Football Victoria is making the most of the countdown to the state election with the launch of its ‘Level the Playing Field’ programme.
Calling on local politicians to prioritise the growth of soccer throughout the state, Football Victoria aims to keep the game’s infrastructure up to date with its steadily growing popularity.
Advocating for new change rooms, lighting and female-friendly facilities, the Yarra Ranges Shire’s own Don Road Sporting Complex in Healesville and Esther Park in Mooroolbark feature in Football Victoria’s list of priority projects across the state.
According to Football Victoria’s list of priority projects, the implementation of Female-Friendly facilities is in the pipeline for Healesville Soccer Club.
President of the Healesville Soccer Club, Suzanne Tyzack was surprised that the club was featured on Football Victoria’s list at all, considering Healesville’s teams play in a private Church’s League and have little to do with the organisation.
Ms Tyzack said, “We were totally unaware of the whole thing.”
“We called the council to see if it had come from them, but it is a total Football Victoria initiative,” Ms Tyzack said.
“We haven’t played in the FFV League in six years, so we were surprised to be on the list.”
Healesville Soccer Club was already in the process of applying to play in Football Victoria’s FFV League in 2027.
Ms Tyzack said, “Whether Football Victoria knows that we are applying for next year or not, we are really happy to be on the list.”
Having launched their 10-year facilities strategy on October 14, 2025, Football Victoria is keen to make moves on the project in 2026.
According to the organisation, major upgrades and investment in soccer are needed to meet demand for the sport.
Where Football Victoria maintains that the recommended industry average is to have one pitch per 5000 people, the organisation noted that Victoria is well below this recommendation, with there currently being one pitch for every 7000 people.
The three key areas Football Victoria will focus on delivering in conjunction with clubs are;
Lighting, with 55 priority projects to lift 75 per cent of competition pitches to 100+ LUX level by 2035; Pitches, with 70 priority projects to achieve 75 per cent of pitches rated good and excellent by 2035; and amenities, with 80 priority projects to ensure 85 per cent of player change rooms are gender accessible by 2035.
Advocacy is part of Football Victoria’s approach to deliver a range of Football Hubs across Victoria to relieve pressure on overused pitches and promote growth.
Proposed locations for the new hubs are: Warrnambool, Mildura, Geelong, Moonee Valley, Beveridge, Baranduda, Gippsland and Melbourne’s South East.
Lastly, Football Victoria announced that they will advocate for “work behind the scenes with the Victorian Government to support the reinstatement of the World Game Facilities Fund with a renewed commitment of $20 – $30 million over four years.”
The Level the Playing Field initiative was launched at the Parliamentary Friends of Football event in 2025, which was attended by a range of Ministers and Members of Parliament from across the state.
In response to Football Victoria’s insistence on Government support for the sport, a spokesperson from the Victorian Government told Star Mail, “Since 2014, the Victorian Government has invested more than $2.4 billion to support high-quality, accessible community sport and active recreation infrastructure, including almost $1.5 million into four soccer facilities in Yarra Ranges.”
“We encourage local councils like Yarra Ranges looking to upgrade or build new community sports infrastructure to develop a proposal for consideration through future Victorian Government funding programs as they become available,” they said.
The spokesperson noted the Victorian Government is also making community sport and recreation activities like soccer more accessible through initiatives like the Get Active Kids Voucher program and the Sporting Club Grants program.
Further, the spokesperson emphasised the Victorian Government’s duty to football and said, “The Victorian Government is committed to football in Victoria and has invested in numerous projects from grassroots through to elite level.”
“This includes $101 million in capital investment for La Trobe University Sports Park, incorporating the Home of the Matildas,” the spokesperson told Star Mail.
“This investment in football demonstrates a commitment to deliver international programs and facilities for both men’s and women’s football in Victoria,” they said.
Despite compiling an extensive list of improvements for soccer clubs across the state, Football Victoria is yet to supply timeframes and further information on how and when these works will be completed.
“Level the Playing Field is our advocacy plan to ensure football’s infrastructure across the state can keep pace with the sport’s extraordinary growth.
“We want to help empower our clubs to reach out to their local council and all levels of government to seek the funding they need to provide the best possible spaces for the game to grow. The Level the Playing Field campaign provides a united and consistent front for all of our clubs to get behind when advocating for what our game needs.
“Participation in Victoria is booming, with numbers increasing 57% since 2022, including 84% growth in MiniRoos and 54% in Juniors.
“But with just one pitch for every 7,000 people (well below the recommended industry average of one pitch per 5,000), urgent investment is needed.
Head of Government Relations and Strategy at Football Victoria Lachlan Cole said, “Across 2024 and 2025, FV conducted a statewide audit of almost 500 football facilities across Victoria to measure our club’s venues against modern facility standards and fair access principles, providing a road map of where immediate investment is required under the FV Facilities Strategy 2025 to 2035.”
“While Healesville SC aren’t an affiliated Football Victoria club, we support all football clubs and organisations in the state who are trying to provide the best possible place for lovers of this game to play,” Mr Cole said.
“The biggest need for our clubs are change room facilities that cater for all genders and needs as well as high quality and capacity spaces to play and train on any day and any time.”
