Football Queensland to implement Connecting Through Sport program

Liam Watson
Football Queensland's Connecting Through Sport program with Multicultural Australia will promote social inclusion for migrants and refugees.

Football Queensland’s (FQ) Connecting Through Sport program, in conjunction with Multicultural Australia, will promote social inclusion for migrants and refugees.

This partnership aligns with FQ’s Strategic Plan and its commitment to offer football participation opportunities for all Queenslanders.

“This terrific initiative is a fantastic fit for our sport and FQ’s values of respect, pride, integrity and unity,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“Football is a uniting force and a common language shared the world over, a true game for all.

“Together with our clubs, ambassadors and Multicultural Australia, we are pleased to break down barriers and provide positive, inclusive experiences for migrants and refugees, be it as players, referees, coaches or volunteers.”

Connecting Through Sport allows individuals and families from multicultural backgrounds a pathway into community sporting clubs by undertaking a four-week training program.

“Structured programs like Connecting Through Sport are very effective in engaging people from different backgrounds and communities,” FQ Diversity & Inclusion Officer Butrus Haider said.

“Over time, we believe this will help them transition towards becoming full-time members of their local football clubs. It is beneficial for everyone. Players get to establish a connection to a new community and the club increases their membership.”

FQ will work with eight clubs in South East and South West Queensland in an effort to deliver the program towards areas that have a high density of newly arrived migrants.

The clubs are USQ FC and Rockville Rovers in Toowoomba, and Acacia Ridge, Bethania Rams, Centenary Stormers, Logan Metro, North Star and Western Pride across Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan.

“Sport is a fun way to stay healthy and active, but it also connects communities and provides opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to meet, play and share experiences,” Multicultural Australia CEO Christine Castley said.

“We want all Queenslanders to know that they are valued and that their contributions will help make our society stronger.

“We are a very generous and welcoming state, and we love our sport, which is one of many ways where we can unite and connect our communities.”

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
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

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

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.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend