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Wheelchair football’s Victorian return comes with challenges still to face
Football Victoria’s Wheelchair Football Volunteer Coordinator Daniel Levy admits that the onset of the pandemic was more than a challenge for all abilities football.
Across 2020 and 2021, the wheelchair competition barely played a handful of games. But that didn’t deter Levy or FV, who he says are now more supportive than ever.
Both wheelchair and powerchair football competitions have gotten underway after a very successful All Abilities April. The month saw come and try days held across the country as well as initiatives like Football West’s ‘Football for all’.
More than anything though, the return of wheelchair football in the state meant the most to the players.
“Everyone was frustrated for the past two years, because a lot of our players had other activities cancelled,” Levy told Soccerscene.
“They were just over the moon to be back and life getting back to normal. We had a good turnout and everyone was really rapt to be out.
“The first couple of weeks are always really tough because they’re not in the routine and some of them turned up late, but it’s all good.
“They have to rely on maxi taxis which often pick up more than one person at a time and drop people off on the way and things like that. Something always goes wrong at the last minute, but we’re pretty flexible.”
While the return is a major positive for the competition and inclusive football as a whole, the next stage for the organisers is to continue to grow the competition to a point where it can sustain itself better.
Victoria’s wheelchair football competition is run out of just one location in Keysborough currently, as there isn’t a high enough participation level to justify more.
“It’s a long haul for a lot of our players. One is in Chum Creek, near Healesville, we’ve got some that are out near the airport,” Levy explained.
“They have to come a long way, and that’s not cheap. If we were able to grow the competition, we could have a north and south competition so that people didn’t have so far to travel.”
Initiatives like All Abilities April will give wheelchair football and other inclusive competitions the chance to continue that growth.
“The All Abilities Month is an additional opportunity to get the word out there,” Levy continued.
“FV’s helping us with a marketing campaign, printing out posters that we can put up in leisure centres and things like that.
“It’s been a great initiative for us, and two of our players wrote their stories and that got published by FV as part of their social media campaign. We’re getting the word out there, but we certainly need to do more work to attract more players.”
For the players, who Levy says he’s ‘grown up with’ after being involved with wheelchair football for 17 years, the process provides them with more opportunities as well.
“To be honest for most of the players, it’s not that much about the competition, it’s mostly social,” he said.
“It’s being able to get out and be with people, spending time with them and having fun. Are all of our players diehard sportspeople? No they’re not.
“They want to get out and have some exercise, but most of their enjoyment comes from the social interaction.”
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Football Victoria has confirmed the appointment of Carolyn Jackson as one of their newest board members.Ms Jackson joins the Football Victoria board with over 20 years of leadership experience in strategic delivery, financial management and change management within the Victorian Government.
Ms Jackson’s most recent role as Deputy Secretary at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has seen her lead key initiatives in climate action, environmental reform and advancing self-determination for Traditional Owners.
She has also made significant contributions to the energy sector, strategic finance and regional leadership while serving as Director at several organisations across the past decade.
Football Victoria commented on Jackson’s leadership throughout her career and what she can provide to the board:
“Ms Jackson’s celebrated career has seen her spearhead complex initiatives and build strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, Ministers, and senior executives,” they said in a media release.
“Her leadership style is marked by strategic vision, accountability, and a reputation for achieving results in challenging and ambiguous environments.
“Football Victoria warmly welcomes Carolyn Jackson to the FV Board and looks forward to her contributions to the growth and success of our football community.”
Antonella Care, Football Victoria President, spoke about the appointment of Ms Jackson and how her expertise will help Football Victoria to grow and develop football at all levels:
“Carolyn is an incredibly accomplished professional and a valuable addition to our Board; with strengths in priority areas aligning to our recently released ‘Our Football’ strategic plan,” she said in a media release.
“Her wealth of experience will provide the FV Board and the wider organisation with tangible guidance and direction to achieve our ambitious targets.”
Jackson said she is looking forward to joining the board and supporting the next era of football in Victoria:
“I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve Victoria’s diverse football community as part of the Football Victoria Board,” she said in a media release.
“Football Victoria’s 2024-2028 strategic plan provides a compelling framework for the next four years, which I am focused on driving forward, to ensure football continues to prosper and enrich the lives of participants in our state.”
Ms Jackson will commence her new role on September 9, 2024.
John Tsatsimas, Chief Executive Officer of Football New South Wales, experienced the joys of football at an early age when he was exposed to NSW State League competition by his father.
The memories of the first national competition (NSL) launched in 1977 on the Australian sporting landscape are still transfixed in his mind.
His first official post was as General Counsel at Newcastle Jets before he assumed the role of CEO at the club from 2007-2011.
Perhaps his finest hour was as CEO of Western Sydney Wanderers when the club won the Asian Cup in 2014 under the astute guidance of senior coach, Tony Popovic.
Significantly, he also presided over the establishment of major infrastructure innovations at the Wanderers base in Rooty Hill between 2012-2022, including the creation of multiple football fields and amenities which are the envy of most sports in Australia.
Match action in the 2024 Football NSW Men’s Waratah Cup Final between Rockdale Illiden and APIA Leichhardt at Jubilee Stadium (Photos: Damian Briggs/FNSW)
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the experienced administrator at the Wanderers as he witnessed the changing of the coaching guard five times and the failure of the club to make finals football in the last four seasons , prior to his departure in May, 2022.
