With Female Football Week 2023 wrapping up around the country, Football Queensland (FQ) would like to acknowledge the clubs and teams across the state who took part in celebrating one of the most significant years in the history of the Queensland women’s game.
“With the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ just over 50 days away from reaching our shores, Female Football Week 2023 was an incredibly special celebration, bringing all aspects of the women’s game into the spotlight,” Football Queensland CEO, Robert Cavallucci said.
“It was exciting to see so many members from all levels of our football community deliver specialised programs for our women and girls throughout the week, recognising and supporting individual journeys as players, coaches, referees and volunteers.
“As Football Queensland continues to strive for 50/50 gender parity, I am confident we are well on our way to creating a community committed to delivering positive, inclusive and welcoming environments for all players.”
In the lead up to the week of celebration, FQ called for nominations for the annual Female Football Week Awards and was answered with a plethora of unsung community heroes who consistently go above and beyond in their roles; these winners were recognised across Football Queensland’s social media channels statewide, showcasing their impactful work (see table below for full list of winners).
In keeping with the theme of highlighting the unsung heroes of the community, we caught up with Be23Ready Women and Girls ambassadors, Melanie Lloyd from SWQ Thunder FC and Krystal Part from Estates FC, to shine a spotlight on the significant work being done to create welcoming and inclusive environments for our female football community.
Football Queensland also took the opportunity to visit Redlands United FC, a club whose female footballing body and committee have created significant impact, resulting in strong growth and development of the women’s game at their club in recent years.
Throughout Female Football Week FQ brought the skill of our female players to screens, livestreaming five NPL Women matches and seven FQPL Women games across the state, including three top of the table clashes.
In a national celebration of the game, Football Australia hosted three Female Football Week webinars, providing the opportunity to talk with influential football figures across the three panels titled: Women in Coaching, Women in Refereeing and Celebrating Women in Football.
FQ went on to host a first of its kind Matildas Alumni event, a Walking Football and networking day that re-connected many former Queensland Matildas and FIFA international referees who have helped shape the game in our state and Australia.
Focusing on the history of women’s football in Queensland, FQ took a step back to reminisce on the growth of the game since its start over 100 years ago, from the first public women’s match at The Gabba in 1921, and the 1922 ban on women playing, to the launch of the groundbreaking Kappa Women’s Super Cup competition last year.
Female Football Week 2023 saw involvement from clubs across the state, creating activations and driving female participation through initiatives such as Girls United Come & Try sessions, SWQ Thunder FC’s Girls Only MiniRoos coaching course which graduated 21 new female coaches and Diggers FC’s all girls training session which honed the skills of over 30 players.
Girls United Social Football will be continuing to run at clubs across the state, find a club near you to join the action or learn more here.
Recognising the inspiring work within the Queensland football community does not need to be confined to Female Football Week; for more information on supporting female players, coaches, referees and administrators, visit the FQ Club Support Hub Be23Ready page.
2023 Queensland Female Football Week Award Winners:
FFW Referee of the Year | Catalina Stylianou |
FFW Ally Champion of the Year | Lachlan Peden |
FFW Player of the Year | Francesca Blyth |
FFW Volunteer of the Year | Katherine Campbell |
FFW Coach of the Year | Kirsty O’Connor |
FFW Club of the Year | Toowong FC |