Welcome to the brand-new season of Hills Football. The 2026 season is set to be a historic year for the association, with exciting new ventures and programs poised to build on the already strong work conducted at the grassroots level.
2026 marks 10 years since the formation of the Hills Football Association, 10 years of growth, development, and progress of the 20 member clubs, players, referees, coaches and communities across the Hills region.
Last month, representatives from the 20-member clubs joined employees from Hills Football to help celebrate this historic moment. Newly appointed CEO of Hills Football, Jeremy Toivonen, was in attendance and expressed his excitement about the upcoming season and the opportunities to continue growing the game in the region.
“It’s a privilege to join the Hills competition in such a historic year,” Toivonen said.
“The Hills region is football-rich, and I believe there is a great opportunity to continue to build the world’s game in this area and grow off the already strong foundations set by my predecessors.”
“In my new role, I am hoping to use my multiple decades of football industry practice and combine them with the upcoming generation and provide new strategic visions and pathways that are sure to see the game thrive for decades to come,” Toivonen said.
The new season presents many new pathways and avenues for players to continue their footballing journeys, including the continuation of the Little Legends program and the involvement of over 1,000 teams from ages 6 to over 55, with 174 female-only teams. The creation of the Hills Super League and the newly formed relationship between Hills Football and the North West Sydney association to form a new look Premier League competition.
Hills Referees are also coming into this season hoping for a fourth year of consecutive growth, having set a record last season with just under 400 referees in the program. Furthermore, the number of coaching courses and development continues to grow, heading into the upcoming season.
Away from the field, there will also be an increase in news and content distribution across the association. Throughout the 2026 season, the Hills Football website and newsletter will publish weekly articles to share updates from across the association. From features about the various clubs that help provide crucial pathways to so many communities, results and key fixtures from our senior men and women competitions, and the connection to the high-performance world through the association’s connection with the Hills United FC pathway. The 10th year of Hills Football is set to be another strong year for the association, and with so much in store for the 2026 season, we can’t wait for the season to kick off this weekend!
“It’s Exciting times ahead,” Toivonen said.
