Fund Football Fairly - ACT

Fund Football Fairly to push for $120 million investment in grassroots football infrastructure

How $120 million could fix Canberra's biggest football problems | Region Canberra Nick Houston is sick of hearing the same question every time interstate teams arrive in Canberra for the Kanga Cup.…

This week we confront the evolving scandal that is Football Australia.

Last week Football Australia announced major losses of $15.3 million following losses of $8.5 million the year before. It is also slashing 20% of its staff who may be relieved to be relieved of their jobs after an anonymous survey found the workplace to be “toxic, chaotic and negative”.

The Football Australia AGM is happening on Thursday 28 May 2026. The Football Supporters of Association (FSAA) has written a short article explaining the issues to be addressed at the AGM and the consequences of what will be a significant meeting.

But first thank you for your comments and support relating to football in Canberra and the need for a significant funding boost for football infrastructure.

Fund Football Fairly will push forward with our community-based campaign, and in fact has been invited to a meeting with Yvette Berry, the ACT Minister for Sport and Recreation to discuss Fund Football Fairly proposals.

Quite frankly, we will be asking the ACT Government to address 20 years of discriminatory underfunding and to work with the Commonwealth Government to build $120 million of football specific infrastructure.

We encourage you to take up free membership of the FSSA.

https://www.fsaaus.com/news-and-insights/the-battle-for-the-boardroom-what-thursdays-football-australia-agm-means-for-the-future-of-australian-football

https://football360.com.au/revealed-football-australia-losses-almost-doubled-to-a-record-15-34-million/

Revealed: Football Australia losses almost doubled to a record $15.34 million Football Australia’s losses almost doubled to a record $15.34 million last year, prompting plans to axe 20 per cent of staffers at football’s governing body. The unprecedented loss followed a then-record loss of $8.5 million in 2024. In its financial report for the year that ended on December 31...

https://www.facebook.com/FSAAUS/posts/pfbid033MBy73L7zdFJzQiMq785w8oxudhaPewWwiyCVLVZ4qobfmvBqk2EMSLAJVMMvE1rl

From the terraces to the boardrooms, we are seeing real, tangible proof that when supporters unite, the game has to listen.

In the latest View from the Chair, FSAA Chair Patrick Clancy recaps a massive month for the association and the wider football community:

✅ The victory to save the Fed Square World Cup live site
🤝 Securing a formal seat at the table with the APL
🌍 Linking up with the Global Fan Network ahead of the 2026 World Cup

Read the full May update via the link in our bio/comments! 👇

This week we confront the latest scandals in football in Canberra.

Capital Football referees are deeming grounds to be unsafe for play. This happened for Tuggeranong FC and to Brindabella FC albeit after vandals damaged the Calwell ground.

Many local grounds are in shocking condition if the truth be told, full of weeds, bare patches, divots and holes. There is an emerging issue of player safety with ankle and knee injuries a particular concern, but also an occupational health and safety issue for referees.

Referees are paid employees of Capital Football and are entitled to a safe working environment. It is as possible for a referee to step in a divot as it is for a player to fall in a divot.

Community clubs in the ACT play a significant amount of money (significant for volunteer run community organisations) to the ACT Government for ground hire fees and should expect safe facilities.

Due to the sheer numbers of people playing football in Canberra, football grounds are exposed to significant use if not overuse. Grounds allocated to the other codes are not exposed to the same thrashing as football grounds, particularly the major playing hubs at Dickson, Mawson, Tuggeranong, Kaleen, Harrison and O'Connor.

While other codes may also need better playing surfaces, football requires better playing surfaces that League, Union and AFL. In football “the ball does the work” and the grounds need to be free of bumps, lumps, and hacks to allow skilled play.

Let's not forget that the largest part of the debt that drove Gungahlin United into bankruptcy was the $184,451 owed to the ACT Government for ground hire fees.

Let’s also not forget the $7.5 million Netball ACT received from the government two years ago to remediate five underutilised district playing courts. If this money had been directed to football, both Gungahlin United and Canberra United would have survived, and the grounds would be in tip-top shape.

In this context, the scale of the subsidy from community clubs to the ACT Government in the form of ground hire fees is simply unacceptable.

Which brings us around to the issue of the parking fines.

The grounds targeted by Access Canberra are Kaleen, Harrison, O'Connor, and Dickson, all of them football grounds. There are not sufficient places to park legally at these grounds, and yet the ACT Government is issuing parking fines to parents and players on the claimed basis of "safety".

That’s ok, maybe (but not really), but share the love around, and fine cricket, AFL and League and Union families to the same extent. Do not single out the football community for unfair treatment again disguised as neutral policy.

At some point, we as the football community must stand up to Minister Yvette Berry, the ACT Government, and the ACT Labor Party, and say that enough is enough.

