National Club Accreditation Scheme

What is the NCAS?

The National Club Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) is a program that aims to raise the standards of grassroots football clubs by recognising and rewarding clubs that have, or put in place, measures which ultimately contributes to quality football experiences for players, volunteers and parents.
Fundamentally, clubs play the key role in the development of football in Australia. In order to raise the overall standard of club administration at all levels of the game, a clear model that identifies and recognizes best practice in all areas of club administration will be rolled out across Australia.

The NCAS will provide an accreditation rating scheme for grassroots football clubs as identified in the National Game Development Strategy. This will set guidelines and criteria for best-practice models which can be replicated in clubs throughout the country.

Similar programs and initiatives have been delivered by a number of National Sporting Organisations in Australia, by the Football Association in the United Kingdom, as well as by other major European football nations. These club accreditation initiatives have successfully raised standards at the grassroots level and assisted in developing a greater connection between clubs and their National Sporting Organisations.

Who is the NCAS Aimed at?

Community or grassroots football clubs currently constitute 92% of all clubs involved in football delivery. These are clubs whose primary focus is on providing opportunities for players of all ages and abilities to enjoy football. Only clubs who are currently registered with FFA through the MyFootballClub system will be eligible to apply for accreditation through the NCAS.

What are the benefits for clubs?

• Assisting Member Federations to better support clubs, by facilitating a process which encourages greater engagement with clubs.

• Enabling Football Australia and Member Federations to provide direct guidance to clubs relating to Football delivery

• Bringing together all elements of Game Development including coach education, volunteer development, refereeing, MiniRoos, good governance and the National Curriculum.

• Promoting use of the PlayFootball system which will lead to more accurate records nationally of those involved in our game in all capacities.

• Directly assisting clubs to sustain and increase football participation

• Promoting and raising the profile of quality clubs across Australia

• Attracting sponsors

• Attracting volunteers

• Increasing credibility in the community

• Priority access to any future funding opportunities through Football Australia

How does my club apply for the NCAS?

There are four levels within the NCAS, with clubs progressing from Level 1, up to Level 4. The levels are depicted with stars and each level having its own logo. Logos are differentiated by colour and design to easily identify what level a club is at.

One star is used to indicate football’s minimum standards through the NCAS, whilst four stars indicate the maximum standard.

For the initial rollout there will be an application form for download on this page. Clubs should read all NCAS related documentation on this page and consult their relevant Member Federation prior to submitting an application.

Member Federations will work with clubs to ensure any applications along with the required additional documentation submitted to FFA are practical and complete. Initially this process will be completed via e-mail and post, with a view to being a wholly online process in the future.

Step 1: Club downloads application form ( Level 1 Application Form )

Step 2: Club gathers required documentation to support application

Step 3: Member Federation and Club work to finalise application

Step 4: Application submitted to FFA for assessment

Step 5: FFA advises club and Member Federation on success of application and sends Certificate and Logo.

FFA will assess all applications and provide final endorsement for the accreditation. There will be two application windows where FFA will accept applications from Member Federations for clubs within their region.

Upon achieving NCAS accreditation club will receive a NCAS Certificate of Accreditation as well as an electronic NCAS logo relevant to the level achieved, which can be used in club promotion.

Member Federation Contacts

Member Federation Contact Person Email
Capital Football Ash Sykes Ashleigh.sykes@capitalfootball.com.au
Northern NSW Football Ross Hicks rhicks@northernnswfootball.com.au
Football NSW Matt Rippon mattr@footballnsw.com.au
Football Queensland Jess Mathewson ncas@footballqueensland.com.au
Football Federation Victoria Jason Charles jcharles@ffv.org.au
Football Federation South Australia Wendy Carter wendy.carter@ffsa.com.au
Football West Leigh Godfrey leigh.godfrey@footballwest.com.au
Football Federation NT -Paula de Costa admin@footballnt.com.au
Football Federation Tasmania Michele Green admin@footballfedtas.com.au

 

National Club Accreditation Resources

Application Forms

Level 1 Application Form

Level 2 Application Form 

Level 3 Application Form 

Level 4 Application Form