Only seems positive, will be interesting to see who applies on Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. 

Also, will be intersting to see how Lions step up in the future. 

Rochedale Rovers FTW

Applications were only due yesterday, so none have been rejected yet.

That's why I say I'd like to know who DIDN'T apply.  Because the only thing we know for sure is that those teams won't be in either the NPL or QPL.

FOOTBALL QUEENSLAND’S EXPANSION PLANS ENTER FINAL PHASE

The exciting new-look future for football in Queensland is a step closer to reality following the close of the expansion licence application period this week.

Football Queensland has received 35 applications from clubs interested in being part of the ground-breaking two-tier setup in 2018, which was announced in December.

The restructured state system will incorporate promotion and relegation between an expanded PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland and the new Queensland Premier League.

Clubs who submitted an expression of interest were given a month to address uniform criteria applicable to both competitions.

An independent review panel will now assess all submissions with a view to notifying successful applicants in late April.

Football Queensland CEO Geoff Foster welcomed the next stage of the expansion process.

“We are encouraged by the number of applications we have received and the general reception to our announcement from the football community,” Foster said.

“Football Queensland thanks each of the applicants as well as those who submitted an expression of interest.

“It is important to get this next step right and the review panel will thoroughly examine each application.”

The 35 clubs to have applied for an expansion licence do not include Brisbane Roar, who will continue to participate in PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland under a Memorandum of Understanding.Football Queensland expects to announce the identity of the 28 competing clubs in early May.

http://www.footballqueensland.com.au/football-queensland-expansion-plans-enter-final-phase/

Great that it went 7 clubs over.

I think Fire will be ok but what will this mean for Gold Coast City?
will we see them and Palm Beach?

I doubt it, given that GCC and Palm Beach are essentially the same club.

Mitchelton, Holland Park Hawks and Lions FC (from the BPL) have all confirmed that they've applied.  

REVEALED: Sunshine Coast lodges formal expansion bid

news
ACTION: Two players on the ball. Could the Sunshine Coast be home to a professional team in the national competition? ACTION: Two players on the ball. Could the Sunshine Coast be home to a professional team in the national competition? LUKAS COCH
FOOTBALL: A Sunshine Coast club is among 35 others to formally lodge a bid with Football Queensland to be part of its ground-breaking new state league competition.

The restructured state system will incorporate promotion and relegation between an expanded PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland and the new Queensland Premier League in 2018.

A community group with the backing of Sunshine Coast Football and the Buderim Football Club looked set to go toe-to-toe to secure a licence, before the SCF backed out last week.

But SCF president Chris Dunk has told the Sunshine Coast Daily a formal bid lodged by Buderim will have the full backing of the region's governing body.

Soccer, Ballinger Park, Buderim. Buderim Wanders v's Noosa. Wanders 11 Ryan Clulow has his eye on the ball coming off Noosa 8 Addison Brader. Soccer, Ballinger Park, Buderim. Buderim Wanders v's Noosa. Wanders 11 Ryan Clulow has his eye on the ball coming off Noosa 8 Addison Brader. Greg Miller
Buderim co-coach Warren Crickmore confirmed the application on Saturday ahead of his side's McDonald's Premier Men's clash with Noosa.

"We've had a good history of producing players and the clubs is in a pretty good place with a proactive committee and pretty good philosophy,” he said.

"Hopefully we get the nod.”

Dunk said SCF was pleased with how Buderim had planned to open the club to the wider football community, should the licence be granted.

"We've endorsed their application and at the end of the day, they had a committee formed well over 12 months ago looking into this,” he said.

"(SCF) really didn't get the support from the clubs we needed to go further.”

Dunk said in recent meetings with Buderim he had been impressed with the work it had been doing at a grassroots level.

"I had a meeting with Buderim a month ago on a Monday night, it was girls and ladies night and you could not get a carpark anywhere,” he said.

"It was a breath of fresh air to see the club so full-on in the women's side of football. If we can get other clubs following their lead ... it's going to improve the standard across the board.”

