2022 was a year of adversity and triumph for our game as our Queensland football community united through another challenging season.
Following two years of unprecedented interruptions due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, the major flood event in February impacted clubs and participants across a number of regions.
There were plenty of highlights through the year though as our state recorded one of our most successful years ever on the national stage following the rollout of the integrated state-wide FQ Academy, with Queensland state teams dominating at national tournaments.
The implementation of Future of Football 2020+ reforms continued to transform the game here in Queensland as almost 70,000 games were played throughout the state-wide connected football pyramid including the brand new FQPL Champions League.
Our state is set for an even bigger year in 2023 as we prepare to welcome the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ to our shores but as 2022 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the year that was with FQ’s Year in Review.
Beach Soccer
Football Queensland staged a first-of-its kind Beach Soccer event at Coolangatta Beach in January in partnership with Major Events Gold Coast.
The inaugural event featured Men’s and Women’s teams from across South East Queensland and New South Wales and demonstrated FQ’s commitment to developing new products and formats to create more opportunities for all Queenslanders to get involved in the game.
Flood Support Hub
Following the state’s major flood event in February, Football Queensland launched a dedicated Flood Support Hub to connect impacted clubs with support from the wider football community.
Over 100 Queensland clubs were devastated, fields were inundated with water, and changerooms, clubhouses, machinery and field lighting heavily damaged as a result of the floods. Those not directly impacted by floodwater were also affected as fixtures were postponed at every level of the game, while Football Queensland felt the personal impact of the flood event as the Meakin Park headquarters were submerged.
The Flood Support Hub housed on Football Queensland’s Club Support Hub provided a go-to place for clubs to seek support from the community as they commenced their clean-up and recovery efforts.
Rollout of Integrated FQ Academy
2022 saw the rollout of the FQ Academy across the state, expanding and unifying FQ’s range of advanced development and pathway programs under a single banner to provide a clearer pathway from community football to Australia’s national teams and professional leagues.
Creating a more consistent and visible pathway for aspirational footballers which is quality-controlled and accredited by Football Australia, the introduction of the FQ Academy aligned all Queenslanders with the national development and talent ID system, linking junior players with the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos.
Appointment of New Referee Roles in Every Region
Football Queensland announced further investment in referee development this year with the appointment of new roles in every region across the state.
In line with FQ’s commitment to growing the number of referees within our game, 25 referee staff were appointed across each of the nine regions in Referee Coach and Development, Support, Mentoring and Training roles to strengthen the development of match officials in Queensland.
FQ Academy Holiday Clinics Launched Statewide
Football Queensland was excited to launch the FQ Academy Holiday Clinics this year, hosting sessions for over 3,000 young footballers across the state during the Easter, Winter, September and Christmas holidays.
A total of 60 FQ Academy Holiday Clinics were delivered across every region in Queensland, providing junior players with new opportunities to be part of Australian football’s official development pathway while developing functional game skills in a fun, engaging environment.
Inaugural FQPL Champions League
One of the most exciting outcomes of the Future of Football 2020+ competition reforms, the first ever FQPL Champions League launched this year and brought together the best teams from across the Northern, Central and South East Queensland conferences.
Following the implementation of the connected football pyramid, the 2022 FQPL Champions League provided brand new opportunities for aspirational players as they competed against the best of the best not only within their conference but also from the rest of the state.
FQ Coaches Club Pilot Program
In May Football Queensland launched the FQ Coaches Club pilot program across South East Queensland, a brand new initiative designed to provide additional support and development opportunities for community coaches.
The FQ Coaches Club allowed coaches, Club Coach Coordinators and those who have recently completed a C Licence to gain extra advice and support through attendance at one of six sessions delivered in 2022, with a key focus on session design and delivery in an informal workshop format. 
Football Queensland State Teams Dominate on National Stage
Queensland recorded one of our most successful years ever on the national stage thanks to a ‘One Queensland’ approach to state team selection as representative sides featuring regional and metro FQ Academy players dominated at this year’s National Youth Championships for Boys and Girls and the National Training Centre Challenge.
The talent of our young Queenslanders was on full display as four of our state sides reached the National Youth Championships Final and two were crowned Champions, before Queensland’s Under 18 squad at the NTC Challenge won all six of their matches in a clean sweep for the state.
FQ Academy QAS Players in CommBank Junior Matildas Squad
It wasn’t only on the national stage that our young Queenslanders excelled this year as Daisy Brown, Jonti Fisher, Charlie Gibson and Ella O’Grady from the FQ Academy QAS program made their international debuts with the CommBank Junior Matildas at the AFF U18 Women’s Championships in Indonesia.
