Capalaba and Bayside clubs say families are being charged $35 again for volunteer-run local competitions
CAPALABA and Bayside football clubs have reignited the fight over Football Queensland fees, claiming families are being hit with another $35 charge to play in short summer competitions run almost entirely by local volunteers.
The clubs have also urged players and parents to support a petition calling on Football Australia to investigate Football Queensland’s broader approach to community registration costs.
Capalaba FC said its players were being charged twice by FQ for competitions the club itself organised and delivered.
“Two FQ fees. For competitions we organise and run ourselves,” the club said.
“We do the registrations. We provide the fixtures, grounds, lights, referees and volunteers. We do all the work that makes these competitions happen.
“So what exactly are our players getting for the additional $35?”
Bayside United FC raised similar concerns over its Super Sixes competition, saying some players who had already paid Football Queensland fees through Squadi for winter football were being asked to pay again.
“For our in-house players, it means $35 to play in-house, then another $35 to play Super Sixes,” the club said.
“Two FQ fees. For two competitions that we organise and run ourselves.”
One parent commented that a family with three players would pay an extra $105 to take part in an eight-week social summer competition.
Football Queensland’s 2026 Sanctioning Policy lists a $35-per-player Play On Football fee, while its Club Affiliation Policy requires affiliated clubs to register participants in in-house competitions through FQ-approved programs, including summer football.
The policy also says participant insurance is active only with a valid FQ registration.
But the clubs argue the arrangement is difficult to justify where players have already registered for the winter season and the local club — not FQ — provides the grounds, fixtures, officials, lighting and volunteers.
FQ promotes Play On Football as a casual, year-round format that clubs can host for men’s, women’s and mixed teams.
The summer-fee row has become linked to a wider petition urging Football Australia to investigate Football Queensland’s originally proposed 2027 community fee overhaul.
The petition argues higher costs could make football less accessible to families already grappling with cost-of-living pressures, potentially reducing participation among young players.
However, the petition was drafted before Football Queensland backed away from its proposed 2027 Competition Access Fee model after widespread club opposition.
FQ announced on October 16 it would retain its existing 2026 fee structure for the 2027 season with modest adjustments for inflation and the treatment of transaction and technology costs.
That means the petition’s description of a proposed 2027 overhaul no longer fully reflects FQ’s current position.
The $35 Play On fee raised by Capalaba and Bayside is a separate, current issue and one the clubs say still needs a clear explanation for families paying more than once to play the game.
