Sunshine Coast Fire withdraw National Second Tier application amid Football Queensland dispute

One of Queensland’s richest football nurseries has sensationally withdrawn its application to Australia’s national second tier and become an accredited body within the English Football Association. Go inside the move here.

Sunshine Coast Fire /Sunshine Coast Sports Club are 8 weeks into their new full-time football academy for kids. Its garnered the attention of Netflix who are filming a doco series on them. Pictured, Jett Ford, Cooper Renzulli, Melvyn Wilkes, Daniel Dawes and Bodi Ahfock. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

Sunshine Coast FC has withdrawn its application for Football Australia’s new national second division and become an accredited body within the English Football Association.

The sensational development follows a chaotic period for one of Queensland’s leading junior talent academies who were forcibly removed from all Football Queensland competitions in October last year after initially applying for the proposed national second tier.

With no elite avenue available to its senior players and stripped of a junior pathway, the association unwanted by its own country has now been accepted to play in one of the world’s richest football nurseries.

Sporting Director Melvyn Wilkes said the club had no issues in providing a bank guarantee but was disappointed Football Australia and Football Queensland couldn’t come to an agreement on Sunshine Coast’s way forward.

“Since receiving that termination letter from FQ in October last year, we’ve still been working alongside FA to explore new opportunities and avenues for our senior and junior teams,” he said.

“FA tried to work out a solution with FQ but since they weren't able to come to a conclusion, we’re not prepared to chuck millions of dollars into this without a proper outcome for our juniors.

“We’ve instead invested the money we were going to put into the second division, in our junior program which has helped launch the international avenue.

“It’s been a long process and it’s one we didn’t want to navigate but instead one that’s been forced upon us.”

Football Queensland were contacted for comment prior to the time of publishing.

Wilkes confirmed the club had since been made an accredited body within the English FA.

“The sad thing is we’re trying to develop players for Australia here so when an organisation decides to withdraw a successful club that’s operating full time because they don’t agree with what we’re doing, football suffers again,” he said.

“We’ve had to navigate around and through this so we can still offer our best young players the best development programs available and unfortunately that now means new competitions, the new Australian Junior Premier League and also overseas through our international academy.

Sunshine Coast Fire.

“We’re disappointed FQ and FA couldn’t find a solution and while we still remain committed to football in Australia, our affiliation is active and we’re ready to go with the English FA.”

Wilkes said the door remained open for further opportunities with both FA and FQ.

“We’ve kept our parents and players abreast of everything we’ve been doing and it’s a credit to them for being so supportive,” he said.

“The measures we put in place were to drive the game forwards, not to stifle it.

“Things may well change in the government and board structure which would allow our juniors to be re-engaged in FQ but with what we’re offering now, our resources are better served in those spaces.”