Capping off an incredible tournament for our state’s players and coaches, the side led by Queensland’s very own Rae Dower was crowned AFF U18 Women’s Champions as the resumption of international competition for the CommBank Junior Matildas demonstrated the dominance of our young Queensland players and their return to national team selection through the FQ Academy.
Tournament Football
Queensland teams’ appetite for tournament football was stronger than ever this year as 88 teams participated in the FQ Futsal State Titles, 137 sides entered into the Australia Cup and 67 teams competed in our Kappa Women’s Super Cup competition, the country’s largest women’s knockout tournament.
Launch of Be23Ready
Football Queensland was proud to launch our Be23Ready initiative this year to equip clubs with the tools to create more inclusive and welcoming environments for female participants.
As we prepare to welcome the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ to our shores, Football Queensland is committed to supporting our clubs at all levels of the game to not only prepare for an increase in female participation, but also to deliver high quality experiences for all club members to ensure we keep women and girls engaged in our game.
92 Women and Girls Ambassadors have so far been appointed by clubs across the state and will be key contacts for Football Queensland in the lead-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ as the Be23Ready initiative continues in the coming months.
Expanded F-League Competition
The highest level of competitive futsal in Queensland was back and bigger than ever as the 2022 season of the F-League got underway featuring eight clubs fielding Men’s and Women’s sides from across the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
The second edition of the F-League set the platform for further expansion of the league in 2023 and beyond as we work towards building a connected competition that includes South East Queensland, Northern and Central conferences in the future to unlock the potential of futsal across the state.
Inaugural FQ Academy Under 12 Cup
Football Queensland delivered the first ever FQ Academy Under 12 Cup in September, providing a new competitive tournament for FQ Academy players across the state.
The inaugural event featured teams from across the five FQ Academy regional centres alongside NPL Junior sides and provided young players throughout regional Queensland with additional playing and development opportunities through the FQ Academy program as they played competitive matches against their peers and competed for silverware for the first time.
Super September
Queensland played host to a blockbuster month of football action as events were held across the entire state as part of Super September.
Headlined by two unmissable CommBank Matildas and Socceroos matches at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, Super September kicked off with the Kappa Women’s Super Cup Final and the launch of Queensland’s Our Game network while other major events across the state included thrilling Grand Final clashes from the NPL Queensland to the regional FQPL Finals and state tournaments including the FQ Community Cup and the FQ Futsal State Titles.
Female-Only Coaching Courses
Football Queensland hosted the state’s first female-only Football Australia/AFC C Diploma course since 2018 this year as part of an ongoing commitment to strengthening development opportunities for female coaches.
Australia’s first ever female-only B Diploma hosted by Football Queensland also wrapped up in 2022 as participants took the next step in their coaching career.
Delivering further development and progression opportunities for female coaching candidates will continue to be a priority for Football Queensland as we work towards the 50/50 gender parity target outlined in the recently released Strategic Plan.
Growth in Digital Broadcast Reach
2022 was another hugely successful year of growth in Football Queensland’s digital broadcast reach as more than 820,000 unique viewers tuned in to the FQTV Match Centre launched this year.
Total unique viewers increased by 113% this year, demonstrating the huge level of interest and appetite for Queensland football content while there was particularly strong growth in the women’s game in 2022 as viewership of the NPL Women’s competition increased by 171% and our Kappa Women’s Super Cup recorded an incredible 287% growth in viewers.
With the connected football pyramid implemented this year as part of the Future of Football 2020+ competition reforms, Football Queensland also expanded our regional coverage and brought more live matches to fans statewide as we broadcast all 26 FQPL Grand Finals across each region and a total of 16 Australia Cup and Kappa Women’s Super Cup matches in regional parts of the state.
Player Registration Fees to Remain Unchanged for 2023 Season
Football Queensland confirmed that governing body fees will remain unchanged in 2023 as the implementation of Future of Football 2020+ reforms continue to reap significant benefits for participants in every region.
The announcement followed last year’s reduction of registration fees for the 2022 season as Football Queensland transformed and streamlined service delivery across the state to deliver fantastic outcomes for participants and clubs in every part of the state.
Release of 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan
As we look ahead to 2023, Football Queensland has unveiled the 2023 – 2026 One Football Strategic Plan for football in Queensland which is designed to meet the targets and ambitions of a united, national strategy for the game.
The 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan supports a national One Football vision for the game across four key pillars while detailing key targets and plans for execution at state level to deliver strong outcomes for our Queensland football community.
Football Queensland fundamentally believes that women and girls are the future with female participation continuing as a major focus for our state and for the game as a whole as we strive to achieve the Queensland and national target of 50/50 gender parity by 2027.