Clubs who submitted an expression of interest were given a month to address uniform criteria applicable to both competitions.

An independent review panel will now assess all submissions with a view to notifying successful applicants in late April.

Football Queensland CEO Geoff Foster welcomed the next stage of the expansion process.

"We are encouraged by the number of applications we have received and the general reception to our announcement from the football community,” Foster said.

"Football Queensland thanks each of the applicants as well as those who submitted an expression of interest.

"It is important to get this next step right and the review panel will thoroughly examine each application.”

Football Queensland expects to announce the identity of the 28 competing clubs in early May.

https://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/revealed-sunshine-coast-lodges-formal-expansion-bi/3150803/

So looks like Fire, Buderim & Caboolture (if you count them) may get in.

Given Caboolture moved out if Sunshine Coast Football last year Buderim must seem like a good chance.

I would also guess Gympie Diggers may have applied, (who play in SC league).

EXCLUSIVE: Gympie's season hangs by a thread

sport
Diggers player Dale Tucker playing soccer at Gympie. IN ACTION FOR 2017? Diggers player Dale Tucker lines up a kick during a Gympie Diggers match in 2016.. JAMES LOOSE
EXCLUSIVE: A mass exodus of Gympie Diggers players has left the club on its knees just weeks out from its 2017 McDonald's Premier Men season opener.

The club will struggle to field a full-strength A-grade side this season, with a meeting between new coach Danny Baker and the remaining players set to take place at training tonight.

Both Sunshine Coast and Gympie Diggers have confirmed at least five players have taken up spots at southern clubs, with some still attempting to snare players as late as yesterday afternoon.

It has left Gympie's senior squads in dire straits. Diggers president Terry Ferguson said he intended to field an A-grade side this season, but he could make no guarantees.

SCF president Chris Dunk said his association would do its utmost to support the club. "We will know more (tonight). They're short of numbers and their biggest problem has been other clubs getting into the ears of the better players and enticing them down here," he said.

Ferguson is upset that teams like Maroochydore, which clinched the minor premiership in 2016, have depleted Gympie's stocks.

"The Sunshine Coast clubs are in vulture mode. For the growth of the game they should leave(players) in Gympie."

Ferguson said Dunk had been supportive.

"Sunshine Coast really want us in their competition ... I personally believe (Football) Gympie will be incorporated under the Coast banner in the next 12-18 months."

FG is currently resisting a push from Football Queensland to merge and govern it and the Maryborough, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay associations.

https://m.noosanews.com.au/news/exclusive-gympies-season-hangs-by-a-thread/3138569/

Or maybe they won't bid....

Great to hear Buderim have applied.  I haven't heard anything from Caboolture though.

I just assume because they moved out of SC to Brisbane league and they are moving into the new complex.





http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/moreton/new-soccer-hub-with-regions-first-fifarated-synthetic-pitch-on-way-at-burpengary/news-story/b7ce7a812d828392fedd09ed468a5bbd



Hopefully a team from further north applied too.

Not really sure who. Perhaps Frenchville (or the likes) have the desire thanks to the FFA Cup.

Across the Waves FC from Bundaberg have also submitted a bid.  

https://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/revealed-sunshine-coast-lodges-formal-expansion-bi/3150803/

Logan Lightning (BPL) has also applied.

Good on em. Really like the name across the waves. 

I'm a fan because I played there for a couple of seasons.  They've also had both Mitch Langerak and Josh Brillante play there in the past.

Would be great. I'm gonna heckle the crap out of fq until the announcement. 

Football Brisbane Premier League

Souths United 1-1 Eastern Suburbs

This time next week the clubs should find out whether they've been successful in gaining entry to next year's NPL/QPL.

Football Queensland will then let the rest of us know a week later.

I'm pretty excited to be honest.  Apparently Across the Waves FC from Bundaberg have applied and I'd love them to get in!  Word is a Tweed-based club from NNSW has applied as well.

So we are a week on now. Any whispers amongst the football community up there?

Have heard that applicants advised this Friday, 28 April. Public announcement next Friday, 4th May

Thanks mate. Very exciting times. 

