Football Queensland hosts first C Diploma course in four years

Liam Watson
C Diploma course
Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland (FQ) has hosted the state’s first female-only Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course since 2018, sparking more development opportunities for women in coaching.

16 candidates from clubs across Brisbane took their next step on the coaching pathway as they completed Part 1 of the course in November.

In an ongoing objective to contribute to Football Australia’s target of 100,000 registered coaches, FQ will regularly conduct coaching programs by providing dedicated coaching staff. With the impact of Covid-19 less than it was just a couple years ago, it will lead to programs being consistently run, such as for AFC C Diploma qualifications.

In general, the coaching pathways can be either from community-based or advanced coaching courses, creating pathways to move from grassroots all the way up to the professional environment.

Football & State Technical Director Gabor Ganczer said in an FQ statement:

“As outlined in our recently released 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan, Football Queensland is committed to achieving 50/50 gender parity in participants, referees, committees and club officials by 2027,” he explained. 

“Growing the number of female coaches across the state is critical to meeting this gender parity target, so we’re excited to provide more development opportunities for our female coaching candidates as we support them in their progression by offering female-only courses.

“Football Queensland has already been very active in the delivery of courses specifically for female coaches at the community level, and just recently we were proud to deliver the country’s first ever female-only Football Australia/AFC B Diploma. 

“We’re excited to further strengthen the opportunities for progression from community coaching for female coaches through the delivery of the Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course which we hope to deliver more regularly in the future.”

FQ Club Development Ambassador – Head of Coaching Davide Bertamini added via press release:

“It is fantastic to see such high demand for female-only courses in Queensland, with over 50 female coaches expressing their interest in the recent female-only Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course,” he said.

“Attendees heard from highly experienced presenters during part 1 of the course including CommBank Matildas Assistant Coach Mel Andreatta, while other special guest presenters including CommBank Junior Matildas Head Coach Rae Dower will join us for part 2. 

“It was wonderful to receive some fantastic feedback from attendees who highlighted the encouraging and supportive environment that was created on the course as they were challenged to reflect, think critically and grow as coaches.  

“In addition to creating more development opportunities for female coaches, Football Queensland is also focused on providing additional learning opportunities for our female coach developers including Priscilla Tan and Lauren Mangan who were in attendance to observe and assist throughout the opening three days of the recent female-only C Diploma. 

“A number of other female coach developers will be invited to join us for part 2 of the course as we continue working to strengthen the pathway for female coaches and coach developers throughout the state.” 

For more information on coaching pathways, you can find it here.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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