[Image: Ray Gardner/Redlands United FC]
Player Pathway
Football Queensland’s High Performance initiatives aim to deliver professional, integrated and clear elite development pathways and programs for players and coaches throughout Queensland complemented with National and International competition which produce representative players and coaches. Our State Technical Director, three QAS coaches, and Head Coach of the Skills Acquisition Program are available to visit zones and provide expert professional development in relation to the Football Federation Australia curriculum.
Football Queensland’s High Performance Department is charged with the responsibility of implementing the National Curriculum and working with a range of stakeholders such as Member Zones and Clubs to ensure that there is a steady stream of players and coaches who have the ability to represent the region on the global stage and inspire future generations of participants. The value of the sport’s biggest revenue stream broadcast rights will be significantly influenced by the technical ability of players generated by programs conducted by member federations such as Football Queensland.
Skill Acquisition Program
The Skill Acquisition Program (SAP) is a key component of Football Federation Australia’s National Curriculum.
The Program is designed to perfect and accelerate the skill development of identified players between the critical ages of 9 to 13. This is the age group universally acknowledged to be the optimal mental and physical phase in which children are able to learn motor skills.
SAP’s aim is to provide the necessary technical ‘tools’ to be able to play the game at the highest possible level with a focus on functional game skills, with an immediate skills transfer into positioning and small-sided games being an absolute requirement.
It is based on World’s Best Practice and has been developed by internationally acclaimed Technical Coaches and the FFA Technical Department.
While the long-term plan is to implement SAP programs across the state to provide more players with an opportunity to be trained through the Skill Acquisition coaching program and SAP Coaches, Football Queensland is focusing more resources into coach education to reach this objective.
Inter-City Challenge
The Inter-City Challenge, the player development pathway for Regional Queensland, was introduced in 2014 to address the need to provide high level competition and coaching for boys and girls outside the south-east corner.
Players from the regional centres of Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg compete across the competition and in additional invitational matches against PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues teams from the South-East.
The Inter-City Challenge features Northern and Central competitions to ease the burdens of time and cost incurred through regular long-distance travel. Competing age groups are determined based on regional player participation numbers.
The Inter-City Challenge North is comprised of FNQ FC Heat (Cairns), Northern Fury FC (Townsville), and Mackay Crusaders (Mackay). The Inter-City Challenge Central is comprised of CQ Mariners (Rockhampton and Gladstone) and teams from Fraser Coast and Bundaberg. Due to location, both Mackay Crusaders and CQ Mariners (Rockhampton and Gladstone) have the opportunity to compete against each other.
Additional invitational matches against South-East Queensland’s PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues clubs are organised to provide yet more opportunities for high quality competition. Wide Bay will field sides comprised of players from the Inter-City Challenge Fraser Coast and Bundaberg teams in these invitational matches. CQ Mariners also field combined teams comprising players from their Rockhampton and Gladstone Inter-City Challenge teams.
CLICK HERE for Inter-City Challenge competition documents.
[Image: Alberto Perez/Football Queensland]
PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland
The PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues is a national football banner in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the Hyundai A-League. Overseen by Football Federation Australia (FFA), the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues consists of the highest level state league in each state-based federation within Australia and is part of the elite player pathway. Football Queensland administers the Queensland Division on behalf of Football Federation Australia, including the competitions Licensing Program.
Visit nplqld.com.au or fixtures, results, news and more.
[Image: Jeremy Ng/Football NSW]
State Teams & National Training Centre Challenge
Brisbane Roar Football Club (BRFC) and Football Queensland (FQ) are committed to building a strong partnership to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for the development of young Queensland footballers and the success for football in the state.
Specifically, Brisbane Roar and Football Queensland will work together on delivering the National Training Centre (NTC) program from 2015.
The NTC program will work to both identify and prepare players for development, including possible future selection in Australian junior national teams.
Both the NTC boys and girls squads compete in PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues (NPL) competitions, providing the players with a regular training and match schedule throughout the calendar year.
Further to this, BRFC and FQ will collaborate to develop a full-time training program under the cooperative guidance of both Brisbane Roar and Football Queensland Technical Directors.
This will allow these young footballers to best prepare for national competitions including the NTC and in future, the Westfield W-League and the Hyundai A-League.
This collaborative relationship will ensure a succession plan and clear player pathway for all young footballers in the state in order to develop the next generation of Queensland-based Westfield Matildas and Socceroos.
[Header Image: Alex Grimm/FIFA via Getty Images]