Summit calls for youth focus

REDESIGNING the future of North Queensland representative football was the major talking point of a Queensland Football summit in Townsville yesterday as the sport’s governing body seeks to engage regional areas like never before.

Costs associated with young up and coming stars have presented a disparity between what regional Queensland can offer compared to the metropolitan southeast corner.

And while the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted this dearth, it has accelerated the discussions to broaden football’s reach.

How representative football can be expanded in North Queensland to engage young players was prominently pointed out by the strong turnout at the Annandale Murray Park, which was led by Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci.

North Queensland Football general manager Declan Carnes said it was about providing an opportunity for all children if they are good enough to ascend to the next level.

He said there were a number of ideas brought to the table – such as shortening the senior premier league competitions to allow for fixtures between “the best of the best” from Townsville, Mackay,

Cairns and their surrounding areas.

“We do have some sponsorships that we give out to certain players, but we can’t give out a sponsorship to everyone,” Carnes said.

“So the current representative model is $2600 – that’s a lot of money for anyone in this day and age. There’s no doubt COVID has affected all sports out there, now is the opportunity to reflect on what sport looks like in the future.

“How you get the cost of it down so it’s affordable at the same time? There’s an election coming so now’s the time to press the government on the back of the women’s World Cup to create maybe a centre of excellence in Townsville.”

Cavallucci said the feedback between summits in Townsville and Cairns was quite consistent – with the idea of breaking the state up into conferences a theme throughout the meetings.

The idea would entail having a North Queensland conference – covering North Queensland Football’s reach from Burdekin to Weipa – facilitating elite pathways before taking on rivals from other conferences such as southeast Queensland.

The growth of the women’s code was discussed heavily and the need to consolidate what women’s football had achieved.