Football NSW stages second Conference on the Game
Valentine Sports Park was the venue for the second Football NSW Conference on the Game on Saturday, as key football stakeholders from Associations, Branches, Standing Committees, National Premier League and State League Clubs met to discuss the key issues in the game, and reflect on a hugely successful 12 months on and off the field.
The 125 delegates were joined by special guests FFA Chairman Steven Lowy, FFA Chief Executive Officer David Gallop, FFA Board Member Joseph Healy with Football NSW Chairman Greg O’Rourke delivering the opening address.
“We want to continue on with what we set out a few years back on our strategic plan which was to grow, develop, promote and service our game further to all our participants in NSW.
“Today was a great day and to have had the FFA’s presence with both Steven and David delivering presentations as well as answering questions has really shown the governing body’s want to connect with our members.”
Lowy, in his first official address to the NSW football community, was eagerly anticipating a huge year for the sport.
An avid football fan who was also a former winner of the Football NSW Champion of Champions tournament in 1998, Lowy was delighted to have been part of the Conference on the game.
“It is a great pleasure to be here a Valentine Sports Park.
“I remember this place fondly as a player and now as a parent with my two kids who love their football.
“We are here because we love the game and we are passionate about making a difference and I hope that the more we connect with everyone, the better impact it will have on the development of this wonderful sport.”
Gallop, said that growth of the game was imperative to the overall development of the sport as were the many volunteers in Australia and outlined a sneak peek on the upcoming four-year strategy that was to be unveiled in a few weeks’ time.
“I want to acknowledge the hard work and efforts of each and every volunteer that has played a vital role in the development of our sport.
“This is a sport that relies heavily on an army of volunteers.
“FFA has worked closely with all Member Federations and Hyundai A-League clubs in providing a four-year strategy that will be revealed in coming weeks but I am sure this will pave way for our game to continue to grow and prosper.”
It has already been a busy start to 2016 at Football NSW, with a successful hosting of the FFA National Futsal Championships at a number of venues around Sydney.
The official Football NSW ‘Play Football’ campaign promoting registrations to all players, coaches, referees and officials has kicked off, with hopes high of emulating last year’s record number of 324,000 participants.
In February, Football NSW will be launching its ‘Pink Slip’ campaign for the second successive year encouraging players over the age of 35 to get a health check from their GP along with some key messaging coming from International, National and Grassroots footballers, while the official football season across all levels will be kicking off in March followed by Female Football Week which takes shape on the 8th of March.
-Football NSW Media Release
