Brisbane United FC remains supportive of the National Second Tier (NST) concept and committed to entering the competition in 2025.

Brisbane United FC’s directors are compelled to act in the best interests of the club (the company) and its sponsors. During the application process, the club identified what we consider to be significant risks to a successful entry and sustainable future in the NST.

While these clear and obvious risks are small in number, they concern operational imperatives critical to providing certainty and confidence to sponsors, directors, players and supporters alike.

The matters in question were not created by Brisbane United FC and cannot be resolved solely by Brisbane United FC. Therefore, discussions between the club and Football Australia (FA) are ongoing with the aim of arriving at a mutually beneficial solution which is in the best interests of the game. These discussions will continue in the latter part of this year and in early 2024.

For the NST to be a true national competition, Queensland and the city of Brisbane must be represented. Brisbane United FC has the support of Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and state government departments. A successful entry into the NST will present great opportunities for our proposed home ground at Perry Park.

We look forward to providing updates in the near future.

Brisbane United foundation club Wynnum Wolves have signed a two-year youth development partnership with leading Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund (BVB). Wolves will hold the title of BVB´s “Official Youth Development Partner in Australia”. The collaboration will include delivery of a series of youth development and coaching programs, as well as exchange opportunities with training camps in Germany.

The exciting partnership is great news for Brisbane United, adding football acumen and new opportunities for clubs and players in the BUFC family.

The two clubs will also work on implementing a sustainable structure for Wynnum’s female football program which can leverage BVB´s recent experience with their own women’s team which began play two seasons ago.

Since the devastation of its facilities in the 2022 floods, Wynnum have gone from strength to strength with the federal, state and local governments, as well as BVB´s sustainability partner WILO, all assisting with the club’s rebuild and expansion at Carmichael Park.

Headquartered in Dortmund, WILO is one of the world’s leading premium manufacturers of pumps and pump systems for the building services, water management and industrial sectors.

Benedikt Scholz, Director Internationalisation & Commercial Partnerships and Managing Director BVB Fußballakademie GmbH said: “We are very excited about this partnership with a club who shares the same commitment to developing talented youth players as BVB does. We are looking forward to working with WWFC to bring to life our key objectives in youth development and also women’s football development.”

We are very excited about this partnership with a club who shares the same commitment to developing talented youth players as BVB does.

Wynnum President, Rabieh Krayem was effusive about the opportunities the new partnership will present to aspirational young players and coaches.

“Dortmund is a huge club and is renowned in Europe for its professional and progressive approach to youth development – building from the grassroots up,” he said.

“That is something we have been very passionate about at our club as we have worked to grow the level of our youth program. I truly believe the synergies between our two clubs extend way beyond the yellow and black uniforms our teams both wear.”

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the partnership will continue to shape future Queensland athletes.

“Brisbane is set to be Australia’s next sporting capital, and the community club players of today are shaping up to be the Olympians of tomorrow,” Cr Schrinner said. “Wynnum Wolves is a deserving community organisation that creates champions and fosters communities here in Brisbane.

“We couldn’t be prouder of this homegrown team and their newest international partnership. It’s through great opportunities like this that Brisbane’s clubs keep getting better.”

WILO Australia Sales & Operations Manager Shaun Dallas has been at the nexus of bringing the two clubs together. A passionate football fan and local business leader, Dallas is looking forward to the positive outcomes that can be achieved.

“WILO has been a long-term sustainability partner of BVB and is looking at ways it can support Wynnum Wolves FC in a sustainable rebuild of Carmichael Park after the floods.” he said.

“Building strong connections with the community is important for our company and what better way to do that than by getting behind a community football club that has an ethos built around grassroots growth and connection.”

The deal is testament to what can be achieved in a partnership where all sides share values and have common goals, as well as the most important attribute – the will to get it done and make it work.

Football Australia (FA) have confirmed that Brisbane United’s application for inclusion in the National Second Tier (NST) has successfully progressed to the next phase, following a review of the club’s initial EOI.

The club will prepare its Request for Proposal document according to FA’s criteria and Chair Rabieh Krayem is confident a compelling application can be put forward for final consideration.

“We have an excellent team of people working on this and we are confident that we are the only club who can represent the whole of Brisbane,” Krayem said.

“Support for our bid has been fantastic so far and we know with the collaborations we have already put in place that the building blocks of success are already there.”

FA expects the application review process to begin in July this year.

With a National Second Tier of Australian football now firmly on the horizon, a new club has emerged with the goal of becoming one of Queensland’s representatives in the new national competition, mooted to kick off in 2024.

Led by current Wynnum Wolves President Rabieh Krayem, Brisbane United FC’s collaborative model has been established to bring the local football community together and ensure the city’s grassroots clubs and players are real stakeholders in the future of the sport.

The club has three main strategic goals – to represent all of Brisbane in the new National Second Tier; unite the local community for the good of the game; and make the sport more affordable for young players.

Founding members Wynnum Wolves and Brisbane Strikers have been joined by Virginia United FC, who are the first tier one club to join the Brisbane United network. Soon, other interested clubs will be invited to join and access the benefits of a holistic coaching program designed to develop and prepare local players for top level football.

Brisbane United’s collaborative governance structure allows local clubs to become members in a connected pyramid and benefit from what will grow to be an expansive football network, consisting of all levels of government, corporate Brisbane, education providers and fellow grassroots clubs.

If the National Second Tier application is successful, United will play out of Queensland’s home of football, Perry Park, and promote an unashamedly Brisbane-centric identity.

It’s important to note that this concept didn’t happen overnight. The idea was hatched back in 2018 and we’ve been actively working on Brisbane United FC for more than 12 months.

The club’s logo is a modernisation of the logo used by the original Brisbane United, which was formed in 1991. It features the colours of the city, with the iconic Story Bridge and compass point star device a nod to history. The ’91 side was created to compete in the NSL (National Soccer League) with similar intentions – to collaborate and ensure the city was visible on the national stage.

With the EOI submission deadline expiring on Friday 3 March, Football Australia will begin reviewing the expressions of interest proposals before inviting selected clubs to move to the next phase and submit a more detailed proposal for inclusion.

Krayem says the support shown for the concept so far positions the club strongly for a successful bid.

“All levels of government need a compelling reason to support and help develop any sport. Our discussions so far with the Lord Mayor’s office and State Government agencies have been very, very positive,” he said.

“It’s important to note that this concept didn’t happen overnight. The idea was hatched back in 2018 and we’ve been actively working on Brisbane United FC for more than 12 months.

“We presented a vision, a story, a project and a solution – we haven’t tried to tell all levels of government what to do; we’ve presented a compelling reason for them to work with us by demonstrating what we can give back to the whole community, not just a small portion of it.”

There’s an old saying; start as you mean to go on, which is why the word ‘United’ carries such significance within the name of Brisbane’s newest football club, Brisbane United Football Club.

The first shoots of BUFC began with the coming together of like-minded football people working collaboratively to elevate the game of football in our beautiful river city.  

With the prize of a National Second Tier competition looming large for the 2024 season, what better approach could there be than to present to Football Australia a truly united front to bid for a Second Division licence for Australia’s fastest growing capital city?

Brisbane’s population, demographics, diversity and participation rate, make it fertile ground for a new football club to unite the game and truly represent the city. It will be a club built by football, for football.

“Togetherness will always be a strength and the Brisbane United model is one that can continue to expand over time, embracing more participating clubs to join our network in true football pyramid style.

Brisbane United’s two founding clubs – Brisbane Strikers FC and Wynnum Wolves FC – both hold their own, undeniably proud history in the local game.  

Who could forget Strikers’ euphoric National Soccer League championship triumph in 1997, in front of more than 40,000 fans at the old Lang Park?

And just across the river, Wynnum Wolves FC is one of only a handful of century-old clubs in Queensland that can also lay claim to having a Socceroo original in its ranks.  

On top of this rich tradition, these clubs also boast two of the best fit-for-purpose football facilities in the state. Perry Park in Bowen Hills – known as the home of football in Brisbane – and Wynnum’s Carmichael Park, offering four full-sized pitches under lights, plus a dedicated fifth field for under 12s. Work on these two facilities is ongoing to ensure both parks are showpieces for Brisbane and for football.  

In 1991, Brisbane United was originally formed as a unifying entity to represent the city on the national stage.  

Those principles of unity and bringing the football community together are arguably more important now than ever.

While Strikers and Wynnum have led the way in this united approach towards establishing a new Second Tier football team for the city of Brisbane, we know other clubs are keen to join our ‘united’ model and help to establish a genuine pathway for aspiring young players in Brisbane.

Already, Virginia United FC have joined us as a tier one club and there’ll be more to come in the months ahead.

Togetherness will always be a strength and the Brisbane United model is one that can continue to expand over time, embracing more participating clubs to join our network in true football pyramid style.

Regardless of who is in the fold, United will exist as a club the whole football community can connect to and support, without detracting from their support of their local club.

Brisbane United will meet the changing football environment head-on. Our collaborative model is designed to maximise the collective power of clubs working together in the best interests of the game, and the best interests of those who play or pay for it.

By starting well in advance, preparing diligently, thoroughly and forming great partnerships, we’re showing we have an action plan for today, not just dreams about a tomorrow that never comes.   

Rabieh Krayem

It may not be a Wembley or a Maracanã, but Perry Park still holds a special place in the hearts of Brisbane football fans. 

It is, after all, the spiritual home of football in Queensland. 

But it wasn’t always that way.  