The football community has had a gutful of this kind of treatment. We want to be treated with the respect that our numbers merit and we want change and the immediate injection of significant investment into football infrastructure.

What we want

Fund Football Fairly engaged in a careful open process of consultation with Capital Football and football ACT Club Presidents in 2024 to determine a commonly agreed upon set of infrastructure and funding proposals.

These proposals are backed by the entire football community in Canberra. These include:

1. The construction of a synthetic playing field at all major football hubs to take the pressure off the grass fields.
2. A moratorium on club ground hire fees until the grounds are up to standard.
3. Investment in better lights and better playing surfaces.
4. The construction of adequate ground-side club houses with administration, social and function rooms, and adequate change rooms.
5. The construction of two major shared football complexes, one northside and one southside, with ground capacity of at least 6,000 people, to give local football clubs a venue for major games and take the pressure of local grounds.
6. A voucher system to assist families with the cost of participation

The proposal to build synthetic pitches at every major playing hub will take the pressure off overused grass fields and allow for games and training to continue all year round.

The construction of two major shared football complexes will give local football a home for major games and the opportunity to build the football community across all seasons regardless of ground condition.

It is time for the ACT Government to listen to the community and fund football fairly.

Tuggeranong United Football Club blasts ACT Government after home ground deemed 'completely unsafe'

According to an article in the Canberra Times on 5 May 2026 a National Premier League referee report on Saturday 2 May 2026 found the state of the surface at Kambah Field 201 for men's and women's first grade and under-23 matches was "completely unsafe" and presented an injury risk.

The danger with the surface is around injuries to ankles and knees. A Tuggeranong United player suffered a knee injury on the Kambah 201 field earlier.

The referee report on Kambah 201 said it was "inappropriate to schedule further fixtures until remediation is done" which impacted the men's matches and the NPLW fixtures the next day.

Stan Mitchell, the Tuggeranong United President, lodged a formal complaint with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Sport Minister Yvette Berry. In the letter of complaint, he said that following a long list of issues with their home ground these incidents were "the last straw".

That this should happen is not surprising. Fund Football Fairly has been highlighting the need for significant Government investment in football infrastructure for some time but there seems to be a distinct lack of interest on the part of the ACT Government to listen to the concerns of the football community.

In August 2024 Fund Football Fairly engaged in a consultative process with Capital Football and the local football clubs. Out of this process we identified three key and unanimously agreed upon funding requests.

These proposals are simple, and the grass roots football community is united around these aims. The three funding requests are as follows:

1. A significant capital works program to upgrade football facilities at local clubs

- Improved lighting.
- Improved playing surfaces.
- An immediate moratorium on ground hire fees until the grounds and change rooms are up to an acceptable standard.
- Construction of all-weather synthetic pitches at all major playing hubs.
- Construction of modern clubhouses with administrative, meeting, function, and female friendly change rooms co-located at suburban playing fields.

2. Development of two dedicated football complexes, one northside and one southside

The complexes are to be on a level with the new Regional Sports Complex at Jerrabomberra built by the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and are to include function, office, café, and meeting facilities.

The facilities are to have playing arenas with a ground capacity of around 6,000 people fit for the purpose of hosting major games including local finals and the Australia Cup and Canberra United games.

3. Implement a Sports Voucher scheme

Create a sports voucher program and give each school age child $300 per year to go towards sports participation costs.

None of the things requested are exceptional. Other sports in Canberra with lower participation rates than football have facilities to the standard requested by Fund Football Fairly. Voucher systems exist in other states.

Queanbeyan has better football facilities than Canberra funded by the NSW Government.

In the context of the discussion about a new billion-dollar stadium, the bankruptcy of Gungahlin United Football Club, and the pending collapse of Canberra United for want of reasonable support, being support equivalent to that provided to the other codes, it is time for the ACT and Federal Governments to respond to the needs of the football community and start to fund football fairly.

'The last straw': Tuggeranong club blasts govt after home ground deemed 'completely unsafe' As Yvette Berry vows to address 'frustrating' issue across Canberra sports.

After the Women’s World Cup: Big Promises, Uneven Outcomes - Football Diddled Again

Has anyone paused to consider whether promises made in the aftermath of the Women’s World Cup, and the overwhelmingly positive presentation of women’s football in Australia and love for the Matildas, ever translated into more government support for football?

In the weeks after the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australians were told this would be a “once‑in‑a‑generation moment” for women’s sport — especially football.

We heard promises of a lasting legacy, grassroots investment, facilities fit for the explosion in participation, and funding that matched football’s role as the biggest women’s team sport in the country

The headline commitment, “$200 million for women’s sport” sounded transformative.

But nearly three years on, the picture on the ground tells a different story.

Much of that funding has now been allocated but football — despite being the most‑played women’s team sport in Australia — has received only a fraction of the total. Large shares have flowed to sports with far smaller participation bases, and football’s well‑documented facilities crisis remains largely unresolved

This is not about begrudging other sports investment. Women’s sport across the board deserves support. But fairness matters.

Football did the heavy lifting in 2023 with record crowds, record TV audiences, record participation growth, and a national moment led by the Matildas.

Yet when the money started flowing, football once again found itself competing for crumbs — while the infrastructure gap facing our clubs, volunteers and players continues to grow.

In places like the ACT, the consequences of underfunding are obvious with clubs at capacity, inadequate change rooms, overworked community facilities, and participation still growing faster than investment

The Football Supporters Association of Australia (FSAA) has commented on this issue in a recent article.

https://www.fsaaus.com/news-and-insights/6u0t6ywtv6dsuhpbjwqt4ydk3rs721

Join the Football Supporters Association Australia

The FSAA is working on a national level to lobby for and secure better funding for grassroots football. Fund Football Fairly will be working closely with the FASAA to promote better funding for football.

Fund Football Fairly encourages you to join the Football Supporters Association and join the effort on a national level to secure fair funding for football.

OPINION: Whose legacy is It anyway? How the Matildas' hype is funding rival codes — Football Supporters Association Australia (Inc) Football does the heavy lifting, but rival codes eat from the table. Why this political bait and switch is leaving the Matildas' tangible legacy severely diminished.

Take action - Join the Football Supporters Association of Australia

The Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) is the peak independent, membership-based association providing representation and advocacy for football supporters across Australia and New Zealand.

It is the Australian version of the Football Supporters’ Association of the UK and equivalent fan-based organisations in Germany and Spain.

Established in 2023, the Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) provides unified, independent representation for Australian football supporters. It has been created to lead, unite and advocate for issues affecting football fans and supporters at all levels of the game, including on the issue of fair funding.

It gives supporters, clubs, and players a collective voice to Football Australia, the Australian Professional Leagues, the state federations, and to government.

FSAA is working to secure fair funding

The fair funding issue is not unique to Canberra. There are similar issues in the other states. While Fund Football Fairly (ACT) is pushing for more funding from the ACT Government, similar groups are working to lobby other state governments and the Commonwealth to fix the historic underfunding of football in those states.

The FSAA is working to coordinate the efforts of local groups. Fund Football Fairly (ACT) is not a lone voice here in Canberra and neither are you as an individual wanting better funding in Canberra for the game we love.

The FSAA is working on a national level to lobby for and secure better funding for grassroots football. Fund Football Fairly (ACT) will be working closely with the FASAA to promote better funding for football.

Join the Football Supporters Association Australia

Fund Football Fairly (ACT) encourages you to join the Football Supporters Association and join the effort on a national level to secure fair funding for football.

There is no membership fee and joining is free. Visit the following link to subscribe:

Join | Stand with us: Join the FSAA — Football Supporters Association Australia (Inc)

The Civic stadium proposal is back, bigger than ever, and so is Fund Football Fairly.

It is not that Fund Football Fairly opposes the construction of a luxury new stadium costing $2.3 billion to house the Canberra Raiders. We love the Canberra Raiders, particularly when they are losing. It is just that we think the money could be spent on a whole lot of better things.

For a start we would like to see money invested in an urgent upgrade of football facilities at local football clubs in Canberra, including improved lighting and playing surfaces, the construction of all-weather synthetic pitches at all major playing hubs, and the construction of modern clubhouses with administrative, meeting, function, and female friendly change rooms at suburban playing fields.

We also want an immediate moratorium on ground hire fees until grounds and change rooms are up to an acceptable standard. Ground hire fees represent the abhorrent transfer of money from the football community to the Government and constituted the key debt that drove Gungahlin United into bankruptcy. Whatever else has been said on this issue, the debt of $184,451 to the ACT Government was the largest amount owed by the club to any creditor.

Thirdly, Fund Football Fairly calls for two dedicated football complexes, one north side and one south side, on a level with the Regional Sports Complex at Jerrabomberra. These complexes are to include function, office, café, and meeting facilities, and have a ground capacity of around 6,000 people.

Football is the largest participation sport in Canberra but receives a fraction of the funding received by other sports. Other sports have excellent facilities that are the envy of the football community, including the National Hockey Centre, facilities at Phillip Oval and Manuka Oval for AFL and cricket, and marvellous facilities for the Raiders, Brumbies and Giants.

The historic lack of funding of football is reflected in the paucity of facilities available to the football community in 2026.

The $2.3 billion cost of the new stadium would fund our humble proposals ten times over. It is time the Government listened to the community and not corporate sport and directed funding to where the needs are.

Fund Football Fairly fights for fair funding arrangements for football and seeks the active support of the broader football community in the task of lobbying ACT and Commonwealth governments for better outcomes for football.