NSW Sporting Schools Program Driving Record Football Growth

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Image credit: Master1305 / Shutterstock.com

Football NSW has completed a landmark year through the Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools Program, marking a significant moment in football growth. The result reinforces football as the leading sport delivered in schools across New South Wales.

The Sporting Schools Program is a government-funded initiative that boosts children’s participation in sport and links schools to local community sporting organisations, fostering football’s growth. Delivered nationally across more than 40 sports, the program provides schools with grants, equipment and professional support. These resources help schools deliver high-quality and engaging sporting experiences.

Throughout the year, Football NSW delivered 230 programs across NSW schools, this total included 180 coach-led programs and 50 teacher-led programs. Together, they accounted for 3,186 hours and 133 days of football activity. Participation levels, showcasing football growth, remained strong, with 24,687 students engaging in sessions statewide.

Growth, Workforce and National Recognition

Workforce development remained central to the program’s success. Football NSW onboarded 50 new coaches during the year, which has been a key factor in the football growth strategy. It also delivered five coaching courses to strengthen technical knowledge, safety practices and session delivery. All education aligned with Football Australia and Football NSW standards.

Local football associations played a crucial role in delivery. Associations supported the program by deploying their own accredited coaches into schools. This collaboration strengthened pathways between schools and community football environments, boosting football growth in these areas.

Football’s impact also reached a national milestone, in Term 2, 2025, football ranked as the number one Sporting Schools provider in Australia, highlighting football growth nationwide. This recognition highlighted the program’s scale, quality and reach.

Sporting Schools football sessions focus on fun, inclusion and introduction to the game. Sessions align with the MiniRoos philosophy and the Australian Curriculum, supporting football growth. They also provide clear and accessible pathways into community football participation.

Looking ahead, Football NSW continues to expand its school-based opportunities. These include women’s and girls’ clinics, futsal programs, coach education and targeted school support initiatives. With strong foundations in place, Football NSW is well positioned to kick off 2026 with even greater momentum, driving football’s growth forward.

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Premier League backs grassroots football in Singapore

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Image credit: Premier League

The NEXTGEN coach programme saw past legends and current coaches unite to deliver an activity intent on supporting grassroots football through high quality and inclusive coaching.

 

Creating new leaders

To reach the top in elite football requires tactical education, personal guidance and consistent support throughout the development journey.

Coaches therefore take on a great deal of responsibility for players seeking a top-flight dream.

Yet even for those who never make it to the top, there is always one coach who stands out. Not necessarily for the silverware achieved or results on the pitch, but for the way they helped build a person off the pitch to play better on it.

The Premier League’s NEXTGEN Coach programme in Singapore aims to equip coaches with the skills and knowledge to do exactly that: creating welcoming environments which nurture confidence and a love for the game.

“This will hugely benefit local coaches, providing them with expert training and skills that will cascade into the communities they coach in,” said Premier League Director of Community, Nick Perchard, via media release.

“After opening the League’s first international office in Singapore more than seven years ago, we are now building on our commitment to the country with a structured coach development programme.”

 

What does the programme include?

The programme initially saw Premier League coaches deliver training sessions to coaches from StarHub – the League’s broadcast partner in Singapore who engage with local community football.

Furthermore, the training was consolidated through stakeholder engagement events and talks from 150 students at the Institute of Technical Education about their careers in the game.

In total, the programme saw 30 coaches take part – all from diverse backgrounds selected by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to maximise community reach and positively impact as many young individuals as possible.

“Youth development is a key priority for FAS, and it starts at the grassroots level,” explained FAS General Secretary, Badri Ghent via media release.

“Coaches play a central role in shaping not just how young players learn the game, but how they experience it, building confidence, character and a lifelong connection to football.”

Through high quality programmes like NEXTGEN, grassroots football can grow to ensure future coaches and players are confident in themselves and their future roles in the game.

1200 players to descend on Geelong for Football Victoria Country Championships as Regional Football Enters New Era

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

More than 1,200 junior footballers from across regional Victoria will converge on Geelong this weekend for the 2026 Football Victoria Country Championships, with players representing eight regions competing across the King’s Birthday long weekend at Stead Park and Myers Reserve.

The tournament, which has been running since 1978 and has grown into one of the largest junior football events in the country, takes on additional significance this year. It marks the first Country Championships since Football Victoria announced a restructured regional football model in December 2025, making this edition an early measure of how that new framework translates into competitive outcomes at the representative level.

Sixty-seven teams will compete across Under-11 to Under-16 age groups for both boys and girls, with finals day scheduled for Monday. All fixtures and results will be available through the DRIBL app.

More than silverware

FV Regional Development Manager Lauren Stevens said the tournament represented something beyond the competitive results it produces.

“The Country Championships are an exciting opportunity for players from across regional Victoria to come together, represent their region and create lasting memories both on and off the pitch,” Stevens said. “This tournament has a rich history and continues to play an important role in bringing regional football communities together while providing players with the chance to experience a high-level representative environment and talent identification opportunity.”

That dual function is central to what makes the Country Championships structurally significant. For many players travelling to Geelong this weekend, a regional representative tournament is the highest level of football they have experienced. For some, it will be the environment in which they first come to the attention of Football Victoria’s technical staff and pathway programs.

The talent identification dimension carries particular weight at a moment when Football Victoria’s participation numbers are at record levels and the pipeline from community football to elite competition has never been more closely scrutinised. The 2025 Annual Report documented a 14 percent overall participation increase, with junior football among the fastest-growing segments. Tournaments like the Country Championships are where that growth begins to translate into representative opportunity for players who live outside metropolitan Melbourne.

Regional football in transition

The timing of this year’s Championships against the backdrop of Football Victoria’s regional restructure adds a layer of context that will be watched closely by administrators and clubs. The December 2025 announcement of the new regional model represented the most significant structural change to regional football governance in the state in some years, and the process of transitioning Life Members from regional associations into the Football Victoria honour roll at last month’s AGM reflected the scale of that change.

How the eight regions perform this weekend will offer an early indication of whether the restructured model is serving regional communities effectively.

The Corrie Koppen Fair Play Award, introduced last year to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Cornelius Koppen, adds a dimension to the competition that sits alongside the on-field results. The award is given to the region judged to have played and conducted itself in the spirit of the game, a recognition that how communities behave at a junior tournament is as meaningful as what they win.

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