Unearthing and producing more future CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos than ever before was the focus for Football Australia when members of FIFA’s High Performance Department visited Australia this week.
FIFA High Performance Specialist April Hendrichs and FIFA High Performance Specialist Richard Allen spent a week in Sydney with members of Football Australia’s Technical Department to discuss FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS), their assessment of Football Australia’s Ecosystem and Performance Gap Report as produced by FIFA’s High Performance Department, and evaluate Football…
Head Coach Leah Blayney has today named an extended squad, including shadow players, chockful of Australia’s leading emerging female footballers, as the CommBank Young Matildas commence final preparations ahead of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022™.
23 players will travel to Mexico this Wednesday, 20 July, to participate in a 10-day pre-tournament camp which will include a closed-door match against Mexico’s U20 Women’s National Team on 26 July, with a further nine …
Football Australia today released a suite of free Injury Prevention, Warm Up and Performance resources designed to assist players at all levels of the sport to reduce their risk of injury, perform better on the field and to be available to play more football, more often.
Football Australia’s Perform+ and Fundamentals+ are core components of Football Australia’s ‘Player Availability Model’, which was developed throughout 2020 by Football Australia’s Medical and Sports Science Departments with input and endorsement from Australia’s national team coaches. …
Football Australia’s Club Changer Club Development Program connects more than 1,500 clubs nationwide, providing the support, education, and resources they need to create safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments.Safeguarding is a key focus area in the program, supporting clubs on their journey and progress to becoming Two and Three-Star Clubs. To date, more than a thousand club volunteers have participated in Football Australia’s 'Safeguarding for Community Clubs' webinar, with many clubs encouraging multiple members to take part. Their collective efforts are making football…
Following their successful qualification campaign for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™, the CommBank Junior Matildas will commence their journey to the Finals in Canberra.Hosted at the Australian Institute of Sport, the five-day camp will run from Monday, 20 November to Friday, 24 November 2023.Head Coach Rae Dower explained that November’s assembly is an opportunity for continued talent identification across the age group nationally.“We’re excited to get into camp again which is our last for 2022,” Dower said. “We’ve had a number of assemblies together the last 12 months and I…
The Futsalroos spent Thursday morning at the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS) after a hard fought 2-1 victory over Kurukuru as they recovered after Game One of the PacificAus Sports Futsal Series 2024.“We’re very fortunate to have such top-class facilities available to help us recover through our time at Solomon Islands,” Team Physiotherapist Rick Whitehead said.“The team all love using the compression boots and ice baths. We’re incredibly thankful to SINIS for allowing us access to their full complement of amenities.”A spokesperson from SINIS said: "We are always welcoming…
The CommBank ParaMatildas have beaten the USA for the first time in their history with an exhilarating 3-1 victory in the IFCPF Women’s World Cup 2024 Group Stage.The excitement was clear to see as the Australians subjected the USA side to their first-ever World Cup defeat and claimed some revenge for the 2022 World Cup Final while securing an important victory on their journey towards winning a first World Cup.Spain delivered a perfect day for football as the sun shone down on the fields at Fubol Salou for the highly anticipated bout between the two fierce rivals.The match began with an…
Construction on The Home of the Matildas – the largest football-specific infrastructure project in Australia’s history – is well underway at La Trobe University Sports Park and remains on course for its official opening ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™.
The project is being funded as part of a $101 million investment by the Andrews’ Labor Government into the La Trobe University Sports Park, with the $42.29 million for The Home of The Matildas the biggest investment ever made by any level of government for a football-specific project in Australia – in…
Commonwealth Bank Matildas return to Australian soil for the first time in almost 600 days
Mix of youth and experience included in 23-player squad to take on South American champions Brazil
Broadcast live and free on Network 10 and simulcast on 10 Play
Commonwealth Bank Matildas Head Coach Tony Gustavsson has locked in Australia’s 23-player squad to take on world number seven Brazil next week in Sydney.
Australia will play host to Brazil on Saturday, 23 October and on Tuesday, 26 October at CommBank Stadium as they return to action on Australian soil.…
Football Australia will partner with Member Federations to pilot a newly developed Academy initiative designed to nurture the nation’s emerging generations of elite playing talent.In an Australian first for football, the Football Australia Academy will commence its pilot phase from October 2024 in collaboration with Football South Australia, Football Tasmania, Football Victoria, and Football West.The three-tier program is designed and focused on refining the technical skills, tactical understanding and high-performance behaviours of the talented young male and female players. It ensures…
Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) today announced the introduction of two new awards to recognise players representing Australia’s junior national teams.
