The Football Business Network and Football Coaches Australia present a ‘Talking Football’ virtual networking event with Craig Moore

Staff Writer

A dynamic and progressive sporting organisation is responding to the current demand for on-line content and the need for the football community to remain connected and engaged whilst the on-field action is halted.

The Football Business Network will host a virtual networking event on Friday April 3rd at 6pm, featuring former Glasgow Rangers, Socceroo and Brisbane Roar defender Craig Moore. The modern Australian footballing great will appear live, answering questions from a digital audience and reflect on the current crisis that threatens the immediate future of football both domestically and internationally.

There is also scope for broader issues to be raised, with the Socceroos, Olyroos, coaching, player development and Australia’s current position in Asia, likely topics on the agenda.

The event is jointly presented by Football Coaches Australia; the voice for coaches around the country, and aims to bring football back to the people for at least an hour, as the round ball game continues in indefinite hiatus for at least the short term future.

Click here to secure your registration for the free event

CEO of the Football Business Network James Boyle has once again displayed his progressive and experimental thinking by morphing modern technology, the fans and the demanding situation in which we all find ourselves at the current time. The result should be a dynamic, unique and ground-breaking event for Australian football, with one of its finest appearing and responding to the questions raised.

Boyle birthed the network in 2018 in an attempt to provide business executives and football people the chance to network in a relaxed and informal setting, as well as providing opportunities for businesses to expand their brand through sponsorship and marketing opportunities.

I can vouch for the quality and organisation of the events held thus far, having attended the inaugural event in Sydney in late 2018. On that night, current Rydalmere FC manager and former Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow Rangers and Scottish International Gavin Rae spoke eloquently when responding to questions from fans, journalists and business executives. The network also hosted a Q and A event featuring Socceroo coach Graham Arnold in 2019.

On this occasion it will be the turn of one of Australia’s greatest modern players to reflect on the state of the game, its limitations and the likely direction it will take in the future; particularly considering the current global situation.

Moore played 175 games with Rangers across two spells at the club, spent time with Newcastle United and Crystal Palace in the UK and also played 62 times in the A-League for Brisbane Roar in what was a storied and heralded career.

As a member of the 2006 World Cup squad, the Sydney born defender will forever live in the annals of the Australian game; converting a penalty against Croatia that aided the Socceroos’ advancement to the knock-out phase of the tournament.

Always a forthright, honest and knowledgeable leader, Moore’s openness and passion for the domestic game will meld perfectly with an expectant and enthusiastic audience, keen to hear what the 42-year-old has to say about the game in 2020 and the future direction it is likely to take.

Once registered, attendees need only follow the instructions provided in a confirmation email and join the meeting at 6pm on Friday the 3rd of April. The discussion is expected to run for an hour yet overtime seems likely with registrations building as the date draws nearer.

It should be a fantastic event, offering support for the football community during an undoubtedly stressful time, whilst also providing an opportunity to listen to one of the best players ever to wear the famous Socceroo kit.

 

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Off the Pitch Podcast: Cavallucci On the Importance of FQ’s Future Club+ Initiative for Local Clubs

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Image Credit: Football Queensland

On Episode 16 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, it was a special episode with FQ CEO Rob Cavallucci ahead of the all-important 2025 Queensland Football Convention.

Many topics around the issues in Queensland football were discussed including Futsal’s incredible growth, update on Perry Park’s upgrade plan and driving player retention in certain youth age groups.

On the topic of administration, FQ’s new Future Club+ is a ground-breaking initiative designed to strengthen the foundations of football clubs across the state.

The concept of this began after last year’s convention and through interactive club lab sessions and ongoing consultation, FQ are continuing those discussions and driving practical change.

Cavallucci discussed the current volunteering and administration issues that are plaguing local football clubs.

“Future Club+ is in line with what I talked about earlier in regard to what we need to do to best position this sport for the next 20 years,” he said.

“Clubs are run by volunteers and volunteerism is waning. A lot of clubs can’t get the administration right because they also can’t get the governance right.

“The sport is run by volunteers and when you look at the fact that volunteerism is declining in Australia across every sport, you know it’s a problem we have to solve right now.

“From a governing body point of view, when you look at that, that’s actually a limiting factor on the success of our sport.”

He also gave a solution on how FQ are going to tackle this in the future, specifically in regards to what  Future Club+ will offer in the 2025 Queensland Football Convention and beyond.

“We need to start to work with clubs to transform how they manage themselves and that means a whole series of things. Hence the Future Club+ concept is looking at that and rethinking about best practice of how a club should operate,” he said.

“What we’ve been doing over the last 18 months through a series of webinars and in the last convention, and even in this upcoming one, there’s three Future Club+ sessions and it’s all about best practice at a club.”

