Two Phase Football Review To Commence Shortly
Football Federation Victoria (FFV) is delighted to announce that it has commenced a comprehensive review of the various structures of football in the State of Victoria.
Tasked with delivering an enhanced football experience for all senior and junior players, the review will be rolled out in two phases and seek to identify the optimum competition model for Men's and Boys' football (Phase 1) and Women's and Girls' football (Phase 2) in Victoria.
Being implemented as part of FFV's strategic priorities, the review will consider Victorian football's key issues including the cost of playing football, the welfare of players, the economic viability of clubs, the elite development pathway, expanding the participation base, club engagement with local government, access to facilities and the experience that players have through their involvement in the game.
To commence Phase 1 of the review, an independent review Steering Committee for Men's and Boys' football has been formally established. The committee is made up of dedicated and experienced football representatives from all levels of the game and will be led by former Socceroo Gary Cole.
Cole expressed his excitement at leading this important piece of work for Victorian football.
"The team has a great chance to methodically review the past four years of competition, identify the parts that operate well, improve the areas that require some change and seek to find a competition model that best suits all footballers in our great state,” Cole said.
“We will review both the National Premier Leagues Victoria (NPL) and FFV community competition structures with a view to ensuring that football remains accessible to all Victorians and enables players to engage with football at the level they most desire.
Phase 1 of the review will take six months to complete and will deliver its findings to the FFV Board in May 2018. Phase 2 (Women's and Girls' football) will commence shortly thereafter.
The Women's and Girls' review Steering Committee will be formed and announced when Phase 2 commences in mid-2018.
Stakeholder Feedback Program - Have your Say!
FFV has engaged leading sports consultancy firm Sports Business Partners (SBP) to run a stakeholder feedback program and further utilise their experience both in football and across all Australian sports to recommend the optimum competition model for the state.
All Victorian football stakeholders are invited to participate in this review either by emailing your submission to footballcompetitionreview@ffv.org.au and/or completing our online survey here.
The deadline for submitting the survey is Monday 18 December.
For further information on the review, please contact Will Hastie here.
Football Competition Review: Steering Committee (Phase 1)
Chairperson
Gary Cole (Former Socceroo)
Expert Adviser
Dr Ron Smith (Former Socceroos Technical Analyst)
Football Federation Victoria (FFV) Representatives
Sezar Jakupi (Board Director)
Nicholas Tsiaras (Board Director)
Local Government Representative
Joe Luppino (Unit Manager Recreation Services at Moreland City Council)
Regional Football Representatives
Pedro Afonso (Zone Representative – Goulburn North East)
Adam Woods (Zone Representative - Loddon Mallee)
Men’s Football Representative*
Ezel Hikmet
Coaches Representatives
Ian Greener (Former VIS Football Head Coach)
Junior Football Representatives*
John Nekic
Steve Black
Referees Representative
Jim Ouliaris (Former FIFA Assistant Referee)
Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Representatives
John Didulica (PFA Chief Executive Officer)
Simon Colosimo (PFA Player Relations Manager & Former Socceroo)
Association of Australian Football Clubs Representative
Dean Hennessey (AAFC Board Member VIC)
Football Federation Australia (FFA) Representatives
Emma Highwood (FFA Head of Community, Football Development and Women's Football)
Eric Abrams (FFA Technical Director)
School Sport Victoria Representative
Loui Simopoulos
*Additional committee members may be added as a result of the recent member and standing committee elections.