FFA announces two new board members & Nikou re-elected as chairman, but where to from here?

Avatar

Football Federation Australia conducted their Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday, with a host of announcements.

After the recent departure of Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and Crispin Murray, two new directors were revealed on Thursday.

Robyn Fitzroy and Carla Wilshire were both elected to the board, with 63 votes and 99 votes each respectively.

Fitzroy is in charge of a governance consultancy firm, whilst Wilshire is the CEO of the Migration Council Australia.

FFA chairman Chris Nikou was re-elected on Thursday, after facing no competition for the top job.

Nikou claimed 2019 was a year full of challenges, singling out the structural reforms promised the year prior as being particularly demanding.

“The structural reform was a painstaking one, however it was well worth the hard work, as it gives more stakeholders a voice in the game they love,” Nikou said.

“The separation of the FFA from the professional leagues into two separate but allied entities will allow both to concentrate on what they do best.

“We stand ready to work with the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League clubs to maximise the potential of our domestic competitions.

“For FFA, our focus is clear. To nurture and produce the finest national teams to represent us on the world stage and give them every opportunity to succeed. We will also work hard to enrich and enhance the game at the grassroots level and ensure the pathways to our national teams are available to everyone,” he said.

Current CEO David Gallop is set to finish his tenure at the FFA on November 28. Gallop claims the future is bright for the game in this country.

“Football has changed a lot and achieved a lot over the last seven years. Even this week we have seen the responsibility to deal with issues carefully and react appropriately to the unexpected, ensuring that we always uphold the highest standards to protect the reputation of the game, its commercial partners and its many fans.

“No sport can unite people and the diversity of the country like football.  Be confident about what this sport is and what it can be. As the world gets smaller football will get bigger,” Gallop stated.

The FFA also released their annual report for the year, which can be accessed here.

Avatar
Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

Ned Morris to step down as Adelaide United chair

Avatar
Image credit: PxHere website

Adelaide United have confirmed that Ned Morris will step down as chair after a mutual agreement and will continue in an advisory role with the club.

Morris spent 18 months in the role and Adelaide United has stated they will carefully evaluate the future of the chair position, making sure it aligns with their long-term goals.

Morris and the club have acknowledged that there will be significant challenges along the way, with the internal restructure now complete.

In addition, Adelaide United felt the time was right for a shift towards a local South Australian approach.

Morris reflected on his time serving as chair at Adelaide United and said he is still ready to show the club’s full support:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 18 months working closely with the United family on behalf of Australia’s best A-League fans, the Reds,” he said in a media release on the club’s website.

“I am very confident that we have put in place the right vision, strategy, and key personnel to see the Club achieve ultimate success in the very near future.

“I remain committed to working with Adelaide United in an advisory role and look forward to supporting our men’s and women’s teams ahead of the 2024-25 season.”

Major shareholder and ownership representative at Adelaide United, Cor Adriannse, said about Morris’ contribution to the club:

“We have greatly enjoyed working with Ned over the last 18 months. He has been a tremendous asset to the Club, especially in navigating the difficult post-COVID phase for both the Club and the league,” he said in a media release on the club’s website.

“We deeply appreciate the improvements he has driven alongside our management team. Ned will always remain connected to the Club, and we intend to continue working together in one capacity or another.”

Throughout Morris’ tenure, he drove key developments such as the high-performance program investment strategy, establishing a global partnership with Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven and appointing Ernest Faber as Technical Director in May this year.

He also expanded the Youth Football Scholarships, renegotiated a five-year tenancy at Coopers Stadium and successfully approved several government funding grants.

Key concerns for FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring report

Avatar
Image credit: Jude Bellingham Instagram

FIFPRO has recently released their annual Player Performance and Recovery report for 2024, this report is developed by FIFPRO IQ in conjunction with Football Benchmark, a leading data and analysis group on football business.

The report explains in detail the problems facing professional footballers by leaders within the industry and the players themselves. This report not only factors in the physical impact of the sport but also the psychological impact.

FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring tool (PWM) the primary system behind this report monitors 1500 players spread across 100 leagues and 150 nationalities.

They have pointed out the obvious lack of appreciation by tournament organisers for the physical and mental well-being of football players and an evident lack of organised calendar planning.

Acting FIFPRO General Secretary Stephane Burchkalter stressed the importance of this report via press release:

“We release these reports for a good reason. Because, today, we face one of the most serious and urgent problems in our sport. A problem that results from the abuse of governance and a failure of the duty of care. The holistic workload that confronts our players is unprecedented. It has produced a physical and mental fatigue that is now dangerous.”

With increased match loads, travel loads and shortening of preparation the risks have never been higher with 54% of PMW players experiencing excessive or high-demand workloads.

88% of players’ time is recorded to be spent in the workplace environment and 17% in national team environments.

The world-renowned Uruguayan coach Marco Bielsa stated via press release:

“To ignore the consequences of the number of games and amount of travelling will end in injuries for any player.”

This report identifies that some players have seen their free time fall to nearly 12% of the calendar year, which adds up to less than a single day off per week. This fails to comply with international Occupational Safety and Health standards.

There have been calls for a guaranteed rest period which 72% of players and 78% of coaches support.

As the demand for games grows and the push for more revenue skyrockets, the players see their health and voices continue to deteriorate.

This report and FIFAPRO highlight the firm action that needs to happen to protect the stars of the sport.

For more information about the report, read more here.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend