Football Federation Australia

Football Federation Australia (FFA) is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer) in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association (ASA), which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003.

Related Topics:
Football (soccer) - Australia - 1 January - 2005 - 2003

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Among other duties, the FFA oversees Australia's national football teams (including the Socceroos (men), the Matildas (women), and various youth teams); national coaching programs; coordination with the various state and territory governing bodies; and the national club competition. Until 2004 the national competition was the National Soccer League; the FFA launched a new national league in 2005, the A-League.

Related Topics:
Socceroos - Matildas - National Soccer League - A-League

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Following the collapse of the previous governing body, Soccer Australia, the Australian government established an independent inquiry, known as the Crawford Report. This report recommended, among other things, the reconstitution of the body as the Australia Soccer Association (ASA) with an interim board, heading by prominent businessman Frank Lowy. The ASA renamed itself in 2005 to align with the general international usage of the word "football", in preference to "soccer", and to also distance itself from the failings of the old National Soccer League and Soccer Australia. It termed the phrase "old soccer, new football" to emphasise this.

Related Topics:
Australian government - Crawford Report - Frank Lowy - 2005 - Football - National Soccer League

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On 1 January 2006, the FFA will move from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The move was unanimously endorsed by the AFC executive committee on March 23 2005, and assented by the OFC in April 17. The FIFA executive committee approved the move on June 29, noting that "as all of the parties involved ... had agreed to the move, the case did not need to be discussed by the FIFA Congress" http://www.fifa.com/en/media/index/0,1369,108247,00.html, and was unanimously ratified by the AFC on September 10 http://www.the-afc.com/english/media/default.asp?mnsection=media§ion=newsDetails&newsID=3945. The FFA hopes that being part of the AFC will improve the standard of Australian football and give the national team a better chance of qualifying for World Cups, as well as providing access to the AFC Champions League for the A-League clubs.

Related Topics:
1 January - 2006 - Oceania Football Confederation - Asian Football Confederation - March 23 - 2005 - April 17 - FIFA - June 29 - September 10 - World Cups - AFC Champions League

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Australia was a founding member of the OFC.

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