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Soccerscene the only online publication dedicated to the Australian and international football industry. It serves as a practical guide for those involved in the business of running a football club and bringing readers up-to-date research and development across all football matters providing insights, discussion and information related to topics that matter.

Football Queensland (FQ) CEO philosophically backs the concept of a National Second Division but maintains his key priority is to ensure the prosperity of Queenslands domestic clubs and competitions.

Robert Cavallucci, FQ CEO, spoke exclusively to Soccerscene following the release of the federations Strategic Infrastructure Plan 2020-2024 to discuss the document, and share his views on the growing impetus behind a potential national second tier.

A National Second Division ideally is something we should have, its a missing piece of Australias football ecosystem. But before deeper considerations can be made, we are going to listen to our stakeholders to determine whether its ultimately a priority for them or not, Cavallucci said.

The financial stability and ongoing viability of our clubs is our primary concern. We are the governing body of 317 clubs, and we want to know what our stakeholders think and what they want to be involved in.

While the notion of a second division is extremely popular, the counter argument is the Australian football pyramid requires a stronger foundation at its base before its limited resources are funnelled into another elite competition.

For Cavallucci, this means ensuring the grassroots of the game is catered for before setting his sights on a small but exclusive group of clubs.

Its important not to get fixated on the idea of forming the National Second Division in the short-term because realistically there is probably only three or four clubs out of 317 in Queensland that would have the infrastructure and resources to compete at that level, he said.

There are far greater issues that we currently need to address. Our current responsibility is to ensure the growth and continuity of Queenslands competitions, youth pathways, participation rates for men and women, and infrastructure delivery for the Womens World Cup.

At FQ we absolutely feel like these things are the biggest priority. But that doesnt mean that we arent open to having a conversation with our stakeholders to canvas their views on the subject, develop relevant models and provide any feedback or recommendations to the FFA, Cavallucci added.

To date, the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) has formed a working group of 35 clubs from around the nation which have dubbed Australias potential second division The Championship.

The working group, which started with 25 clubs in August, was formed to act as a means to consult club officials and provide insight and recommendations to Football Federation Australia (FFA). The group has publicly announced its aspirations to see The Championship come to fruition in 2022.

We always welcome the opinions of our stakeholders, but ultimately any decision about models or an official second division has to be driven and delivered by the FFA and the federated system, Cavallucci said.

For now, FQs obligation is to make a tangible difference to football in Queensland by building womens football and having high performance centres in our regions. This is absolutely fundamental for participation growth and the technical development of our kids.

There are approximately 180,000 participants in Queensland and its my role to deliver outcomes for them and all of the 317 clubs operating within our federation, not just the top few.

FQs commitment to growing all levels of football in the state is evident from the release of its Strategic Infrastructure Plan.

The plan provides a detailed overview of the federations aims for the next years and was published after thorough data-driven and needs-based analysis.

We were doing a truckload of quantitative and qualitative research and gained the opinions of our stakeholders through a consultation process. We have spent countless hours of research to come up with the final product, Cavallucci said.

The feedback so far has been extremely positive from clubs and stakeholders. FQ has never produced a document based on data and research on this level. The plan outlines what football needs right now to meet demand and what we need to do for the coming four years to ensure funding and infrastructure keeps up with the projective growth of the game.

Weve brought that together along with unlocking the enormous opportunity that the FIFA Womens World Cup presents and crucially, what legacy we hope the tournament will leave.

The Strategic Infrastructure Plan includes the requirement to significantly improve government funding into the states footballing facilities.

FQ is seeking to achieve this goal through the formation of the Queensland Government Infrastructure Fund, a structured approach which aims to raise $60 million for infrastructure development projects over the next four years.

Although chronic underinvestment has caused a raft of issues for football across Australia, greater collaboration between administrators and government is starting to see a shift, something Cavallucci is hoping will continue.

The timing of the documents release is perfect. The state election is coming up and we will now have an official document that will help us to advocate for football at all levels, he said.

Its a fantastic document and a testament to FQ as an organisation. It shows how far we have moved in a short space of time. There will be more to come over the next few weeks.

To view FQs Strategic Infrastructure Plan, please visitHERE.

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Football Queensland announced a key deal in time for the new season, with Hudl jumping on board as their analytics partner.