In this convention, the three Future Club+ sessions are:

#1 What data reveals about your club future

#2 The amalgamation playbook: Real stories from the clubs forging the future

#3 The growth engine: your tool kit to fund staff and empower volunteers.

“Those three subjects should be very appealing to any club.”

Click hear the full interview with Rob Cavallucci, on Episode 16 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.

Why La Liga and Serie A’s Overseas Ambitions Miss the Mark

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Image credit: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

There’s something special about a home game. The walk to the ground, the echo of chants through narrow streets, and the sight of familiar faces in the stands all weave together to form football’s cultural heartbeat. It’s the essence of what makes the sport local, communal, and deeply personal.

So when a domestic league decides to move one of its regular-season fixtures to another country, it feels like a breach of that bond. La Liga’s recently cancelled plan to stage a match in Miami is a case in point, a move that was ambitious in its intent but misguided in its execution.

The proposal, initially set to feature Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami this December, was meant to mark the first time a Spanish league match would be played outside of Spain. It was to be a significant moment in La Liga’s international expansion, yet, this week, La Liga confirmed the game would no longer go ahead. 

La Liga announced the cancellation in a statement on October 22nd, stating, “the decision has been made to cancel the organisation of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.”

The explanation might sound clear and logical, but the underlying tone was clear: resistance from players, clubs, and supporters had proven too strong for the league to ignore.

Football’s global reach has never been greater, and the appetite for elite European football across North America and Asia is undeniable. But not everything that makes sense commercially aligns with what makes football special.

A home fixture isn’t just a logistical concept; it’s a symbol of identity. It represents the connection between a club and its community, between the stands and the city they inhabit. When that connection is uprooted for the sake of marketing, the league risks diminishing the very qualities that make it engaging in the first place.

It received extreme backlash…

The backlash from both fans and players was immediate and significant. Across Spain, supporters’ groups voiced anger that such a fundamental change to the league was being discussed without meaningful consultation. Many saw it as a betrayal of local supporters who invest time, money, and passion into following their clubs week after week.

Players, too, made their objections clear. Earlier this season, La Liga footballers staged coordinated on-pitch protests, pausing for 15 seconds at kick-off to highlight their frustration over the lack of dialogue and respect shown by league officials.

The Spanish players’ union publicly condemned the proposal, warning that taking competitive fixtures abroad undermines not only the integrity of the league but also the players’ physical welfare due to travel demands and congested scheduling. Together, fans and players presented a united front, a strong display of solidarity that ultimately helped force La Liga to reconsider its plans.

These objections were more than emotional reactions, they were grounded in the structural logic of sport. The home-and-away format exists to ensure fairness, balance, and authenticity. A club’s “home advantage” is not merely a cliche or superstition; it’s a reflection of support and identity. 

La Liga still chasing the Premier League’s revenue records

However, it’s easy to see why the idea was tempting. La Liga faces an uphill battle to keep up with the Premier League’s global dominance.

Broadcasting revenue gaps continue to widen, and both La Liga and Serie A are seeking creative ways to reach new audiences. The Miami match would have been a global showcase, a polished event designed to generate headlines, sponsorships, and international attention.

But if the aim is to build sustainable global engagement, staging a regular-season game overseas is the wrong mechanism. Fans abroad are not asking for borrowed fixtures; they’re asking for connection.

They want access to content, insight, and a sense of belonging, all of which can be achieved through digital outreach or pre-season tours, both of which can be done  without disrupting the league calendar.

Serie A should definitely take note. The league is awaiting conformation from FIFA for a proposed competitive league match abroad, with Italian giants AC Milan set to take on Como FC at Optus Stadium on the 8th of February, 2026.

Como FC, in a club statement released for its members, have said that the international fixture and the revenue generated from it will “help ensure survival” for the club and mentioned the enormous financial advantage in English football.  

The ambition mirrors La Liga’s idea to expand the league’s global footprint and revitalise revenue streams. Yet, the lessons from Spain are plain to see. If the goal is to grow, do so without compromising the supporters who form the league’s foundation.

Conclusion

Domestic football thrives on the local community, the ritual of weekend fixtures, the generational ties that bind fans to their clubs. When that structure is interrupted for the sake of revenue or global recognition, the game begins to lose its grounding.

That’s why the cancellation of La Liga’s Miami game should be welcomed as more than a logistical decision; it’s an important reminder that football’s heart still beats at home. It suggests that, even amid the relentless pursuit of global growth, there remains an understanding that tradition and community still matter.

Perhaps the idea of regular-season games abroad will resurface in the future, the commercial pressures will certainly persist. But when that conversation returns, it should begin with the fans, and players, not the investors. 

La Liga’s decision may have disappointed some executives and sponsors, but it has restored a small measure of balance to the sport’s ongoing tension between profit and culture

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