PlayHER Tournament returns as Football Victoria Doubles Down on Women’s Participation

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

Football Victoria‘s PlayHER Tournament returns to the Knox Regional Football Centre in Wantirna South this May, offering women across Victoria the chance to play football in a structured, social and welcoming environment.

Now in its fifth year, the tournament has grown considerably from its origins as the GO Soccer Mums Cup, which was recognised as Community Sporting Event of the Year at the 2023 Victorian Sport Awards. The rebranding to PlayHER reflects a deliberate broadening of the event’s ambition, from a competition aimed at a specific demographic to one designed to lower the barriers to entry for any woman who wants to play.

That ambition is visible in the structure of the day itself. Matches are played in a five-a-side format with short halves, keeping the format accessible for players who may not have competed in years, or those who are stepping onto the pitch for the first time. New for 2026, participants will compete across two categories: an Open and 35 years and over. It’s an addition that acknowledges the different pathways women take into sport, and the importance of ensuring the game remains available at every stage of life.

More than a matchday

The tournament comes at a strategically critical time. Women’s football in Australia is in the middle of a period of unprecedented growth, with record crowds at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and a growing pipeline of players coming through at club level. Translating that momentum into lasting participation growth depends on events like PlayHER- low-cost, community-driven, and explicitly designed for women who might not see themselves reflected in elite competition.

At $20 per participant, the tournament remains one of the most accessible organised football experiences available in Victoria. The message is straightforward: the game is for everyone, and the door is open.

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Football NSW calls on clubs to Make It Red for Heart Health Round

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW is calling on clubs and associations across the state to register for the 2026 Make It Red campaign, joining a national awareness movement aimed at reducing heart-related deaths on sporting grounds ahead of Heart Health Round on the weekend of June 5 to 7.

The campaign, developed by the Heartbeat of Football Foundation, asks sporting clubs to wear red, raise funds and build awareness around heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest, which is the leading single cause of disease burden and death in Australia for both men and women, and one that health authorities say is largely preventable through modifiable risk factors.

The call to action comes as the Foundation continues its work to map and register Automated External Defibrillators across NSW sporting facilities, a project that has already engaged twelve football associations and fed data into both the NSW Ambulance GoodSAM registry and NSW Health’s public AED map. The availability of a functioning, registered AED on site is among the most significant determinants of survival following sudden cardiac arrest, with survival rates declining sharply for every minute without defibrillation.

Football NSW is encouraging clubs to engage with the campaign across three areas. Clubs can register for the Make It Red campaign to help fund research, education and prevention programs. Participants, particularly those aged over 35, are encouraged to seek a free heart health screening test from their local GP or enquire about hosting a Heartbeat of Football testing day. Clubs are also urged to ensure their grounds have active, accessible AEDs in place, with guidance available through Football NSW’s Rescue Ready Guide.

The Make It Red campaign runs from June 5 to July 12, with Heart Health Round taking place across the opening weekend. Clubs can register and access participation resources at makeitred.org.

What do Football Queensland’s Annual Numbers mean for Australian Football?

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FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci

Football Queensland has released its 2025 Annual Report, revealing record total revenue of $25.3 million, participation exceeding 296,000 and more than 94,000 female participants across the state, as the organisation positions itself for a decade of growth leading into the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The report, released following the Annual General Meeting on Friday May 22, documents a year in which Football Queensland recorded a pre-depreciation surplus of $306,599 while maintaining participant registration fees at their lowest level among all Australian member federations for the fifth consecutive year. A statutory deficit of $269,860 after depreciation was recorded following the recognition of a $295,953 impairment against a long-outstanding debt owed by Football Australia, a matter the board and executive indicated they would continue to pursue.

Total revenue grew from $23.9 million in 2024 to $25.3 million in 2025, driven by increases across registration income, community and advanced football programs, and other income streams. Commercial revenue declined slightly from $3.66 million to $3.36 million across the same period.

Growth on and off the field

The participation figures embedded in the report underscore the scale of the challenge and opportunity facing Queensland football. Women’s and girls’ participation reached 94,165 across all programs, with club-based women’s and girls’ participation growing to 37,946. Coles MiniRoos participation climbed seven percent to 46,448, with female MiniRoos participation up ten percent.

Girls United programs welcomed more than 3,500 participants across leagues, social sessions and carnivals statewide, while the Q-League Schools Competition has now delivered playing opportunities to close to 1,000 students since its inception. Walking Football continued to expand, with the 7th Annual QUT Walking Football Cup attracting 39 teams and more than 300 participants.

Digital engagement also reached new heights, with FQTV livestream views climbing to 2.47 million and women’s viewership surging 67 percent across the year, a figure that reflects the growing audience for female football at state competition level and points to the commercial opportunity the women’s game represents for Queensland football governance.

Coach registrations grew 22.9 percent, with Football Queensland delivering courses to close to 3,000 participants across the state including dedicated all-female Foundation of Football, C Diploma and B Diploma programs. Referee registrations grew 6.3 percent, supported by 170 courses delivered to more than 2,100 attendees and a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with three of Queensland’s leading school sport associations to strengthen referee development pathways.

The 2032 dimension

Perhaps the most consequential element of the 2025 report is Football Queensland’s progress on the Brisbane 2032 infrastructure agenda. The organisation submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Queensland Government’s 100-Day Olympic Infrastructure Review, advocating for a purpose-built Tier 2 rectangular stadium, upgrades to Perry Park and the establishment of a Queensland State Home of Community Football at Meakin Park.

The submission secured meaningful outcomes, with Queensland Government contributions toward Perry Park and a State Home of Community Football included in the government’s 2032 Delivery Plan. The infrastructure foundations being laid now will determine whether the Games leave a lasting legacy for football in Queensland or a missed opportunity.

CEO Robert Cavallucci said the year had been defined by investment in the structures that make participation possible.

“Our priority remained the delivery of accessible and inclusive participation opportunities for all Queenslanders as our community and social programs reached thousands of players in every corner of the state,” Cavallucci said.

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