Brilliant Brazilian signs on to take Kawana inside and out

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Kawana Football club has joined forces with Brazilian futsal great Bruno Cannavan to launch its new indoor soccer club. INDOORS: Kawana Football club has joined forces with Brazilian futsal great Bruno Cannavan to launch its new indoor soccer (futsal) club, Force Futsal. Patrick Woods
FUTSAL: Kawana Football Club has broken the traditional mould and started its own futsal club, recruiting an internationally renowned coach and player to lead the charge.

After stints across the globe, which includes starting an academy in Hong Kong, Brazil's Bruno Cannavan has joined the Force as its new head of junior development and will lead the club's move into the indoor, five-a-side version.

Cannavan moved to Australia 12 months ago and has recently settled in Pelican Waters, following a long list of achievements including professional stints with Palmeiras and Juventus SP in Brazil.

Brazilian futsal great Bruno Cannavan.: Kawana Football club has joined forces with Brazilian futsal great Bruno Caravan to launch its new indoor soccer club.
Cannavan said he'd noticed some division between football and futsal in Australia, but said the notion was absurd.

"Football coaches didn't want to talk about futsal, futsal coaches didn't want to talk about football, that's just nonsense,” he said.

"Back in Brazil, futsal is very successful and we all work together. We usually (play) futsal as a kid up to 12, then go to football but now it's all integrated.”

He said futsal was the ideal sport for aspiring footballers to hone their skills.

"The game is fast and the court is not so big, so you're always under pressure,” he said.

"It helps to develop quick thinking ... confidence with the ball under pressure and for kids just starting, there's so many touches on the ball, they really enjoy it.”

Known as Force Futsal, the club will host a free come-and-try session for all ages on Wednesday night (6.30pm) at the University of the Sunshine Coast Stadium, before an eight-week program starts on May 3.

The club has now incorporated futsal skills sessions into its under-9 and under-10 program, which president Brad Lloyd thinks will prove beneficial.

"We've been thinking about it for a few years now,” he said.

"I know a lot of clubs our there won't like the futsal integration but I think it's a great idea. It's fast-paced, there's lots of touches and for me, I can see kids growing up playing both (indoor and outdoor).”

Asked whether he would lace up for Kawana's fourth-placed Premier Men's side, Cannavan didn't completely shy away.

"Maybe,” he said.

"Still recovering from an injury in my back. But who knows, maybe. I like the game ... I'm still young.”
https://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/brilliant-brazilian-signs-on-to-take-kawana-inside/3170506/

What ambition. 

Any news on the QPL teams and their identities?

Official announcement delayed by FQ until late May.
Much speculation as to the reasons for the delay.

What  are the speculators saying?

FFA Cup LIVE on FB

Teabag
Official announcement delayed by FQ until late May. Much speculation as to the reasons for the delay.

TheSelect Few
What are the speculators saying?

Replying to TheSelectFew

That the 'independent' panel has made some recommendations that could see current NPL clubs in QPL in 2018

More likely that FQ failed to take into account the time required to communicate with all prospective clubs to ascertain who's in/who's out, and settle on the final make-up before making anything public

Pro rel is still going ahead according to FQ. Just taking additional time to check the review panels process. Great news. End of this month. 

Yeah, there's no talk about them changing their minds on this as far as I've seen.

Having said that, it's not straight pro/rel.  It's a 'Championship' model where promotion/relegation is based on results from 16s, 18s, 20s and Firsts.  And I think FNQ Heat and Northern Fury are exempt from relegation for the first two years if they are successful in retaining their spots in the NPL.

Fantastic news all round as it ensures results based football. Surely it despells bs of results dont matter at youth level. 

To clarify, the 16s, 18s, 20s and top team won't be promoted or relegated separately based on their results alone.  They will be promoted or relegated as a club based on the combined results of all four.

The point being that it forces clubs to also focus on developing their younger players.  The problem is that you could see the top team getting flogged every week but not relegated because of strong 16s and 18s.