Overview of Football Queensland’s 2020-2022 Strategic Plan

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Last Friday, Football Queensland (FQ) released their 2020-2022 Strategic Plan for football in Queensland.

FQ claims their vision is to unite football in Queensland, focusing on an improved pathway structure for the game in the state.

The governing body have identified four key strategic pillars for the next three years.

They are participation, infrastructure, clubs and community, and leadership and people.

Participation: The main targets in this pillar are to improve participation numbers across the board. By 2022, FQ hope to have 90,000 registered players. This would be an increase of 20,000 players on current numbers.

The governing body hopes to have 3,000 more coaches registered by 2022, lifting the number of coaches in the state to 8,820.

With the continued rise of women’s football in Australia, FQ wants to capitalise on this by trying to attract 7,500 more women and girls to play football by 2022.

Finally, referees are also targeted in the plan, as FQ hopes to double the number of registered referees by 2022. This would result in 2,200 referees registered in the next three years.

Infrastructure: FQ want to clearly identify the required amount of state-wide facilities necessary to keep up with the increased demand (especially because of rapid growth in the women and girls’ sector). While quantity is important, that should not compromise the quality of the facilities.

FQ hope to have productive interactions with the State Government, to secure appropriate funding to improve the health of the game in Queensland.

Other plans include creating a home for football in Queensland, as well as researching the feasibility of a 20,000-seat football stadium to improve the professional side of the game.

Establishing centres of excellence around the state will be considered, with a large focus also on all football facilities being female friendly.

Clubs and Community: FQ will introduce a new shared services model for clubs across the state. This will help with the administration side of football, giving the clubs and community support in the areas of finance, marketing, referees and competitions.

The implementation of the National Club Development program and Academy Star Ratings, will further improve clubs as they strive to reach higher standards. Minimum standards will also be in place across the various levels of football in Queensland.

Coaches, referees and administrators will be not be left behind, as they will be provided with substantial education and development opportunities.

Talent pathways which are accessible for all are promised in the devised plan, including the implementation of Indigenous, culturally diverse and all abilities programs.

Leadership and People: FQ will conduct a review into the governance of football in Queensland. They will look to improve and tweak the administration model in the best interests of the game.

Strategies will be introduced to focus on improving the recruitment of volunteers, as well as retaining them and rewarding them adequately. These volunteers will be led and supported at all levels, on the back of improved governance practices and policies.

The governing body wants to enhance Football Queensland’s brand presence, whilst also investigating options and support for additional A-League/W-League teams.

FQ will assess their success in this category, in a variety of ways. This includes a hopeful increase in diversity among leadership positions within Football Queensland. Other factors measured include a Net Promoter Index Score, which will be decided by a survey completed by all participants and stakeholders.

FQ’s strategic pillars are followed by five areas of focus that are followed in everything they set out to do.

These five areas are:

Connected competitions – Creating pathways for players and clubs

Women and girls are the future – Making the most out of the potential of women in football

Transparency and accountability – Open and honest and taking responsibility

Love the game – Give others the chance to experience the same

Accessibility for all – Equal opportunities for all players, coaches and so on

You can access Football Queensland’s 2020-2022 Strategic Plan here:

 

 

 

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Eastern Suburbs Football Association Announces First All-Female Referee Course and Expanded Women’s Competition

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Image Credit: Football NSW

The Eastern Suburbs Football Association has opened its 2026 season with three structural investments that reflect the growing ambition of community football associations to address participation, representation and development gaps simultaneously, beginning with the delivery of its first all-female Football Match Official Course.

The course, held at Matraville Sports High School and led by female liaison committee member Michelle Hilton and 2025 Referee of the Year Ariella Richards, brought 25 new female referees into the association ahead of Round 1. The initiative targets one of the most persistent imbalances in community sport, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in officiating roles at every level of the game, by creating a dedicated entry point separate from the mixed course environment that many women find unwelcoming.

The Women’s Premier League has also expanded, now featuring eleven teams and introducing a WPL1 and WPL2 structure following the first ten rounds of the season. The tiered format creates more competition opportunities for clubs across the region while providing a clearer development pathway for teams at different stages of growth. Returning clubs Randwick City, Glebe Wanderers, Easts FC and Sydney University join established sides in what the association describes as one of its most competitive women’s seasons. ESFA clubs have continued to perform strongly in state-wide competitions including the Football NSW Sapphire Cup, State Cup and Champion of Champions.

Building the next generation

The season opened with an inaugural Development League Gala Day for Under-9 to Under-12 boys and girls, bringing eight clubs together in a structured development environment ahead of Round 1. Sydney FC A-League Women’s players attended the event and engaged directly with young participants, a deliberate effort to connect grassroots players with visible examples of where the pathway leads.

“We are committed to creating more opportunities for clubs, players, coaches and referees to thrive, with a strong focus on participation opportunities to suit participants of all abilities and aspirations,” said ESFA CEO John Boulous.

The three initiatives, a new referee entry point for women, an expanded women’s competition structure, and a development-focused junior gala day with elite role models present, together reflect an association responding to the participation pressures the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has brought into sharp relief across Australian football.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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