Member for Ipswich West Wendy Bourne is calling on Premier David Crisafulli to step in on Football Queensland’s planned fee changes, which she says will hit families already stretched by the cost of living.
From next year, Football Queensland wants to scrap its per-player charges and bill clubs a new Competition Access Fee for every team they enter. More than 70 clubs from Cairns to the Gold Coast have pushed back, saying they cannot absorb the bigger bills and will have no choice but to pass them on to parents.
One club’s modelling shows its Football Queensland charges jumping by more than 64 per cent in a single season, with some junior age groups going up by more than 80 per cent.
“This will directly hit the pockets of families right across the state who are already struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table,” Ms Bourne said.
Ms Bourne has written to local clubs Ipswich FC, Rosewood United Church FC and Whitehill FC to offer her support and hear how the fee hikes will affect them. She is now writing to the Minister for Sport to make sure Ipswich families are heard.
“We should be making it easier for kids to play sport and be connected, not harder. Footy on a Saturday morning is where kids make friends, stay active and feel part of their community.”
Ms Bourne said Labor introduced FairPlay vouchers, now rebranded to Play On vouchers, for all Queensland children aged from five to 17 so cost would not stand between kids and sport. She said hikes like this risk eating into that support before a child even pulls on their boots.
“Affordability should not be a barrier to Queensland kids playing sport,” Ms Bourne said.
“The Premier should be doing everything he can to stop this from happening. That means picking up the phone to Football Queensland and standing up for families who are doing it tough.”
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