The states top competitions of NPL Queensland and FQPL 1, who have completed their opening rounds, will receive ongoing match, team and individual statistics in 2023, allowing new levels of access for not only those clubs, but also the FQ Academy program and additionally Football Queenslands Senior Referee Panel.

Hudl is a global leader in performance analysis technology, providing support to more than 200,000 sports teams that range from grassroots and all the way to the professionals allowing them to prepare and stay ahead of the wider competition.

A complete suite of video and data products assists coaches with the insights they need to get the most out of their players and discover extra bits of information they should be aware of. Hudls top-of-the-range software is backed by six million users across over 40 sports, extending to hardware and services that include online coaching tools, mobile & desktop apps, smart cameras, livestreaming, wearables, analytics, professional consultation and more.

This announcement follows the recent release of Football Queenslands 2023 2026 One Football Strategic Plan and reflects Football Queenslands ongoing commitment to club and player development as outlined in the strategy, FQ CEO Robert Cavalluccisaid in a statementon the day.

As part of the Elite Teams and Pathways pillar, a focus area for Football Queensland is the expansion of education for Technical Directors, analysts and administrators with a digitalised education platform and a data analytics system across advanced senior premier leagues for talent tracking.

NPL Queensland and FQPL 1 Mens and Womens clubs will now receive access to Hudls video and data solutions including match reports of their own games and the previous two games of their next opponent, summary team and individual reports and round and tournament reports in addition to access to Wyscout for player profiles and video footage.

Were delighted that our partnership with Hudl will deliver strong outcomes not only for clubs in our states top competitions but also for Football Queenslands Senior Referee Panel and FQ Academy programs. Our aligned approach will allow for structured development with our technical staff and league wide benchmarking.

Statistical reports will be provided on selected FQ Academy games to enhance performance tracking and monitoring already in place, as Football Queensland continues to strengthen development opportunities for players on the FQ Academy pathway.

Were proud to partner with Football Queensland and provide world-class solutions to help each club and its players maximize their potential, enhancing their understanding of performance through video and statistics, ensuring they never miss a moment, Hudls Jonny Bickersadded in a statement.

In addition, the partnership will connect with Football Australias referee analytics to provide state level reports while delivering game referee reports for officials in the NPL Queensland and FQPL 1 competitions.

Preston Lions have provided an update to their National Second Tier progress, following on from their expression of interest.

In an update to their supporters and the wider football community, the Lions officially registered their interest on February 12, with the club now working towards the March 3 submission deadline to move into the next stage showing that they want to be a genuine contender for the new competition.

Its an important and necessary step for clubs to take that leap into a second tier that will grow the game, and Preston are just one of those to put their hand up. The Lions interest is vindicated by their very own progression, off the back of a promotion to play in NPL Victoria 2 this season.

As an indication of the influence and support for Preston in the area of Reservoir, the club attracted 5,000 supporters to their Round 1 home fixture against Pascoe Vale FC. In a sign of things to come for a second tier competition, Preston would not look out of place.

With a larger support base comes bigger responsibility, something that Club President David Cvetkovski believes is what the players thrive off.

Were using the National Second Tier to show where we aspire to be, after some long years of rebuilding,he told Soccerscene.

Our aim is to make players and coaches as accessible as possible, which is what will help create the positive culture.

The players are driven and know they need to perform with fan expectations at the end of the day its something they need to be accustomed to.

Working alongside even our rivals, were hoping the second tier can have a widespread huge impact on the sport.

For example, we are in regular talks with Nick Maikousis at South Melbourne and have a good working relationship.

There would be nothing better than to see us against South in front of 10-15,000 people. Thats where we strive to be.

Despite being a club with rich history, the Lions still have room to grow and with the turnout they received last Friday night, they are on a quest for bigger and better things.

Were very big on fan engagement and its all about the people, Cvetkovski added.

At the end of the day, were in the entertainment industry and we just play a part with providing a great fan experience.

Theres a real community feel around this club now and we just want to cater for that as best as possible.

Only a few years ago, a redevelopment of their facilities saw the completion of their pavilion we see today, alongside the main grandstand that is completely buzzing on gameday.

Preston have set themselves up in preparedness to enter the National Second Tier, with works ongoing to make it happen.

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Soccerscene the only online publication dedicated to the Australian and international football industry. It serves as a practical guide for those involved in the business of running a football club and bringing readers up-to-date research and development across all football matters providing insights, discussion and information related to topics that matter.