Dear members,
Yesterday evening, Football Federation Australia (FFA) released a statement
announcing the extension to the suspension of football activity until 31st
May. NSFA will be following this date for our competitions and all football
activity.
There will be many questions over the coming months as to the viability of the
football season. I would like to assure you the NSFA staff are working
diligently in the background to ensure that football can be played this season
once we are given the green light from the Government. We are not only
preparing for a 2020 season date, but preparing for our Summer Football season
and 2021 to ensure that we come out of this situation better than where we left
off in terms of organisation, support and service offerings to clubs and our
engagement with the community.
The Competitions Department at NSFA are confident of achieving 14 rounds of
football, based on the FFA above date of commencement. We will be
maximising competitions games during this period and have already began
discussions with clubs as to what this may look like. I can also confirm that
we are exploring alternative solutions with clubs and local councils to extend
the football season and squeeze as many games into the time frame as possibly
safe to do so.
Once the season resumes, you will see some changes to our competition formats
to ensure our competitions maintain their integrity whilst also abiding by
Government guidelines at the time. An expected change is for MiniRoos, with the
reduction in our ‘hubs’ on Saturday morning to ensure we respect social
distancing and gathering guidelines. This however will not affect the number of
matches played.
As in previous communication, we ask our football community to maintain their
football registration for season 2020. By retaining your registration, you are
helping your club and NSFA staff plan accordingly which is extremely important
to be consistent during these times, particularly whilst working alongside
external stakeholders.
I can also assure you that pro-rata refunds will be provided should the
season be impacted in any way. As you would appreciate, further information
is required prior to NSFA and Clubs confirming what this may look like. We are
working with FFA, Football NSW, the insurance company and NSFA clubs to fully
understand this situation. However, we can confirm that Active Kids
vouchers cannot be redeemed for cash. This is in direct guidelines with the
T&C’s of the vouchers.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the tremendous work that is
being undertaken by our NSFA club volunteers and Board. Like us, they are
football players, coaches and family members and have dedicated significant
time over the past 6 months in preparing for the season and are now managing an
unprecedented crisis. In your communication with your club volunteers, please
be patient and appreciative for their work. The NSFA staff thank you.
I would also like to call on our community to support our community. For
many years local businesses have supported our local clubs. This may be the
local grocer, butcher, tradesman or the like. During this difficult time, if
possible, please support our local businesses to ensure that when normality
returns our community returns stronger.
Please continue to respect Government guidelines during this time whilst also
staying fit, healthy and socially connected with your teammates.
To stay connected with NSFA please see our Facebook page
for the latest updates, and XLR8 Player Development
for the latest Home skills challenges.
We wish you all the best,
Edward Ferguson
NSFA & Northern Tigers CEO