2-11-2014 16:00
Football Federation Australia (FFA) held a public consultation with key stakeholders from Queensland yesterday at the Queensland Sports & Athletic Centre in Brisbane.
The event was held as part of the Whole of Football Plan, which was announced by FFA CEO David Gallop in September during his ‘State of the Game’ address, which aims to improve all levels of the sport, from the grassroots to the elite levels, to eventually make football the biggest and most popular game in Australia.
Topics and issues discussed during the meeting included:
· The duplication of resources as a result of the current governance structure. The need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
· Building stronger relationships with Government and Schools to address facility development and growth in football.
· The balance of developing a talented player pathway for our elite players whilst keeping the cost of football affordable.
· The importance of Coaches on a player’s experience and the need to make coach education and development more accessible
· Educating clubs, coaches and players about the importance of respect for referees is key to referee recruitment and retention.
· More support for community club administrators via online guides to basic functions and policies
Kyle Patterson, FFA Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, who was in Brisbane to facilitate the forum, believes that the meeting was extremely positive.
"It's invigorating when you see the passion and commitment of football people to make our great game even stronger.
"We had representatives from all over Brisbane and as far afield as Rockhampton, contributing ideas and opinions that will go into the mix as the Whole of Football Plan takes shape.
"We all know the power of this process will come from delivering a plan that everyone can buy into. It's a big task, but this meeting showed we have many people in Queensland ready for the challenge."
Football Queensland CEO Geoff Foster also believed that the event was of great benefit for all involved.
“We were delighted to see so many members of the football community who are currently not affiliated to Football Queensland give their time to share their ambitions for football. After all, great relationships start with a hand shake.
"The dialogue was open and honest and a credit to the attendees with some great ideas to take away. Our discussions identified that improved relationships with schools can go a long way toward satisfying club football shortages of facilities, volunteers for our clubs, and very importantly identifying talented players outside the NPL structure.
"The meeting had a broad consensus that suggested a streamlined governance structure would pave the way towards greater efficiency in administration and benefits for members. Overall, we're very pleased with the way FFA has openly consulted with stakeholders in Queensland."
The Whole of Football Plan will continue to seek input form stakeholders for the remainder of the year with the final report to be completed by the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 in January next year, with implementation set for July, 2015.