For untold generations, the Turrbal people were the custodians of the land on which Perry Park now sits. But then came the Europeans, who drove them off that unceded land.  

Politician and businessman William Perry set up his home nearby and cleared a paddock for his cattle and horses. Brisbane grew, farmland was swallowed up, and that paddock was converted to a cricket and Australian Rules ground in the early 1900s. 

Then, the winds of war. 

“Camp Perry Park” became the home of the Z Special Unit as it prepared for a strike on Japanese-held Singapore, hosting troops from Australia, New Zealand and the United States. 

About a quarter-century later, Brisbane City Council acquired the site and gave football its much-needed home in the Queensland capital. 

That was in 1967. A decade later, the National Soccer League was born. Both Brisbane clubs, City and Lions, initially called the Bowen Hills stadium home before moving to their own facilities. 

“It’s as the home of football that Perry Park remains such an important piece of football infrastructure.”

But Perry Park remained the focal point of the local game, hosting all levels of local football, from junior tournaments to senior finals. 

It regained its place on the national stage in 1991, when Brisbane United was admitted to the NSL, and even hosted the Socceroos, who played Tahiti in a World Cup qualifier, resulting in a 2-0 win to the hosts. 

A name-change and a signing of a Socceroos legend later saw the rebadged Brisbane Strikers outgrow Perry Park and move across town to Suncorp Stadium and, later, Ballymore. 

But Perry Park was always the Strikers’ home, as both a training and administrative base. And when the club decided to once again play NSL matches at the ground, Strikers fans helped spruce the place up, adding the distinctive yellow and blue colours to the Bill Waddell stand. 

The addition of the YMCA made Perry Park a valuable community asset, beyond its football use. 

But it’s as the home of football that Perry Park remains such an important piece of real estate for Brisbane sport. 

With its spectator facilities, broadcast-quality lighting and peerless public transport access, clubs from across Brisbane have used the venue for their moments in the sun as they took on the nation’s best in the FFA/Australia Cup. 

It’s not perfect, but it’s home. And Brisbane United is determined to do all it can to improve that home, so the home of football is a home of which football can be proud. 

The A-League was a necessary reset for Australian football. It ushered a new era of professionalism and put football on the back pages, this time for all the right reasons. It reached heights of which the old NSL could only dream.

But for all the A-League’s successes, it did not unite the tribes. In fact, some would argue it divided them further. ‘New Football’ or ‘Old Soccer’. It was a binary choice.

By unintendedly alienating some the game’s most passionate supporters, our football lost some of its most valuable assets – the volunteers, the passionate fans, the proud and historic clubs. The tribes remained divided. And they remain divided.  

But it’s a division that can be bridged. The National Second Tier can be the first step towards a true football pyramid, where any team can aim for the stars. 
Representation matters. Football’s tribes will never be united by the enforced conformity. What will unite them is being a part of the same ecosystem.

Making the ecosystem more competitive and diverse, means football people become more engaged and the game in Brisbane becomes stronger.

A rising tide lifts all boats. 

AND IF YOU KNOW YOUR HISTORY…

Although Brisbane United in its current form is a new entity, the club is grounded in the local game’s rich history.

It is a tribute to those who came together to form the original Brisbane United, a club that would eventually evolve and herald a new era for Brisbane football.
25 May 1997 was a watershed moment for football in Brisbane. When Brisbane Strikers’ player-coach Frank Farina held the championship trophy above his head before 40,446 screaming fans, the trajectory of Brisbane football changed forever.

It was the first time Queensland hosted a grand final in any national code. Even now, 25 years later, it evokes pride and determination to ensure this was no flash in the pan.

But before the Strikers, Brisbane was United.

It was an ambitious venture, bringing together Brisbane’s disparate football community to enter and take on the NSL.

The year was 1991. Brisbane’s previous two national league teams, City and Lions, had returned to the local competition, leaving Brisbane unrepresented on the national stage.

So the city’s football community came together, casting aside rivalries to put the good of the game first and build a new team from the ground up.

They would represent all of Brisbane, uniting the tribes and adopting the city’s official colours as its own. That team was Brisbane United.

Alan Hunter, that giant of defence, scored twice in United’s first NSL game at Perry Park – a 2-2 draw with West Adelaide.

United went within two points of making the semi-finals in that first season, before a disappointing second season demanded a reset. Enter Ian Brusacso, Clem Jones and Frank Speare, a triumvirate of trustees who morphed United into the Brisbane Strikers. The rest is history.

The Strikers/United have boasted 28 past, present or future internationals, representing five nations in three confederations. Of the 19 Socceroos who have played for the Strikers, 13 came up through the club’s ranks on their journey to an international cap. Two, McKay and Smeltz, went on to represent their nations at the World Cup.

But it’s that day in May of ’97 that remains the defining moment of the club… so far.

REUNITED