Canterbury & District Soccer Football Association (CDSFA) hopes to bring people from all walks of life together on the pitch in 2019.
The new season is promising to be bigger than ever for the association which boasted well over 16,000 players in 2018.
“Football brings people together in large numbers,” Canterbury & District Soccer Football Association Chief Executive Officer Ian Holmes said.
“Among them are more and more women as spectators, coaches, referees, players and administrators. Football is a powerful network that brings women together.”
Such has been the growth that three new clubs have been launched in the last three years alone, with a brand new club hitting the competition in 2019, which will help spur the growth of women in the game even more.
ACU Football Club is the latest to join the CDSFA family and boasts a strong student community base, with a focus on building a female football program.
More clubs and more players means that there is a greater need for coaches, said Holmes, with the launch of a new coaching accreditation system helping to deliver more qualified coaches to support the growing football program.
“2019 brings the start of a coach accreditation system that recognises accredited coaches within the CDSFA,” he said.
“We’re doing this to make sure all players have coaching supplied to them within the clubs and that all coaching is undertaken by qualified coaches, as opposed to a haphazard approach by well-intentioned volunteers.
“Better players start with better coaching and this is a priority project for the association over a four-year period.”
As the competition continues to grow, the association is also working hard with all three tiers of government to help push through a number of exciting and important facility upgrades to support football’s role in creating a more active community.
“As part of improving the community football experience, the association has been working with three tiers of government to proactively support the business case for improving facilities across all the local government areas in the association,” Holmes said.
“This has resulted in an unprecedented level of investment with more that $12 million worth of capital works currently underway or about to commence. This is to ensure venues and amenities meet community expectations.”
With 28 clubs within the association, there is sure to be a local team ready to welcome you with open arms.
You can find contact details for every club within the association on the CDSFA’s website: www.footballcanterbury.com.au/our-clubs or on the graphic below.
