The Football Queensland (FQ) Community Cup is in full swing, with players, coaches and match officials alike making the most of the opportunities that come with a state-wide tournament.
Currently on day four at Mackay Junior Football Club, the FQ Community Cup has brought together more than 50 teams across seven junior age groups and almost 40 young match officials from all football zones across Queensland.
Many parents and extended families from across the state have also travelled to Mackay to support the players and referees in action at the FQ Community Cup.
FQ’s Pat Hedges, Head of High Performance and Coach Education, the FQ Community Cup said the tournament has been a great learning curve for all involved.
“The kids are out there enjoying their football and getting exposed to players from other regions,” he said.
“It’s been a great positive and I’m confident it will only get better as the week goes on.”
Hedges also noted the event had allowed for extensive networking between coaches, who may not often have a chance to connect with their counterparts from other regions.
According to FQ State Referee Manager David Wiebe, the tournament has also been a great opportunity for young match officials from across the state to learn from each other as well as the referee coaches.
“In in an environment like this, we’re able to give referees immediate feedback after their games so they can implement it for their next game,” Wiebe said.
“We’ve also held coaching sessions at night to help the referees further their understanding of the Laws of the Game, how to manage players and how to communicate their decision-making more effectively to players and coaches.”
FQ MiniRoos Development Officer Andy Allan also held a grassroots coaching course on Tuesday night.
“While we’re here for the Community Cup, it was important for us to help all parts of our community so we delivered an ALDI MiniRoos coaching clinic,” he said.
“While we have all zones here, we thought it would be a good chance to bring them together.
“A way to ensure we retain more players in our game is to further educating coaches so they can ensure positive player experiences.”
The FQ Community Cup continues throughout the week with finals held on Saturday, 14 July. For fixtures and results, please click here.
Images: Marty Strecker Photography
