View from the Chair: The disaster of FA+, World Cup Concerns and inconsistencies around cultural symbols

Welcome to February. What a massive start to 2026…

The A-Leagues remain as tight as ever, the transfer window has officially slammed shut, and it has been brilliant to see so many young Australian players leading the way across the country.

We have a big few months ahead and there is plenty happening at the FSAA.

Global Research: Understanding the Fan

Let’s start with the positive developments. As you may have seen, the FSAA has teamed up with researchers at Curtin University in Western Australia and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) to participate in a major global football study.

This research will gauge the habits and thoughts of male and female football fans and, crucially, how we compare with our global counterparts.

I strongly encourage all FSAA members and the wider community to complete this survey.

It will provide us with vital, independent data on how supporters currently view the game, which strengthens our ability to advocate for you.

The survey will be released in coming days.

New Leadership & Stability

Last month, we welcomed new CEOs to the game’s governing bodies: Martin Kugeler to Football Australia and Steve Rosich to the Australian Professional Leagues.

These appointments not only bring tremendous business and sporting acumen to their roles but also a sense of stability, which is highly encouraging.

Work is currently underway to establish a formalised relationship with both parties under their new leadership, including regular scheduled meetings to ensure supporters are represented at the highest level of decision-making.

On the Pitch

We are also very excited for the upcoming major tournaments.

We are preparing to welcome the best national teams across Asia to our shores for the AFC Women's Asian Cup, followed by the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicking off in the middle of the year.

Closer to home, NPL and State League competitions are ramping up, and we look forward to keeping tabs on all the relevant leagues across Australia as they progress.

Uniting the Stakeholders

You may remember that last year the FSAA signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with Professional Footballers Australia (The PFA).

I am pleased to announce that similar conversations are currently underway with Football Coaches Australia (FCA).

As arguably the three biggest stakeholders in the game—the players, the coaches, and the fans—it is critical that we can come together to collectively discuss relevant issues. There will be more to come on this in the coming weeks.

Advocacy & Concerns

Now, to the disappointing part. While we look forward to the football, we still hold serious concerns regarding the upcoming 2026 World Cup to be held in Canada, the USA, and Mexico.

Our major concerns surround the current geopolitical and domestic situation in the USA, the required privacy and biometric data processes for border entry, and significant concerns regarding FIFA ticket pricing and processes, as well as FIFA's current demeanour and messaging as the global governing body for football.

We are not alone in this. We have held meetings with our counterparts at the Football Supporters’ Association (England and Wales) and Football Supporters Europe, who share similar concerns, and we will continue to work globally to protect fan rights.

Local Issues

On a local front, we remain disappointed regarding the rollout of the FA+ Membership program. I want to assure all members that we are taking all feedback seriously.

We will continue to relay these concerns to Football Australia and urge a legitimate consultation process for both the FA+ program and all future programs which primarily impact loyal supporters.

Finally, in the A-Leagues, we remain concerned regarding the recent incidents where stadium security ostracised a young fan for wearing a football shirt depicting a recognised national flag.

We have made contact with the young fan and her family to offer our support.

This remains a frontier issue for us: fans must be free to peacefully express their identity without overzealous policing and the inconsistencies surrounding cultural symbols on game-day. 

There is plenty of work to do, but with your support, we continue to ensure the fan voice is heard.

Keep spreading the word....

Patrick Clancy
Chair
Football Supporters Association Australia