Football Queensland is excited to announce Scott Giles as the Male Champion of the Year as part of the 2022 Female Football Week Awards.  

An infectiously passionate supporter of the women’s game, Giles is described as “uplifting, encouraging, enthusiastic and resourceful in building women’s football,” proactively advocating for equal and adequate opportunities for female players. 

Giles received numerous nominations for the award in recognition of his work in strengthening female football at Redlands United since joining the club in a coaching role just last year. 

His advocacy for women’s football initially began as his daughters joined the game. 

“I was just trying to make sure that they got the same opportunities as what boys did,” Giles said. 

“I’m thankful for being recognised and will continue to work hard. 

“It’s recognition of a number of years of hard work in the female space. That’s where my passion and dedication is and I’m just blown away.” 

Since joining Redlands United, Giles has coached various junior and senior women’s teams, introduced specific, tailored training for female goalkeepers and actively recruited for girls to join the club which has led to a significant increase in female participation numbers, in part due to his reputation for being such a strong advocate for the women’s game. 

Passionate about the development of women and girls players, both young and old, he has put in an extraordinary amount of effort over the last 12 months to help the female teams at all levels of the club thrive, all whilst advocating for equal opportunities for them such as access to quality playing fields. 

Giles’ commitment to the growth of the women’s game more broadly is also reflected in his willingness to support female players in finding the right fit at different clubs when there is not a team for them at his own. 

“My whole thing around female football is that it’s got to be inclusive regardless of whether you’re a newbie or if you’ve played for 100 years. The players and everybody around it are welcomed in,” he said.  

“They’re given the same opportunities as the males and it’s about creating an environment where everybody feels comfortable and can do their very best.”   

Recognising the room for growth in female football is a crucial step in creating equal opportunities, as he explained.   

“It’s about championing female football and making sure that it’s on a path, if not better than the male side of it. 

“It’s the space in football which has the most opportunity to grow.  

“It’s not like other sports. Everybody can get out and play the game, regardless of what skill level you’re at.  

“Everybody’s just got to include everybody.”  

As Female Football Week continues, more award winners will be recognised to acknowledge the valuable contributions of individuals and clubs across the women’s game in Queensland.