Thursday, 11 September 2025

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (17:18): (1325) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Community Sport, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the ongoing investments the Victorian Labor government has continued to make to support Football Victoria and our broader football community to foster grassroots amateur and professional football opportunities across the state. As the state Labor member for Pascoe Vale, Coburg and Brunswick West but also as a lifetime local footballer myself, growing up playing as a goalkeeper for Brunswick Juventus, Essendon Royals, Bulleen Veneto Club, Heidelberg United and Victorian state youth teams, I am proud to support ongoing efforts to support the growth of the world game across Victoria.

Football, or soccer, continues to remain one of the most popular and fastest growing grassroots sports in Australia and Victoria, with over 400,000 participants across Victoria, 115,000 registered players across the state, a 43 per cent increase since 2022, and record ongoing growth for women and girls participation following the success of the Matildas. That is why we have continued to invest and support Football Victoria through new facilities, resources, programs and events for more people to get fit, healthy and active by playing football through our historic $101 million investment to deliver the world-class Home of the Matildas at La Trobe University; the previous $20 million World Game Facilities Fund; the ongoing rollout of female-friendly change rooms; and continued support to attract the biggest footballing talents across the world to play here in Victoria through the Socceroos, Matildas, Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, our iconic National Premier Leagues and Victorian Premier League clubs and many others.

But of course with the record growth there remains more to do, as set out in Football Victoria’s newly released facilities strategy for 2025–2035, which we released today in Parliament. Victoria’s population is set to grow, with football participation also anticipated to grow by at least 22,500 more players in coming years. This means we will need to do more to improve the current facility ratio of one pitch per 7000 people to meet the recommended one pitch per 5000 people. To facilitate this, Football Victoria is seeking support for projects across the state, including 80 new female-friendly change room projects, 70 enhanced playing pitch projects, 55 brighter 100-lux lighting projects, the reintroduction of the World Game Facilities Fund and new opportunities to maximise partnerships, especially with schools.

That is why, along with the member for Hawthorn, I am very proud to have co-founded the first ever Parliamentary Friends of Football Victoria, which we launched today. It provides MPs with a forum to engage with Football Victoria to advance the promotion of, engagement with and outcomes for football and to work together to continue championing the game. I commend all those who attended and supported today’s event, including the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister Dimopoulos; the Minister for Community Sport, Minister Spence; the Minister for Youth, Minister Suleyman, who is at the table; the Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport, Events and Hospitality, who is at the table too; and the Socceroos and Matildas who attended, along with football stars Thomas Sørensen and Selin Kuralay, who was the first ever female player to play in the all-boys Victorian team, which I played in with her to win a national championship quite a few years ago.

I commend the Football Victoria family: Dr Angela Williams, the chairperson; the entire board, including Yianni Zaparas; Dan Birrell, the acting CEO; Lachlan Cole, Karen Pearce and many others; and many from my local clubs who attended, including Brunswick Juventus, Brunswick Zebras, Brunswick City, Pascoe Vale Football Club and Moreland City. I look forward to working with all parliamentarians to advance and champion the world game here in Parliament.