Australian Premier League Announced
Brisbane.
3 October, 2012
Football Queensland has today announced the 12 clubs who have been granted licences to the Australian Premier League (APL), following an application process which saw 22 submissions from football clubs around Queensland.
The clubs were asked to meet detailed assessment criteria as well as submit a business plan, a football plan and five year financial forecast. The clubs who have been successful in their application are:
- Brisbane City Football Club
- Brisbane Strikers
- Central Queensland Football Club
- Far North Queensland Bulls
- Moreton Bay United
- Northern Fury
- Olympic FC
- Palm Beach Sharks
- Queensland Academy of Sport (Over 18s only)
- Redlands United Football Club
- Sunshine Coast Fire
- Western Pride Football Club
With the national competition, the Hyundai A-League, in its eighth year and continuing to grow, the introduction of the APL looks to further strengthen the junior talented player pathway.
By 2018, it is hoped that at least one of the abovementioned clubs will be successful enough to gain promotion to the A-League, with Football Federation Australia (FFA) looking to introduce a promotion/relegation structure from 2022.
Football Queensland Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Foster, believes today’s announcement is a step forward for football in Queensland and is excited by the opportunities it will afford junior players throughout the state.
“The APL will no doubt strengthen our top tier, the Hyundai A-League, but most importantly it provides a clear pathway for our talented juniors who will receive top quality coaching and develop their skills in a professional environment,” Foster said.
“With clubs having to meet certain criteria to be given a licence, it brings a new level of accountability to the player pathway, not only for the clubs but for Football Queensland and FFA in developing quality coaches and competitions for players to aspire to”.
The new Australian Premier League will kick off in March, 2013 with clubs to field teams from Under 12s to First Team in men’s and women’s competitions.
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