FFA Chairman Chris Nikou said the awards would celebrate the overall conduct and commitment of a player representing an Australian junior team that aligns with and amplifies the values of Australian football.
The awards will be named after two players who exemplify the standards, commitment and courage in representing Australia at youth international level in Dylan…
The Socceroos secured six-straight international victories for the first time in 20 years as they maintained their perfect record in Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup™ Qualifying with a 5-1 victory over Chinese Taipei on Tuesday morning (AEST).
Following up from a 3-0 victory over hub hosts Kuwait on their international return four days ago, Graham Arnold made eleven changes to the Australian lineup who secured victory thanks to four different goalscorers.
Harry Souttar opened the scoring before Jamie Maclaren converted from the spot and Trent Sainsbury added a…
Football Federation Australia (FFA) tonight announced that highly experienced Swedish mentor, Tony Gustavsson, has been appointed as the 14th Head Coach of the Westfield Matildas.
Gustavsson has enjoyed a long and successful 21-year coaching career in both women’s and men’s football, having led a collection of clubs in his homeland, in addition to having played a significant role in two title-winning tenures with the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT).
Gustavsson is a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner, having been the primary Assistant to Jill Ellis for the USWNT in 2015 in…
Goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln has had a whirlwind few years for both club and country. Now, as she prepares for her second FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, the CommBank Young Matildas shot-stopper said that she’s excited to get started.“We’ve had this two-year journey [since the last World Cup], which has been amazing,” Lincoln began, “but it’s been so good this past two weeks being here as a group, getting used to the altitude of course, and feeling really excited for the game.”The opening game will be held at Estadio El Campin in Bogota, Colombia. Bogota’s altitude of 2640 meters above sea level…
Football Australia has been awarded a landmark investment in the development and retention of female referees, made possible through funding from the Australian Government’s $200 million Play Our Way Grant.The grant will implement new nationwide initiatives to recruit and retain women and girls in officiating roles. Retention has been a key challenge in officiating, with many women and girls leaving due to safety concerns, limited support, or restricted pathways. Recently, Football Australia conducted a pilot survey with Football West to better understand the experiences of female…
Head Coach Leah Blayney said that Australia could look forward to seeing proactive football from an exciting group of young players as the CommBank Young Matildas prepare for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup 2024™ in Colombia.She was speaking at Taronga Zoo in Sydney after her 21-player squad was announced for the tournament.“Australians will see an exciting group of players,” she enthused.“They’re on the front foot, and extremely proactive both in terms of our playing style and some of the individual qualities that these players will bring to it.”It was a tough process for Blayney and her…
Telstra and Football Federation Australia (FFA) have announced a five-year digital rights and sponsorship agreement, with Telstra securing the live mobile rights for football until 2023.
Telstra has sub-licensed the digital rights from Fox Sports, as part of the 2016 rights deal between the FFA and Foxtel.
Under the deal, Telstra will create and launch the new “My Football Live App” with live matches available via the Telstra Live Pass for existing Telstra mobile customers. This live, fast and data-free inclusion is yet another tangible and valuable benefit to being a Telstra mobile…
“We learn together, create together, work together, sing, dance and play together. We live together. That is the meaning of International Migrants Day and its message."
As we have all experienced time and time again, football, the world game, possesses a powerful ability to unite.
Over the past decades, Australia’s rich multicultural society has manifested in the game we love.
Within grassroots communities, those of endlessly diverse backgrounds naturally gravitate to football clubs for a taste of home and an opportunity to express themselves.
Football Australia and Football Victoria (FV) celebrate the Victorian Government’s announcement confirming their investment to make the world-class Home of The Matildas at La Trobe University, Bundoora, a reality.
This announcement, following the 2020 commitment of $15 million from the Federal Government, provides a green light for construction of the Home of The Matildas and Home to Football Victoria, within a purpose built, state-of-the-art State Football Centre, alongside a State Rugby Union Centre at La Trobe University, Bundoora.
Football Australia Chair, Chris Nikou, today advised the Board and Congress Members of his decision to step down from the Chair position of Football Australia following this November’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Having initially joined the Football Australia Board in October 2014, Nikou became its Chair in November 2018. Nikou will not seek re-election as Chair at the upcoming AGM to be held on 22 November 2023. In the meantime, Nikou will continue in his role as Chair until the conclusion of the AGM, which he will also …
