Representatives from Football Queensland met with Western Pride and Ipswich City Council this week to consider new information that was unavailable at the time Pride submitted their PlayStation 4 NPL Women’s Queensland application.

This information pertains to a significant $36 million sports facilities development in Springfield Central, in addition to the club’s facilities at its Briggs Road headquarters. The new project has potential to make a long-lasting impact on women’s football, as well as the wider game.

In meeting with Ipswich Council, FQ was able to substantiate the validity of the project and has agreed to work collaboratively with Western Pride to further consider the application.

Ipswich City Council has confirmed the project is already underway, with a completion date of November 2018.

FQ CEO Geoff Foster said the governing body is committed to creating the right environment for women’s football to thrive.

“While I stand by the decision made by the selection panel, we are always willing to listen to our clubs, particularly given the significance of this new development,” said Foster.

“The information that came to light is substantial and therefore worthy of special consideration. The information could not be made public until Ipswich City Council had finalised the scope, designs and costs with developers and contractors, and therefore could not be included in the PS4 NPL Women’s Queensland application.”

Western Pride General Manager Pat Boyle welcomed the opportunity to make further representation to FQ.

“We have seen our members rally around our club in recent days and we truly appreciate the support,” said Boyle.

“We were unable to present this information at the time of submission due to commercial sensitivities, and we now look forward to sharing the full extent of our plans with FQ.”

FQ and Western Pride will inform supporters of the outcome of these discussions as soon as possible.