Football West is pleased to announce a number of significant steps to help ease the burden on clubs and players leading into the 2020 season.
We are also excited to release the draft fixtures for our thousands of matches, with competitions under way in under two weeks’ time.
Football West’s focus is fixed firmly on making the game accessible and a great experience for all. This is why we are determined to play our part in reducing the pain felt by our clubs and, in turn, by our players, coaches, referees and others.
The financial measures we are announcing total over half-a-million dollars and are aimed at ensuring our game and our 250-plus clubs across Western Australia remain viable.
These include:
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25% reduction in match official fees for clubs
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25% reduction in competition team entry fees
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50% subsidy for personal injury insurance cost
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25% reduction in registration fees for referees
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the establishment of a financial hardship fund, which will cover all aspects of the game including courses, programs and club development
The financial relief will be attributed to each club enabling the club to determine how these benefits can be best passed on to assist their players, coaches and volunteers. This may include registration fee relief, credit or discount mechanisms on apparel or other costs, flexible payment options or similar. Your club will advise you as to what it means in your circumstances in due course.
We acknowledge some people would like for these measures to be more far-reaching and Football West will hopefully be in a position to announce further measures as we move ahead.
SportWest, the peak industry body for sport in WA, revealed that State Sporting Associations would lose up to $41 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At this point Football West has only received financial assistance through the Federal Government’s JobKeeper Payment scheme and we are awaiting a decision from the WA State Government’s Lotterywest Relief Fund. Additionally, we do not have a position from Football Federation Australia on the financial impact of COVID-19 on relevant fees charged or funding received.
In order to support the financial relief, Football West, as the governing body of the sport with the largest number of participants in WA, has had to significantly reduce our workforce both during and post-COVID-19, and for the future across the business. There will also be a large number of reductions on other expenditure, programs and events such as the 2020 Awards Nights.
However, we remain committed to serving all of football and we hope to provide further financial and service support for the 2020 season. This includes working with all of our metropolitan and regional clubs and associations, youth talent programs, coach and referee development and delivering our inclusive programs for members of the community for whom football plays such an important part of their life.
Meanwhile, the landscape looked a lot brighter over the weekend when clubs took part in their first friendly games since March. From Curtin to Carramar, players were out on the pitch and building towards the commencement of competitions.
And we are thrilled to release the full complement of draft fixtures for 2020. This is the moment players everywhere look forward to, checking out the new teams they will be facing and anticipating the resumption of old rivalries.
The majority of our competitions will begin on Sunday, 21 June, while the men’s and women’s NPL and the men’s State League will start on the weekend of 4/5 July.
NPL fixtures can be found HERE while the fixtures for all of our other competitions are HERE. We urge all of our players to ensure they are registered in time for the big kick-off so they don’t miss out. The Play Football website for players to register is HERE.
Football West is also offering five-a-side competitions for players, with two Kick It. Fives leagues running from June to October. These are mixed competitions for players aged 16+. For full details and to register CLICK HERE
Meanwhile, the delayed season means our regular competitions will take on a new look this year. They will run through to October, including playing in the school holidays, and there will be no promotion or relegation.
The competition rules for 2020 can be found HERE.
Football West appreciates the understanding of the WA football community and we look forward to working together to make the upcoming season a huge success.
To assist us in working through the commencement of the 2020 and due to significant workforce changes, if you need to contact us please ring 08 6323 8419 or use the relevant email address as listed below:
Participant Support
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If you are a participant or have an enquiry on behalf of a participant regarding registration and/or participation in either a Football West program or competition please contact participantsupport@footballwest.com.au
Coach Support
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If you are a coach and have an enquiry regarding coach education, registration and accreditation, please contact coachsupport@footballwest.com.au
Club Support
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If you are a club administrator and have an enquiry regarding club accreditation, local government conversations, volunteers, team entry, club development and club support, please contact clubsupport@footballwest.com.au
Referee Support
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If you are a referee or have an enquiry on behalf of a referee regarding referee registration, training, uniform and appointments, please contact referees@footballwest.com.au
Filed Under: Community News