FFA announces new Football Australia branding

Football Federation Australia has today announced that it is to adopt a new brand, Football Australia.

Having gained support following a consultation process as part of the development of the XI Principles for the future of Australian football, the name change was today confirmed at the 17th

Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Football Federation Australia (FFA) – which was held via video conference.

The AGM, also saw the FFA’s Members vote to re-elect Chris Nikou to FFA’s Board of Directors, while well-known football administrator Stefan Kamasz was elected to the Board.

The AGM also saw FFA’s Members approve the application by Football Coaches Australia (FCA) to become a Provisional Member of the FFA Congress.

Following the AGM, Nikou was installed by his fellow Directors to the position of FFA Chair - a role he has fulfilled since November 2018.

Commenting that despite a challenging year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant progress had been made in many areas of the sport, Nikou advised “in extremely difficult circumstances, throughout 2020 as a Board, Management, and Staff, we have continued the important work of implementing the critical structural changes to our game that were agreed in 2018.

“Our Board has been focused on taking the necessary steps to ensure the protection, enhancement, and continued growth of our game, whilst empowering FFA’s administration to chart a new path forward.

“Increased collaboration with the game’s stakeholders has seen the development of a range of initiatives that will underpin the game’s future development. Significantly, we are close to finalising the unbundling of the professional leagues from FFA. This development will mark a new era for the game in Australia.

“FFA’s commitment to working hand-in-hand with all of the game’s stakeholders to grow the game has never been stronger or more necessary.”

Nikou also highlighted that the Board meets FFA’s ‘40/40/20’ gender representation principle, adding that it “boasts a diversity of skills, expertise, and experience.”

In the first year of his tenure, FFA Chief Executive, James Johnson, said that FFA, through initiatives such as the XI Principles for the future of Australian football, has been able to establish a strong platform to launch the game into its future.

Johnson noted “despite the challenges of the year, 2020 has witnessed many highlights for Australian football.

“Among the headline moments, we won the right to co-host the next FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2023, saw both Men’s and Women’s teams qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and launched the XI Principles for the future of Australian football, a new strategic agenda and 15-year vision for the sport.

“It is clear that we have already begun to change Australian football, and we are very well placed to capitalise on the opportunities before us. 2021 will provide the opportunity to build on the momentum we have generated this year, and shapes as a year of implementation as we focus on bringing the XI Principles to life.”

The change of the FFA’s company mame to ‘Football Australia’, was unanimously approved by FFA members.

Click here to view the FFA’s 2020 Annual Review, which includes financial and strategic updates, as well as reviews of performances and events from Australia’s national teams and competitions throughout FY2020.

Images: Bankwest Stadium (top), Chris Nikou (middle) and James Johnson (below).