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Q Youth Academy is a talent pathway camp designed to support the next generation of players, coaches, and referees across the state. This revamped weekend will unite Queensland’s future stars under the new structure for focused development, connection, and growth. Selections for QYA begin at the NYC, where standout U14 and U16 players will be chosen for the Rising Stars NRL-aligned teams and Future Maroons squads.
Date: Friday 20 February – Sunday 22 February, 2026
Venue: Gold Coast Performance Centre, Runaway Bay
Rising Stars (U14 Girls & Boys): The Rising Stars program is the entry point to the Q Youth Academy pathway, now welcoming the Dolphins as an NRL-aligned teams alongside the Broncos, Cowboys, and Titans. Four boys’ and four girls’ teams are selected from the Under 14s division at the National Youth Championships, with each team representing one of the NRL-aligned teams. This program focuses on identifying and developing talented young players and coaches, providing them with their first experience of talent pathway training camps.
NRL-aligned teams:
Future Maroons (U16 Girls & Boys): The Future Maroons program builds on the Rising Stars experience, selecting two squads of 32 players from the Under 16s players at the National Youth Championships. Program participants will engage in advanced skill development, performance education, and leadership sessions at QYA, preparing them for the next stages of the Queensland Touch Football pathway.
Referee Pathway: The Q Youth Academy Referee Pathway is open to young referees are selected through talent identification process to join the Junior Referee Pathway to attend the QYA. Selected referees receive mentoring and coaching from experienced officials and participate in a structured development program that aligns with the player and coach pathways – Rising Stars and Future Maroons, with a slightly broader age range of 14-18 years across both referee programs. This ensures referees are supported and developed alongside their peers, with clear steps for progression.
Key resources:
