“Players and fans are the real owners”: Craig Foster’s call to arms for supporters at FSAA AGM

At the 2026 Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) Annual General Meeting on Monday evening, former Socceroo, broadcast veteran, and campaigner Craig Foster didn’t hold back.

In a candid Q&A with FSAA members, Foster laid out a uncompromising blueprint for the future of Australian football.

His core message? It’s time for active fan groups and players to stop accepting second-best from governance, stop shouting into the social media void, and start building genuine, institutional leverage.

Opening the session, Foster pointed directly to the fundamental power imbalance that continues to hold back football both at home and globally.

"The only two stakeholders that can ever genuinely hold them accountable are actually players and fans. They are the real owners. Everyone else is only... custodians," Foster told members.

Having spent over thirty years on and off the pitch—from the foundation of the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) union movement in the 1990s to advocating on the world stage—Foster warned that administration naturally moves to centralise power and keep both players and fans disorganised.

From FIFA’s hierarchy right down to local governing bodies, the pattern remains the same: decision-makers often treat supporters as passive consumers rather than the lifeblood of the sport.

Drawing on the history of Australian player advocacy, Foster reminded members that real change on issues like ticket pricing, stadium atmosphere, and expansion doesn't come from polite requests, it comes from leverage.

He highlighted key historical moments where Australian players took collective action to force systemic progress:

1974 Socceroos: Legends like Johnny Warren and Ray Richards stood up to the Sir Arthur George administration over basic conditions before boarding the flight to West Germany.

1997 Socceroos & 2015 Matildas: Landmark collective bargaining disputes where players put their careers on the line to secure professional standards for future generations.

For supporter organisations like the FSAA, Foster stressed that public statements are an important starting point, but they don't move leagues on their own.

"Leverage or power means we can move this league," Foster said. "We can pressure the governing body, we can pressure the APL if necessary... Good agreements aren't built on a lack of leverage. They're built on a powerful supporters group."

To build that leverage, Foster advised supporters to emulate the PFA’s long-standing strategy: be the best-researched, best-educated body in the room.

He recalled how the PFA spent $350,000 on independent market research in the early 2000s to design the original A-League blueprint. That research proved that local derby intensity and high urban club density (like having three clubs in Sydney and two in Melbourne immediately) were non-negotiable for supporter engagement.

By contrast, recent missteps—such as expansion choices like Western United that ignored fan demographics—highlight what happens when political deal-making triumphs over evidence-based strategy.

When asked about the ongoing friction between Football Australia, the A-Leagues (APL), state member federations, and the NPL pyramid, Foster was blunt about the urgent need for structural overhaul.

"A lot of the time, the structure of our game is how you would design it if you didn't want it to succeed," Foster said.

He pointed to the absurdity of administration entities publicly trading barbs during major tournaments like the Women's World Cup, as well as the complete lack of financial transparency surrounding separation agreements and written-off losses between governing bodies.

Foster argued that Australian football will never reach its massive potential until the code achieves total alignment from top to bottom:

A Unified Pyramid: Fixing perverse incentives so NPL and grassroots clubs are actively incentivised to feed into national success rather than operating as isolated fiefdoms.

Transparency: Allowing fans, participants, and players visibility over game finances and regulatory agreements.

Connecting the Masses: Bridging the gap between the millions of Australians who tune in for World Cups, follow European leagues, or play grassroots football on weekends, and getting them through the turnstiles for domestic A-Leagues matches.

Addressing how the sport navigates mainstream media hostility and government funding allocations, Foster urged the football community to throw out the old "victim mentality".

Rather than constantly complaining that other codes receive more taxpayer dollars, football must articulate its unique strength to politicians and local councils: it is the single greatest vehicle for social togetherness in Australia.

"When I'm calling on government to help fund programs... I'm saying this is the future," Foster explained. "This is how we bring Australians together. This is how we bring every kid in the country together... That's how you bring people on board."

He also called on Football Australia and league administrators to look beyond standard sports reporting and establish a true "culture department", embedding football into art, film, education, and broader Australian identity.

As the session concluded, Foster called on the next generation of leaders, former players, and grassroots advocates to step up, build unified strategic networks across every state, and push aggressively for the game we all deserve.

Australian football has already won the battle for relevance on the national sporting stage. Now, it's up to the real owners of the game, the players and the supporters, to force the governance reforms needed to win the future.