Football Australia set to cut more than 20 Percent of its Staff

Football Australia has announced it will slash more than 20 per cent of its workforce following an impending second consecutive record financial loss.

Football Australia CEO, Martin Kugeler, confirmed the governing body is undergoing a “significant reset and restructure” to live within its financial means, with a deficit projected to exceed last year’s record $8.5 million shortfall.

The aggressive cost-cutting measures are deemed a mechanical necessity to stabilise the governing body’s balance sheet after rising operational costs, reduced travel spending, and legacy issues caught up with the organisation.

Despite a golden era on the pitch, which saw Australia host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and the Socceroos qualify for a sixth consecutive World Cup, the federation has struggled to translate tournament prestige into sustainable financial resilience.

Commenting on the announcement, Football Australia CEO, Martin Kugeler, said: “Two significant losses, and increasing losses year-on-year, is obviously not a situation that is sustainable or acceptable.”

“Ultimately what we will deliver is an organisational restructure that resizes the organisation and will enable us for greater innovation, sustainable growth, and investment into our game.

“We are great on the football side, delivering success and qualifying for the World Cup,

“We’re not where we need to be on the financial side, and that’s what we have to address.

“I had to make very difficult decisions around roles and make a significant number of roles redundant, so we will ultimately reduce the people here working at Football Australia.”

“Around the football side, preparations and the national teams are not impacted by what we’re doing.

“We would like Tony Popovic to continue as our Socceroos coach. I’ve got the impression that he would like to continue… and those are ongoing discussions,” he shared.

Strategic Restructure and Digital Reinvestment

The redundancies were announced during an all-staff meeting on Tuesday morning, impacting approximately 40 of FA’s 200-strong workforce. Kugeler, who assumed the chief executive role in January 2026, noted that the job cuts are part of a broader forward strategy to modernise the business. Money saved from the redundancies will be redirected into commercial strategy, digital products, data analytics, and fan engagement to future-proof the sport.

A portion of the current financial deficit is tied to one-off legacy costs. This includes a newly finalised settlement with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), resolving a debt of just under $1 million stemming from the historical unbundling of the A-Leagues from Football Australia.

National Teams Shielded from Cuts

Importantly, the governing body has guaranteed that high-performance programs will remain completely unaffected. Preparations for the Socceroos’ upcoming World Cup campaign and the Matildas’ international fixtures will retain full funding.

Furthermore, contract negotiations with Tony Popovic’s management regarding a long-term extension for the Socceroos head coach are progressing undisrupted.

The full scope of the financial results will be presented to stakeholders at Football Australia’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) next Thursday, 28 May.

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