Queensland Football Clubs Unite Against Proposed Fee Hikes

More than 100 Queensland football clubs have joined forces to express their concerns over proposed changes to player registration fees by the state's governing body, Football Queensland. The clubs are calling for the governing body to pause its new Competition Access Fee (CAF), citing fears that an increase in fees could make the sport unaffordable for families.

In a group statement, the clubs requested Football Queensland to be more transparent regarding major decisions about player registration fees. Football Queensland, however, disputes the clubs' claims that player fees have dramatically increased, adding that it has the lowest fees in the country.

A spokesperson for Football Queensland said, "FQ's illustrative modelling shows that, where a club passes the CAF through directly, the total paid by a participant is broadly comparable to 2026."

Wynnum Wolves Football Club president Rabieh Krayem penned a letter to Football Queensland petitioning against what he said was an unjustified increase in fees and expressing concern about the effect this could have on participation.

"The consequences for participation in 2027 may be significant," he said in the letter.

"Families—particularly those registering multiple players or managing cost-of-living pressures—may decide that football is no longer affordable."

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli urged all sporting governing bodies to lower costs for families.

"We want to see more kids in sport and anything that administrations can do to follow suit and lower costs is something that we should be backing," he said.

Mr Krayem sent the letter on behalf of 71 football clubs.

"The scale of the increase introduced through the 2027 CAF model was therefore unexpected and has come as a serious shock to clubs across Queensland," he wrote.

Mr Krayem applied Football Queensland's new fees to his club in Wynnum and determined charges from the governing body would increase by 64.6 per cent for 2027.

"An increase of this magnitude cannot reasonably be treated as routine without a detailed cost justification," he said.

"Clubs do not have the financial capacity to absorb an increase of this scale, and the additional FQ cost will therefore be passed on to players and parents through higher registration fees."

In a statement, Football Queensland said the "inflation adjusted changes" within the CAF reflect less than a $10 per person increase.

The governing body provided its own modelling that shows in 2026, a senior player would pay a total of $1,417.26 in total fees to play. For 2027, after all fees are consolidated into the new CAF, a senior player would be charged $1,415.88.

The spokesperson added the new fee structure "will provide a reduction in administrative complexity and a significant lowering of administrative transaction volumes across the ecosystem".