury Football Facility as State Election Advocacy Intensifies

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Image Credit: Kat Theophanous MP Facebook

The Victorian Labor Party has confirmed $500,000 in 2026-27 State Budget funding to upgrade facilities at Mayer Park in Thornbury, with Northcote MP Kat Theophanous joining Darebin United juniors for a training session earlier this month to mark the commitment. The funding follows a public campaign by Football Victoria highlighting the ground’s deteriorating conditions, and lands within an escalating advocacy effort by the sport ahead of the next Victorian election.

The money will go toward upgrading the playing surface and planning a new pavilion at a ground that has received no infrastructure investment in over a decade, according to Football Victoria, despite participation at Darebin United more than quadrupling in that time. The club fielded five teams in 2021. It now fields more than 20, with over 300 players including more than 130 children under 12 and over 70 female players.

That growth has collided directly with the limits of the ground itself. Mayer Park has no drainage and no synthetic surface, and Football Victoria reported that Darebin United lost 23 training sessions in 2024 alone due to unsafe, waterlogged conditions. Club President Michael Slaughter described a pitch that was uneven and at times dangerous, particularly for junior and female players.

“I have been there for six years, and the club is at a stage now that we need something new,” Slaughter said in comments to Football Victoria earlier this year. “There’s only so many training sessions you can cancel, and then there’s the cost of finding alternative grounds indoors or outdoors, which isn’t ideal.”

A campaign that found its target

Football Victoria published a dedicated article in March calling on Darebin City Council to urgently prioritise redevelopment of Mayer Park, explicitly linking the club’s case to its broader Level the Playing Field campaign. Three months later, the funding arrived, not from council, but from the state government, attached to the local member’s name and delivered with a photo opportunity on the training pitch.

A club’s need becomes visible through governing body advocacy, a local member adopts the cause, and the funding is announced as a direct response to community need rather than as a line item in a broader budget process. Theophanous’s own account of the announcement makes the local framing explicit, describing the investment alongside free public transport, school upgrades and registration discounts as part of what she has billed as “easier, safer and more affordable” support for Northcote.

“Community sporting clubs bring Northcote locals together,” Theophanous said in her budget statement. “Through our Get Active Kids voucher program, we’re making sure the cost of fees and equipment doesn’t keep kids from playing the sport they love. And we’re also investing to make local clubs even stronger.”

Earlier this year, Avondale FC secured $500,000 for lighting at Avenger Park and Hume City FC received $250,000 for upgrades at Nasiol Stadium, both delivered through the same budget cycle and both paired with local member announcements. Mayer Park follows the same pipeline, a state government commitment, a local seat, a community club whose growth has outpaced its facilities, and a governing body using the win as evidence in a larger campaign.

The equity dimension

What distinguishes the Mayer Park case is the explicit role gender and accessibility played in Football Victoria’s advocacy. The governing body noted that unsafe pitch conditions were particularly dangerous for junior and female players, and highlighted that Darebin United maintains 40% female representation on its committee with seven female coaches, alongside its status as one of Darebin’s first 2-Star Club Changer accredited clubs, a Football Victoria program recognising clubs that actively remove barriers to female participation.

A club building one of the more credible female participation pathways in the municipality was, until this announcement, doing so on a ground its own administrators described as unsafe. Infrastructure investment of this kind does not simply improve playing conditions. It determines whether programs explicitly designed to grow women’s and girls’ football can function as intended, or whether they remain constrained by the same ageing facilities that have shaped community football for a decade.

What it means for the campaign ahead

Football Victoria has framed the Mayer Park outcome as one data point within its Level the Playing Field campaign, which continues to call for more equitable government investment in football relative to other codes. The organisation has indicated further football-related announcements are expected from the 2026-27 Victorian State Budget, with the upcoming state election positioned as the decisive moment for the sport’s broader infrastructure future.

For Slaughter, the immediate outcome is more concrete. “The funding is extremely important,” he said. “It allows us to deliver our football program and to grow. This will give them a place to come, to have fun and to enjoy their soccer”.

Whether that template, governing body advocacy, local political adoption, budget announcement, repeats consistently enough to address the scale of Victoria’s grassroots facilities gap remains the open question Football Victoria’s campaign is designed to keep in front of both major parties as the election approaches.

World Cup betting boom presents billion-dollar opportunity, and a growing dilemma, for Australian football

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to become the biggest betting event in sporting history, with more than US$50 billion ($76 billion AUD) expected to be wagered globally across the tournament.

Financial services firm Macquarie estimates around US$500 million will be bet on each match, eclipsing the estimated US$35 billion wagered during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The jump is driven by the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams and from 64 to 104 matches, alongside the rapid growth of legal sports betting markets in North America.

While much of the attention has focused on the sheer scale of betting turnover, the figures also underline football’s commercial importance to Australia’s wagering industry.

The World Cup has long been one of the country’s biggest betting events, sitting alongside the Melbourne Cup, AFL Grand Final and State of Origin. With Australia qualifying once again and attracting strong national interest, bookmakers have invested heavily in marketing campaigns designed around football’s month-long global spectacle.

TAB recently launched its nationwide “The Cup at TAB” campaign, positioning venues across Australia as communal destinations to watch World Cup matches, backed by research suggesting 61% of Australians prefer experiencing the tournament with others.

Sportsbet has also rolled out a major World Cup advertising campaign built around football’s global appeal, highlighting just how commercially valuable the tournament has become for Australia’s betting operators.

What about Australian Football?

Unlike Europe’s major leagues, Australian football still relies heavily on sponsorship and broadcast revenue to grow participation, develop professional competitions and improve fan engagement. The increased commercial attention generated during a World Cup inevitably benefits broadcasters, venues, hospitality businesses and wagering companies looking to capitalise on football’s largest audience.

SBS has introduced in-game advertising during FIFA’s mandated hydration breaks for the first time at a World Cup, creating additional commercial inventory during live broadcasts while maintaining uninterrupted match coverage.

Yet football’s commercial success arrives amid mounting political pressure over gambling advertising.

The Albanese Government has proposed significant restrictions on gambling promotions, including banning betting advertisements during most live sport before 8.30pm, prohibiting gambling branding at sporting venues and preventing athletes and celebrities from promoting wagering products. While described as Australia’s biggest gambling advertising reforms to date, critics argue the measures still leave significant loopholes.

What does it mean for football?

As betting companies spend millions attaching themselves to the World Cup, gambling harm advocates argue football’s biggest event also becomes one of the industry’s most effective customer acquisition tools.

Macquarie analysts have warned bookmakers face an additional challenge beyond simply attracting World Cup punters. The industry’s long-term profitability depends on converting casual tournament bettors into year-round customers across football, racing and other sports, as well as higher-margin casino products.

That concern has been repeated by gambling reform organisations, which argue global football tournaments expose younger audiences and first-time bettors to increasingly sophisticated wagering products.

For Australian football administrators, the issue reflects a broader commercial balancing act.

The sport continues to chase greater investment to compete with the AFL and NRL for fans, sponsors and media attention. World Cups generate unprecedented engagement, creating opportunities for broadcasters, pubs, clubs, hospitality operators and betting companies alike.

However, as governments tighten gambling regulations and public scrutiny intensifies, football’s commercial ecosystem may also need to evolve. The 2026 World Cup demonstrates football’s extraordinary economic power beyond ticket sales and broadcasting rights. Billions of dollars will flow through betting markets over the next month, reinforcing football as one of the world’s most commercially valuable sports.

For Australia, the challenge is ensuring that the business generated by football strengthens the game itself, rather than simply enriching industries that surround it.

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