Clubs Football Facilities Forum a big hit with grassroots clubs

Football NSW’s Facility and Advocacy Unit joined forces with Bankstown District Football Association (BDAFA), Canterbury District Soccer Football Association (CDSFA) and St George Football Association (SGFA) to produce the first Clubs Football Facilities Forum (CFFF).

Over 100 people from the Bankstown, Canterbury and St George football community attended the forum at the Bankstown Sports Club who sponsored the event on Monday.

The Clubs Football Facilities Forum is an adjunct from the NSW Facilities Forum that Football NSW held in previous years at Valentine Sports Park.

This forum was a great opportunity to bring the content to the masses.

Football NSW’s Facilities and Advocacy Unit’s vision is to grow, develop and promote the game by supporting our members, stakeholders and the football family through effective governance, strong leadership, transparent communication, professional administration as well as a clear strategic direction.

Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge was ecstatic with the attendance the forum recieved.

“Football NSW and the Facilities and Advocacy Unit prides itself on building the capacity of football club and its members in NSW, and this forum did exactly that,” said Mr Hodge.

A number of special guests presented some valuable information on facility development and government engagement.

David Coleman, Federal MP for Banks and Jihad Dib, State MP for Lakemba spoke about the need for clubs to engage with members of parliament whether it be local, state or federal governments.

Mr Coleman encouraged clubs to not be shy about voicing their opinions and concerns.

“Don’t be shy to tell your local Federal MP about your football club”.

While Jihad Dib reiterated Mr Coleman’s view by telling clubs “to build strong relationships with your State MP”.

Michelle Whitehurst, Manager Project Delivery from Georges River Council spoke to club representatives about the importance of engaging with local councils early in the project delivery stage to ensure the best result for all parties.

Football Federation Australia representative Ricardo Piccioni explained the importance of constant and continually engagement with all levels of government plus the need to share information with others throughout the football community.

While finally Football NSW Facilities, Funding and Delivery Coordinator Daniel Ristic gave all clubs a run through of the NSW Asian Cup 2015 Legacy Fund.

The forum also included a tradeshow with exhibitors from Deploy, Fountain Line, Mitre and Wholesale Trophies.

Clubs had the opportunity to speak directly to suppliers about the various football products required to run grassroots football.

Overall the forum was a great success, it was fantastic to see BDAFA, CDSFA and SGFA associations combine and collaborate together with Football NSW to produce an informative night for grassroots football.