Sunshine Coast Fire FC apply to join Oceania Football Confederation Professional League.

One of the country’s most ‘misunderstood football programs’ has become the second Australian club to launch an ambitious charge to join the Oceania Football Confederation Professional League. Go inside their bid here.

Sunshine Coast Fire eye off spot in OFC Pro League. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The Sunshine Coast Fire have become the second of four Australian clubs in talks to join the Oceania Football Confederation Professional League.

A total of 24 teams are believed to have expressed an interest in joining the new FIFA-backed competition that’s set to kick off in January 2026.

The Queensland-based Fire and South Melbourne are two Australian teams pursuing a license for the 10-team competition, alongside sides from New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and more.

Fire sporting director Melvyn Wilkes said it was an exciting opportunity.

“We were identified because of us getting cleared on the technical requirements for the National Second Division (The Australian Championship) and having no real tie-in with federation competitions or even with Football Australia at this stage,” he said.

“A key difference between the NSD and the OFC Pro League is that the OFC isn’t asking for a half a million dollar bond or an annual licensing fee.

“So that money that we would stump up for licensing and bond, which you’re talking $1.1 to $1.3m, that money would be invested into the playing and the non-playing staff for the OFC Pro League.”

Sporting director Melvyn Wilkes and head of sports science and performance Bruno Pena Couto. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The Fire became an accredited body within the English FA in June 2024 and are set to compete in the Junior Premier League (under 16s) and the National Football Youth League (under-19s or under-23s).

Wilkes said in November that the money they initially had set aside and allocated for the NSD was instead spent on launching their international academy, ultimately resulting in their decision to pause their pursuit of NSD affiliation.

“I think the strength of our application is obviously around our full time academy and actually getting through all the processes of the National Second Division which led to us being invited into that competition,” he said.

Sunshine Coast FC Fire. Picture: Facebook

Wilkes said the decision to apply for the OFC Pro League tied in nicely with their UK venture.

“We’re not tied down to anyone or anything and I think we’re one of the most misunderstood programs in the country,” he said.

“What we’re doing is providing an opportunity like the old Australian Institute of Sport were doing before they withdrew the funding.

“We’re trying to develop players for Australia, not trying to take them out of Australia, we’re developing them for Australia.

“It’s like what happened with the golden generation back in the early 2000s when the vast majority of our players played in Europe, played in the top three leagues around the world.

“It sounds like a bold statement, but there’s got to be a start point somewhere and this is the start point of that.”

A decision on which clubs will successfully progress to the OFC licensing phase is expected by the end of April.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast Fire FC apply to join Oceania Football Confederation Professional League.