To:
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NCF Clubs, CLO Women Clubs, NCF stakeholders
<<First name>> <<Last name>>, <<Organisation>>
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From:
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Andrew Woodward, General Manager
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Date:
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Wednesday, 8 June 2022, 4 pm
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Re:
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NCF Club Bulletin 22-027
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HEADLINES
- Keeping registrations open until 31 July 2022 (for noting)
- Official reports from players sent off (for action)
- Guidance on offensive, insulting, abusive or intimidating language and/or gestures (for action)
- Team lists are needed by 30 June 2022 (for action)
- Coaching courses coming up (for action)
- School holiday activities in Coffs and Grafton (for noting)
- Audit of needs and other councils (for info)
- Response from Coffs Council (for info)
- Key points from Clubs’ Town Hall on Monday, 6 June 2022 (For info)
- Ros Linsley is on leave (For noting)
- An in-person All Clubs Meeting in July – do you want it? (for consideration)
- Resending: Certification of fields for play (form WhatsApp) (for info)
- Newcastle Permanent offer to clubs (for info)
QUICK REFERENCE
- Download this bulletin: Link
- Club info online: Link
- Topics tracker: Link (Updated 8/6/22)
DETAIL
- Keeping registrations open until 31 July 2022 (for noting)
We previously advised that the cut off for registration and deregistration would be 30 June 2022. However, with the delayed start to the season, we’re going to hold this deadline out until 31 July 2022. This means that the August invoice from NCF will go out at the end of August rather than the start of the month as planned. The registration deadline was extended in 2020 to catch late arrivals due to the delayed start with COVID-19.
- Official reports from players sent off (for action)
When a player is sent off, the normal NCF process is for the referee to send the report to NCF, who then forwards it to the judiciary chair. The judiciary chair then replies to NCF, and a sanction notice is sent to the club. In all instances, however, players have “the right to be heard” before sanctioning. A player just has to submit a written statement (deemed being ‘heard’) stating their view on the send-off matter. Written statements should be submitted by the NCF Official Report form (link) before 10 am on the Tuesday following the match. The send-off reports go to the judiciary chair at midday on Tuesday, for return on Wednesday and notification to clubs on Thursday afternoon.
- Guidance on offensive, insulting, abusive or intimidating language and/or gestures (for action)
Please see this memo: Link. We have received complaints about inappropriate language and behaviour on and off the pitch and want all clubs and match officials to help improve the match day experience to ensure football is a welcoming and family-friendly place. Language and gestures are evolving. It needs to be managed with common sense to match situations and today’s standards. This year, NCF has, in some cases, doubled and tripled sanctions for players and team officials found guilty of match official abuse (link). Whatever decisions are made by match officials will be supported by NCF. This memo aims to help match officials deal with incidents and explain to players, team officials, committees, and spectators what they can expect from match officials and the judiciary.
- Team lists are needed by 30 June 2022 (for action)
Team lists were due on 1 May 2022, but we’ve put that back with the weather interruptions. They’re now due by 30 June 2022. Please create an Excel workbook and then create a sheet for each team you have and drop the player list there. This requirement is for teams 12 and up. Just drop your spreadsheet in here: Link.
- Coaching courses coming up (for action)
Please visit the NCF website (link) or contact Alex Nolan (link). Alex is also looking at courses in Grafton.
- Skill Training Certificate: Coffs Football Centre – 8 and 15 June 2022
- Game Training Certificate: Coffs Football Centre - 22 and 29 June 2022
- MiniRoos Certificate: Coffs Football Centre - 20 July 2022
- School holiday activities in Coffs and Grafton (for noting)
We have released our school holidays program:
- Clinics (8 to 11): Link
- Carnivals (12 to 15): Link
- Audit of needs and other councils (for info)
Thank you to those clubs who have filled in the survey of your needs at local grounds. This activity is to get a ‘log of claims’, which can be put to councils over the coming weeks and months. Could you please look at this and come back to me by the morning of Tuesday week, 14 June 2022. The link to the form is here (link).
