Granville going back to the future
GRANVILLE and District Soccer Football Association is going back to the future to tackle the challenges ahead, with new chief executive Mike Quarmby at the helm.
A Granville boy through and through, Quarmby has returned to his local football scene, having formerly served as Football NSW general manager for five years, chief executive for five years and spending the last three years as chief executive of Football Brisbane.
The first issue on the agenda is to work closely with clubs to develop a strategic plan for the next three years. This plan focuses on the types of services the association wants to provide and competitions it is proud to play in.
At the centre of that is the return of an absolute giant, not just of Granville football, but NSW football, the Cottam Cup.
First run in 1907 when it was taken out by Pyrmont, it is the oldest knockout cup competition in the state.
In 2017, the cup will return as a preseason knockout competition, but the plan beyond that — with the support of Hyundai A-League Giants Western Sydney Wanderers and Football New South Wales — is that it will be a major state-wide competition for clubs from all associations.
“This will be a four-week pre-season competition featuring 16 clubs from Granville and another 16 teams by invitation from other associations,” Quarmby said.
“We have support from Western Sydney Wanderers and Football New South Wales.
“There will be prize money on offer for the eventual winner and the final will be held at Melita Stadium, so we hope it will be a great way to start the season.”
Quarmby said the biggest challenge the association was facing was picking up shortfall in numbers.
“To help build the numbers we are going to have an activation day with Wanderers players and FNSW support staff in Parramatta to help increase our profile and increase player numbers for season 2017.
“The Wanderers will be there doing some signed autographs and Football NSW will be there to help us register the players.
“Another initiative we have is the start of GDSFA TV, which means we will be filming grassroots games and doing stories on our volunteers, just to really show the love and appreciation
for all the hard work our clubs’ volunteers do week in, week out.”
Another pillar of the GDSFA’s strategic plan for the Granville-based association is the improvement of local facilities, including at the association’s premier ground, Melita Stadium.
“We are talking to Cumberland Council about putting in a synthetic pitch at Melita Stadium,” Quarmby said.
“They identify with us and our clubs and they’re supportive of us and trying to improve the ground and stadium which really ties into our development pathways and us being able to have the best possible facilities to work with.”
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