At the NSFA Presidents Workshop on Monday, June 25, twenty NSFA clubs voted unanimously to approve the introduction of an annual facilities levy for both summer and winter football. This measure is consistent with other associations (e.g. Manly and Blacktown) who have successfully implemented a levy to assist in proactively driving the facilities agenda in each of their respective local government areas.
The purpose of the NSFA Facilities Levy is to increase our capability to provide improvements and upgrades to our local facilities. Earlier this year the Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) released a report identifying a major shortfall in the supply and capacity of sportsgrounds.
Additionally, in 2017 NSFA collaborated with the NSW Office of Sport who produced a report that ultimately quantified the issues that exist within our specific boundaries. The results indicated that an additional 24.5 fields will be required by 2036 to accommodate the increased demand due to the projected growth of player numbers, as shown in the below table.
With very few new sportsgrounds being created (if any), due to the lack of available and/or affordable land, NSFA’s primary strategic objective and that of various councils is to increase the capacity of our existing facilities. This can be achieved through improving drainage, installing/improving lighting, and converting fields to synthetic where appropriate. While local councils manage sportsgrounds used by NSFA, a levy which accrues funding specifically for facilities can help:
- Influence where council funds are allocated.
- Accelerate the delivery of projects.
- Provide priority or increased access.
- Enhance projects already fully funded.
The NSFA Facilities Levy will amount to just under a dollar a game for both summer and winter football registration:
- Summer football (2018 onwards) – $10 levy per player
- Winter football (2019 onwards) – $15 levy per player
The winter levy will be based on the number of registered players at each club, as at August 1st (the last date any player can register in NSFA). Clubs should add $15 to each player’s registration package. The summer levy of $10 will be added to each player’s registration package when registering via MyFootballClub.
Funds from the NSFA Facilities Levy will be used solely for the purpose of facility upgrades and will be allocated as a separate balance sheet item in all NSFA financial reports to ensure complete and ongoing transparency. Further information on which projects will be funded will be released shortly.