- Response from Coffs Council (for info)
Coffs Harbour City Council has responded to my two letters (17 May 2022 and 26 May 2022). A three-page response was received from Acting General Manager Chris Chapman (link). In the letter, Mr Chapman states:
- CHCC spends more on fields than other LGA, and they’re in better condition
- Local events have used the Coffs Football Centre 98% of the time since commissioning
- Council’s fees are only ten per cent of what it costs to maintain fields
- Council will not increase ground hire fees in 2022/23
- Council won’t charge ground hire fees for April and May
- Council provided a discount to NCF for NPL/SAP on synthetics
- Visiting events contribute $30m a year to the local economy
- Council will continue to prioritise visiting sport over local sport at Coffs Coast Sport and Leisure Park
- Major events are only 30 days a year at CCSLP
- Council supports the extension of the season
- If NCF and its clubs want better facilities, they have to get grants
There’s some spin and ignored information in CHCC’s reply, which I will tactfully point out while welcoming the good news. On a positive note, there is a discount on ground hire fees of a third. I note this week that Penrith City Council is giving all sports free ground hire for the year (link). I will go back to CHCC, citing the Penrith example. Further, this may not be widely known here, few councils on the north coast charge ground hire fees to clubs. Clubs in Port Macquarie Hastings and Mid-Coast don’t pay ground hire fees. Councils to the south view that participants in clubs pay rates, and that covers ground hire. It could be said that CHCC is double-dipping.
I still aim to get clubs a meeting with the CHCC Mayor. I am in the process of reaching out to other councils.
- Key points from Clubs’ Town Hall on Monday, 6 June 2022 (For info)
Five clubs attended Monday’s Clubs Town Hall with NCF Zone Committee members and staff. The key comments made by NCF were:
- Draws and catch-up matches: Ros advised they’re nearly finished and will be completed this week.
- Meeting with Coffs Council: I advised that I am still seeking a meeting with the Mayor of Coffs Harbour City Council regarding concerns of clubs.
- Response from Coffs Council: I have received a response to my two letters from Coffs Council. See separate item.
- Finals: I advised that finals will be ‘messy’ this year, with some competitions having finals in September and some in October. It’s all to do with how many teams are in the competition and how many matches have been played. The Clarence finals will not be at Maclean as previously planned.
- Abusive behaviour sanctions: I indicated I would be issuing guidance on abusive behaviour this week. See separate item.
- Scores and team sheets: I indicated clubs were doing quite well this year with scores and team sheets. Thank you.
- Advising of ground closures. I advised that all clubs with grounds closed must advise so each week.
- Procedure for changing match locations and times: I re-stated the need to follow this procedure: https://ncf.link/procedurelatechanges
- Ros on leave: I advised that Ros is taking six weeks of long-service leave. She finishes on Friday. Jarod Baxter and I will be covering Ros’ tasks. See later note.
- Clubs raised no significant issues.
- Ros Linsley is on leave (for info)
Ros is taking long-service leave, finishes up this Friday, and returns on Monday, 25 July 2022. During this time, Jarod and I will cover Ros’ tasks. Ros’ NCF phone and email won’t be operational during this time. The following things you went to Ros about should go to the following people :
- An in-person All Clubs Meeting in July – do you want it? (for consideration)
At present, an in-person All Clubs Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, 3 July 2022, at 10.30 am at the C.ex Club, Woolgoolga. I have yet to receive any agenda items (although the deadline is Friday week) from clubs for the meeting. We also now have our monthly Club Town Hall, and the next is scheduled for Monday, 4 July 2022. I propose that we don’t have an in-person meeting on Sunday, 3 July 2022 and instead cover anything off Monday night. However, if you or your club believes we need an in-person meeting on Sunday, 3 July 2022, please contact me to discuss.
- Resending: Certification of fields for play (from WhatsApp) (for info)
We all want football to proceed. We also know pitches are under a lot of stress at the moment. We also know that won’t stop some players, parents, coaches and club officials from wanting fields to open and play to proceed irrespective of the potentially harmful consequences. Fields and pitches should only be declared as open and ready for play if you, as a club official or match official, are 100 per cent sure that:
- It is safe for players and match officials
- The field won’t be unduly damaged by play
- The match can be played at an acceptable standard in the conditions
In the past few weeks, we’ve had matches start and be called off as the pitch has deteriorated when it probably shouldn’t have started in the first place. I wasn’t at these matches. I am going off reports. I know, however, there’s a lot of pressure and emotion from some people to declare fields open and start matches, particularly when they’ve travelled some distance to play. If a field is capable of play, declare it open and toss the coin. If it’s not capable of play, then keep it closed or don’t start the match. Either decision is the right decision, and you will be supported.
- Newcastle Permanent offer to clubs (for info)
Our major partner, Newcastle Permanent, has a special offer for clubs. Clubs will receive $50 for every account opened. See this email for details: link.
ENDS
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