Football Federation Australia, in partnership with Coder Factory Academy and Node Girls Australia, will be hosting the first digital Hackathon aimed at fostering and creating innovation for Women’s Football. The Hackathon will take place over a weekend during Female Football Week, with participants spending their time creating and developing digital solutions that could be used to help improve the experience for Women participating in football and the Westfield W-League fan engagement. 

Dates: March 17-19, 2017

Venue: Coder Factory Academy, Level 2, 7 Kelly St, Coder Factory Academy, Ultimo

Cost: Free

The Hackathon Challenge:

Participants of the Female Football Week Hackathon will be able to tackle one of the following challenge areas…

• To improve the ability, access and pathway for females to become involved in the game of football as a player, coach, referee or volunteer
• To bring football fans closer to the action and enable greater digital fan engagement with the Westfield W-League
• To uncover trends associated with Westfield W-League match stats

Prizes:

Great prizes, such as Caltex Socceroos tickets, Hyundai A-League memorabilia and Westfield Matilda’s merchandise and more will be available for the winners and place-getters of the Hackathon, as selected by a panel of judges

The main prize winner will also get to the opportunity to further develop their idea with Football Federation Australia, and make an impact of the football community.

Who can nominate?

Nominations for the Female Football Week Hackathon are open to both females and males over the age of 16 years.

Participants of all skill levels are encouraged to nominate, as we need a mix of computer programmers, product and project managers, user experience designers, subject matter experts and football fans.

Participants can nominate as individuals and join a group at the Hackathon, or participants can register as pre-formed groups.

Following the close of nomination, FFA will provide confirmation to those selected to take part in the Hackathon.

We are aiming to build small teams of 5, with the selection to be made on suitability, skills and approach to the challenge. Due to the limited number of places, we will prioritise those who can demonstrate something interesting that they want to make.

How to nominate?

Simply fill in and submit the nomination form below. You can nominate as a participant, mentor or volunteer.

[formstack id="/hackathon" title="Online Form - hackathon" code="hackathon" domain="ffa"]

Event Schedule:

Friday March 17 – Welcome and Launch Event (6:00pm – 9:00pm)

Saturday March 18 – Hackathon (9:00am – 9:00pm)

Sunday March 19 – Hackathon (9:00am – 2:00pm) Hackathon Judging (2:00pm – 3:00pm)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a short intensive session where teams are given a problem area, data, tools, and bring their own skills & resources to solve chosen challenges.

The teams are made up of individuals with diverse skills sets, including computer programmers, product managers, user experience designers and subject matter experts.

Ideas can range from new digital features or content to entirely new digital products, ideally leveraging latest innovations and technologies (e.g. native app functionality, live video, wearables, VR/AR, artificial intelligence etc.)

At the conclusion of the Hackathon, teams demo their products to a panel of judges for a chance to win prizes and to have their idea further developed into a customer facing solution.

What are some challenge examples participants could work on?

Here are some challenge examples to get the creative minds working…

• Create software to assist Community Football Clubs with recruiting more females at their club (players, coaches, referees and administrators).
• Create a platform whererby the female football network can communicate and share information.
• Create an app that will generate interest amongst parents and drive participation outcomes for the MiniRoos for Girls program.
• Develop a game to generate interest in the Westfield W-League.
• Create a product that engages fans at the venue on a match day.
• Visualise Westfield W-League match stats and present some interesting views which can be shared across digital products.
• Create a portal for grassroots clubs to reach out / post / advertise and recruit new and existing females in football.

What do I bring to the Hackathon?

Bring your own laptop and your ideas. Great performance food and drink will be provided throughout the weekend.