“Historically with respect to rectangular field infrastructure investment,government has appeared to show a bias towards other football codes which are not Olympic sports,” it said.
It was a sentiment that echoedMatildas captain Sam Kerr’s calls for more funding earlier this month,after Australia’s semi-final loss against England.
A spokesman for Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe defended the Palaszczuk government’s investment in the game.
He cited $14 million in pre-World Cup spending at Suncorp Stadium – a multi-use venue – and $2.6 million for six training sites and base camps at south-east Queensland clubs.
“Since 2015,the Queensland government has delivered $42.7 million for football,which is significantly higher than AFL,cricket,rugby union and netball,excluding one-off,co-funded significant infrastructure projects,” he said.
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That qualifier did some heavy lifting. The $44 million State Netball Centre at Nathan opened in 2019,while the Brisbane Lions’ new AFL stadium at Springfield received $18 million in state funding and Queensland Rugby Union’s Ballymore upgrade $15 million.
A subsequent request to Hinchliffe’s office for a full breakdown of sports funding went unanswered.
In the immediate wake of the Matildas’ strong World Cup showing,Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced an additional $37 million investment into female sport,primarily for inclusive facilities. Of that $37 million,$2 million was allocated to the Queensland Women’s Football Legacy Fund.
With six of the eight proposed 2032 Olympic soccer venues in Queensland,Football Australia said there was a critical lack of suitable training venues in the state.
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During the group stage of the Women’s World Cup,Australia played host to 16 national teams,with the other 16 based across the Tasman in New Zealand.
With both men’s and women’s competitions during the Olympics,Football Australia said there could be more than 30 teams – and they would primarily be based in Queensland,with additional sites in NSW and Victoria.
That would require up to 40 training facilities across the three states,as Sydney and Melbourne were also slated to host Olympic soccer matches.
“Across the three same states for FWWC23,FIFA required 15 facilities,which was still difficult at the required standard,” Football Australia said.
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In another salvo,Football Australia said it had been “surprised” by the lack of consultation from organisers regarding Olympic infrastructure.
“In a scenario where collaboration and communication are quintessential,the omission of FA’s insights and opinions raises concerns about the tournament’s preparedness for Brisbane 2032 with respect to football.”