How the Gold Coast Knights women’s side scaled four tiers of Queensland football in 18 months

The Gold Coast Knights women have secured promotion to the NPL just 18 months after they set out in the fourth tier of Qld football. Here’s how they did it.

In the space of eighteen months, the Gold Coast Knights women’s program has scaled four tiers of Queensland football.

Under mastermind and the club’s head of women’s football Gary French, the Knights rose from its starting point in the fourth-tier FQPL3 in 2023, to now already having secured promotion to the NPL women’s competition for next season.

After an undefeated debut season, the Knights bypassed FQPL2 to and were thrust straight into the second-tier FQPL1 in 2024.

It was a case of sink or swim, and the Knights women took to it as an Olympic swimmer would a kids’ play pool.

“To then go into FQPL1 I didn’t know what to expect, there are teams that have just been relegated from NPLW,” said French.

“But we just stepped up again to a different level. I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve done so far.”

They have an unbeaten and near flawless 14-1-0 record this season and lifted the Kappa Pro Series Cup last week, which is a knockout competition excluding the NPL women’s sides.

Knights are also in the semi-finals of the Kappa Queensland Cup, which is the premier statewide knockout tournament, and they have already knocked off two NPL Women’s teams en route to the final four. Their scalps include Eastern Suburbs FC, who sit second on the NPL women’s ladder.

Gold Coast Knights player Eri Takamura, Rie Katano, Atsu Wantabe

To French, that is an indicator that his group his ready to compete in the top echelon of Queensland football.

“I think we could definitely compete with the top (NPL) teams, I think it’s something that’s exciting for the team and the club,” French said.

But how did he turn the foundations into a powerhouse so quickly?

It dates back to his time at NPL club Souths United, and it was there he caught wind that Knights president Adrian Puljich was keen to establish a women’s program.

“A lot of the girls who were travelling with me to Souths were travelling from the Gold Coast, as soon as they found out that I was going to be on the Gold Coast they wanted to come and join the Knights, it was a new program and quite exciting,” French said.

“Straight away I was able to bring in some very good players for the program and then I built a core of girls who’d all played NPLW, and then I put together a lot of the talented local girls from the Gold Coast, that’s basically how it started and it’s gone from strength to strength from there.”

The Gold Coast Knights women's co-captains Katie Kissell and Amy Morland celebrate their Kappa Pro Series win. Picture: Gold Coast Knights Facebook.

Knights co-captains Amy Morland and Katie Kissel made the move from Souths, as did former Brisbane Roar player Rie Kitano, and Brook Goodrich.

French has also picked up former A-League Women’s players Harriet Withers and Jayah Brown.

He said the early commitment of the four top-flight Souths girls who made the move is pivotal to what the Knights have built.

“They were all living on the Gold Coast so it was natural for them to come over, but it was a big thing for them to drop (four tiers),” he said.

“They all had offers from other clubs to go elsewhere, but they decided they were going to be part of this new program.”

“The moment they did that it attracted a lot of other good players, very good local players I was able to bring in as well.”

Originally published as How the Gold Coast Knights women’s side scaled four tiers of Queensland football in 18 months