Words: Michael Flynn, Football Queensland

Extra incentives from Football Queensland are helping NPL Queensland clubs make all the right moves off the field as part of Football Federation Australia’s National Club Accreditation Scheme.

The National Club Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) aims to raise the standards of grassroots football clubs by recognising and rewarding those that implement best practice measures that contribute to quality football experiences for players, volunteers and parents.

Four levels of accreditation are awarded under the NCAS criteria, ranging from NCAS Level 1 at the entry level to the highest NCAS Level 4, with each club needing to meet each level before proceeding to the next.

While NCAS is operated by FFA, Football Queensland also offers accredited Queensland clubs extra incentive to encourage their participation in the scheme designed to help club’s become the best they can be.

Football Queensland’s Chris Kenward explained, “In order to encourage clubs to get on board with NCAS, Football Queensland are offering a free grant writing application service to them for capital grants.”

“If they want new change rooms, clubhouse or pitch renovation for example, we will provide a guy who will go and tell them which grant to apply for, write the grant application for them and Football Queensland will pay his bill.”

As the state’s elite club competition, NPL Queensland is leading the way with more than half of competing clubs currently accredited under the NCAS.

Kenward wasn’t surprised by the uptake, saying, ““Most NPL clubs should be able to qualify for Level 1 NCAS accreditation without doing anything extra.”

Palm Beach Sharks were recently acknowledged as the first club in Queensland to achieve NCAS Level 2, while fellow NPL Queensland clubs South West Queensland Thunder, Brisbane Strikers, Brisbane City, Olympic FC, Redlands United and Moreton Bay United currently hold NCAS Level 1.

Kenward explained that all current and prospective NPL Queensland clubs are expected to reach NCAS Level 4, the highest available, in the foreseeable future.

“These are the leading clubs in our system and they should be setting the best standards not just on the pitch but across everything – in player development, community engagement, school engagement, future planning, all the things that any good business should be operating.”

Kenward also explained that community clubs from across the state are also benefitting from the NCAS, including local Brisbane powerhouse Queensland Lions FC as well as regional clubs such as Kingaroy Redbacks (South West Queensland), Frenchville (Central Queensland) and Stratford United (Far North Queensland).

“It comes off the back off FFA surveys that identified why some people were disenchanted with the game and the NCAS addresses those reasons.”

“It raises coaching standards, it raises facility standards and it raises administrative standards in these clubs.”

“If they get these things right not only will they get NCAS Level 1 Accreditation but their club will be a better place to be and they will be more likely to retain and recruit players, which is what they all want," Kenward conclluded.

More information on the National Club Accreditation Scheme is available at – www.myfootballclub.com.au/