Nevertheless, John Tsatsimas is a resilient football administrator and since his appointment as CEO at FNSW in November 2022, he has applied all his skills in guiding the organisation on a steady course of stability.
In this interview with Roger Sleeman, John Tsatsimas discusses all things football.
ROGER SLEEMAN
You’ve held CEO positions at Newcastle Jets, Western Sydney Wanderers and Football N.S.W.
Do you think the game is making sufficient progress?
JOHN TSATSIMAS
The game has evolved over the last twenty years and we’ve seen a lot of changes at a professional level.
It has grown exponentially in playing numbers in this period but there are always challenges re-emerging in different ways.
Also, the presence of a multitude of sports played in the country which compete for funding is a major challenge to the amateur and professional game
R.S.
Football has enjoyed large participation rates since the mid 1960’s.
How can this be translated into support at senior level?
J.T.
That’s the million dollar question as the game has historically been a gateway for young people to play sport ,and trying to retain their support is the biggest issue in the face of increasing demand for infrastructure and the large choice of activities available to them.
Therefore, we need to provide better coaching, improved training facilities and more effective engagement with an emphasis on providing pathways for players to compete at the highest level and increasing their appetite to follow senior football.
R.S.
NPL Men’s and Women’s football competitions are poorly attended.
In contrast, three weeks ago, Canterbury v Canberra in the NRL drew a crowd of 18,000 at Belmore Oval, while Sydney Olympic are lucky to get attendances of 500 at that ground.
What is FNSW doing to address this situation?
J.T.
Rugby League has been entrenched since 1908 on the Eastern seaboard but they have very small playing numbers compared to football.
Also, we have competitions where matches are played at the same time due to the large fixture schedule.
People who attend NRL in the main don’t play the game as opposed to our constituents who either coach, play , are spectators or are involved with transport assistance or fulfil volunteer roles.
Consequently, our sport has large numbers of people who are involved at grass roots while senior football is being played which reduces the spectator pool significantly.
John Tsatsimas handing out the awards at the Gala event
R.S.
Are you satisfied with the level of promotion for NPL football, in view of the very high standard of football produced this season?
J.T.
Certainly, the standard this year has been very high and we must give full credit to coaches and players.
However, it’s not the A-League and in the winter months the presence of the established senior codes, NRL and AFL and the blanket media coverage they receive, is more than challenging.
We are continually looking at ways to improve spectator numbers but there has also been a record number of viewers watching YouTube television this year so the interest in the competition is definitely there.
Also, people can watch up to six games through this medium which proves we are accessing the target markets.
R.S.
Match times for the NPL Men’s competition range from 3 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Why can’t we go back to the traditional 3 p.m kick off times for all first team games?
J.T.
The women’s programs are mainly played on Sunday and with the exploding growth of their game, it does create great pressure on facility availability.
Ideally, 3 p.m. kick offs as in former times would be welcome but ultimately the NPL clubs can make their own decisions about playing schedules without direction from FNSW.
R.S.
What is FNSW doing to reduce playing fees for elite football and other amateur participants?
J.T.
It’s a long standing issue but other sports have large broadcasting assistance and obviously a smaller cost base to subsidise their amateur players.
Amateur football clubs aren’t running a business and the costs are infinite, e.g. coaching, field hire council lighting, football gear and insurance.
If we had a silver bullet to change the situation, there would be reform where funding was provided from top down to support amateur football.
However, if we have players who haven’t the means to play at elite level we will attempt to assist them, just as amateur clubs will do if necessary.
R.S.
What is your opinion of the proposed National Second Tier?
J.T.
It’s been long talked about but we’re focusing on our competition.
We certainly won’t stand in the way of any club which has the aspiration to play in a higher level of competition.
As long as our existing clubs are fully invested in NPL football at the present time, we aren’t making any judgement on their desire to participate in the National Second Tier.
Critically, if there is going to be a successful NST, there really has to be representation from all states and a framework for promotion and relegation.
The problem is, the current model for the APL stipulates there won’t be any promotion and relegation until 2034.
Match action in the NPLNSW Women’s Grand Final between Bulls Academy FC and Macarthur Rams at Valentine Sports Park (Photos: Damian Briggs/Speedmedia)
R.S.
After your extensive involvement in the A-league, what is your opinion of its current standing?
J.T.
Challenging times, but I’d like to thing those in charge would give it direction and provide aspiration for junior players to progress through the ranks of NPL to A-League, to Matilda and Socceroo status and then seek out opportunities overseas which will boost the strength of the Socceroos and Matildas.
This can’t be achieved without a functional and successful APL which needs support from everybody in the game.
R.S.
How can we get more former players involved in the game?
J.T.
It’s often a case of creating positions but not every former player wants to stay in the game after their playing career has finished.
It’s a work in progress which has to be considered carefully because former players can definitely add so much to many areas of the game.
R.S.
Can the F.A. show better leadership?
J.T.
Those at the helm of the F.A. join the organisation with the best of intentions and similarly the APL.
However, the sport needs to move away from the pockets of success and grow the game on a consistent basis.
This is the greatest challenge for the governing body and after the success of the Women’s World Cup, the announcement by the Federal government of $200 million funding for women’s sport, with only a small portion allocated to women’s football, was unexplainable.
These are the issues which require serious attention and strong leadership.
