Change to National Registration Fees
Football Federation Australia has recently informed its member state federations, football associations and clubs that for the first time since 2002 there will be a change to the national registration fee in 2008.
Football has ambitions to compete with other major sports in this country. However, to do so it needs to strive to match the investment the other codes make at all levels of the game to ensure that football can compete with the other sports for participants, elite players, corporate sector support, media attention, spectators and volunteers, as well as be competitive internationally.
There has been a transformation in football in recent years. Extensive governance reforms to unite the game under one constitutional framework; the Socceroos and the Matildas made their respective World Cups in 2006 and 2007; the Hyundai A-League has been established, crowds are at all time records and we are attracting new fans to the game; we have been admitted to the fastest growing football region in the world, the Asian Football Confederation; and we have introduced new community and coach development programs, with a lot of hard work and investment in the area of football development still to come.
As part of the investment in the sport, the FFA will this week be releasing the first ever National Football Development Plan for Australian football.
The National Football Development Plan will benefit all players at grassroots level, as well as give talented young players the opportunity to achieve their dreams and become a Socceroo or a Matilda.
This plan seeks to provide the opportunity for every child who plays to be able to develop new skills, to improve their technical proficiency, and to do so in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment; and for those young people who are talented, the FFA needs to deliver high quality coaching that continuously builds skill levels and technique, and which gives them the right competitive opportunities throughout their career.
FFA will provide leadership, consistency and additional resources through the National Football Development Plan to achieve these outcomes.
The priority areas for investment include:
* coach education for grassroots coaches so young players learn the right technique and build skills in a fun and safe environment
* an improved coaching pathway with progression to other coaching levels if desired
* the recruitment, retention and education of referees
* developing facilities to match the growing participation rate to ensure that as many people who wish to play football can do so
* consistent schools programs to give more young people an opportunity to play the game and find a way to access club football
* the introduction of small sided games across the country to make the game more enjoyable for younger children, as well as to develop technical proficiency
* supporting the network of parents and other volunteers who are the backbone of the sport through volunteer development programs
* providing a national online registration system for all football clubs in Australia which includes the capability for self-registration and competition management, saving many hours of time for club volunteers
* supporting our talented player development pathway programs, including appointing appropriate coaches, investing in our State and National Institute programs, introducing a National Youth League program and creating a growth plan for women-s football
* supporting our national teams including the Olyroos, the Young Matildas, the Young Socceroos, the Under 17 women-s team, the Joeys, the men-s Paralympics team, our National Futsal team and, of course, the Socceroos and Matildas.
To sustain the growth of the game and to allow FFA to provide national leadership in the development and implementation of the programs listed above, the national registration fees have been set as follows:
- Junior Player $10.00 including GST - Amateur Player $20.00 including GST - Contracted Player $55.00 including GST
As has occurred since 1996, an amount of $1.10 per player is being returned to each Member Federation for State-specific initiatives.
The FFA looks forward to an exciting growth period and to working constructively with the entire football community to create a regular and open exchange of communication to implement our National Football Development Plan and other key initiatives.
By the FFA acting now to continue to grow and develop the game, the ultimate beneficiary will be football and all those who enjoy playing and watching it.