Heidelberg United Alexander FC has issued a formal response following Football Australia’s recent eligibility determination regarding the upcoming AFC Club Competitions Club Licensing Cycle for 2026/27.
Despite fulfilling all domestic regulatory frameworks, the club has expressed profound disappointment with the outcome and has explicitly stated its intention to mount a formal legal appeal to protect the sporting pathway for non-A-League clubs across the Australian football pyramid.
The full statement from the Board of Directors reads as follows:
Official Club Statement
Heidelberg United FC acknowledges receipt of Football Australia’s determination regarding the AFC Club Competitions Club Licensing Cycle 2026/27.
Whilst the Club is extremely disappointed with the outcome, we would like to acknowledge and thank the team at Football Australia for their support and engagement throughout the application process.
Our Club has worked tirelessly to reach this stage and we are extremely proud to have satisfied the strict assessment criteria required as part of the licensing process. We believe this achievement reflects the Club’s capacity, professionalism and ability to compete at the highest level of football.
We firmly believe that pursuing opportunities at the highest levels of competition is important not only for Heidelberg United FC, but for the broader grassroots football community. We also believe this matter carries significant implications for clubs outside of the A-League system and the pathway available to them.
Furthermore, there appears to be some ambiguity relating to Article 7.4 of the AFC Club Competitions – Entry Regulations:
‘Only clubs finishing in the top fifty percent (50%) of the final ranking in the domestic top division league (based on the total number of clubs that participated on its first match day) are eligible to meet the Sporting Criteria. For the avoidance of doubt, this Article 7.4 shall not apply to the winner of a domestic cup competition’.
It does not suggest that in the event that the winner of the ‘Cup competition’ is unable to fulfill its position because it has qualified by winning the league that that position will be filled by a team from the domestic league and not by the team that earnt the right to be in the final.
Accordingly, the Club reserves its right to appeal the decision and has written to Football Australia requesting them to outline the Appeals Process.
We will be appealing and evaluating all our options.
Heidelberg United FC will make a further statement once the Club has completed this process.
