Welcome to Mackay and the Football Queensland Inter-Conference Carnival, encompassing the Northern and Central Conference FQ Academy Junior and Youth programs.   

Football Queensland wishes to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet during the carnival to play our game, the Yuwibara people. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and we extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in attendance this weekend. 

The Inter-Conference Carnival matches play an important role within the FQ Academy, providing match opportunities for players from a wide range of communities, from Hervey Bay to Cairns, and out to Mt Isa. For some, the carnival presents a further opportunity to be considered for state selection in the older youth age groups for tournaments later in the year. 

This year’s carnival will bring together nearly 80 teams and approximately 800 players in addition to staff, families and other supporters. There will also be a strong representation of match officials, who play an integral role in the event, and over 160 games are scheduled across all age groups. 

We’d like to remind attendees that all participants should be treated with respect and spoken to accordingly, and ask spectators to please support all participants and refrain from coaching, or heckling from the sideline. The focus of the carnival is letting the players play, with coaches providing tasks and challenges to them while letting the players enjoy the game. 

As mentioned, players in the U14 – 16 age groups will be under consideration for talent identification opportunities for state team positions, and there will be a variety of formats for these players to challenge themselves to display their football talents. We welcome a number of the FQ state team staff to this event and trust that they will be impressed by the players and talent on show. 

We wish everyone an enjoyable weekend of football in Mackay.