Queensland NPL football clubs threaten mutiny over Brisbane Roar deal in Queensland
Queensland NPL clubs are threatening a mutiny over a deal between Brisbane Roar and Football Queensland. ERIN SMITH explains the reality behind the confusion.
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A leading NPL Queensland club has been threatened with legal action as confusion grows over the future of Brisbane Roar’s teams in the top state competition.
Football Queensland issued a statement on Thursday announcing a new “collaboration” with A-Leagues club Brisbane Roar.
The statement read as if Football Queensland, the governing body of the NPL competition, was taking over the running of the Brisbane Roar NPL club.
It left clubs furious.
Gold Coast Knights took to social media to vent their frustrations.
“Football Queensland’s decision to continue its ‘creep’ from competition administrator to competition competitor has now reached an untenable position,” their statement read. “The lack of respectful consultation, financial modelling and the draconian nature of this decision being made against the interests of member clubs to the benefit of a 100 per cent privately-owned A-Leagues club is insulting and without justification.”
Football Qld issued the Gold Coast Knights a ‘show-cause’ notice following their outcry on social media citing the club had partaken in “detrimental public comment”.
Lions FC and Wynnum Wolves were also confused by the statement – jumping to support the views of the Knights with their own statement.
“This decision undermines the integrity of the NPL competition,” the Wolves statement read.
“We will now join in solidarity to challenge the decision that Football Qld does not have the power to make under its delegated authority.
“There is a no more obvious conflict of interest than the state’s administrator managing, ruling upon and then participating in its own competition.
“Our intention is to join any legal challenge through Football Australia to have this decision overturned as contrary to the interests of football.”
But Brisbane Roar CEO Kaz Patafta says it is all one big misunderstanding.
Patafta said Roar would continue to have its NPL men’s team – with players contracted to and paid by the club and competing as Brisbane Roar.
The only major change through this new collaboration is a realignment of the under-23s team.
Patafta said players in the u-23s NPL side would still be contracted by Roar but compete as a Football Queensland state team – mirroring the same process currently used in the women’s competition where the FQ QAS team compete in the women’s competition in lieu of a Brisbane Roar team.
The Football Queensland statement said the Brisbane Roar under-23s program would be replaced by a full-time under-16 state team.
“This is more of an alignment than a financial decision,” Patafta said.
“It has been completely misconstrued that Brisbane Roar is just throwing out it’s NPL team and giving it to Football Queensland due to budgetary constraints – it is the furthest from the truth.
“We are doing this for the betterment of a youth development pathway in Queensland, it is very similar to what South Australia and Adelaide United have done very successfully on the boys side and it is really well defined on our women’s side.”
Patafta said it was an A-Leagues licensing requirement to have the NPL sides.
“The purpose is for us to ensure we don’t lose the best talent to a competing state,” he said.
“We want more of these Queenslanders coming through Brisbane Roar.”
A Football Queensland spokesman said it was aware of the statements circulating social media from clubs.
“Football Queensland is not participating in the men’s NPL competition and the Brisbane Roar remain the approved licensed entity,” the spokesman said.
“Brisbane Roar continue to be responsible for their NPL men’s side including all player matters, agreements, contracts or otherwise.
The spokesman said the move to have the state team in the youth league was in alignment with Football Australia’s national approach to pathways for U-16s.
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Originally published as Queensland NPL football clubs threaten mutiny over Brisbane Roar deal in Queensland
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