On behalf of the Board and Staff of Football Federation Tasmania we would like to wish everyone involved in our great sport a very Merry Christmas and all the best for a safe and happy 2017…on and off the pitch!
2016 has been an outstanding season for football in Tasmania across all areas of the sport. The highlight of course has to be the rise of Devonport Strikers in the PS4 NPL. In 2015 they finished in 7th place which made the turn-around to become league champions in 2016 all the more remarkable. The club also captured the prestigious Lakoseljac Cup which led to entry into the Westfield FFA Cup. What followed was two of the most dramatic and memorable matches ever seen in Tasmania as Devonport overcame Lambton Jaffas in the round of 32 and then narrowly exited the competition to Bentleigh Greens in the round of 16. Congratulations to everyone at Devonport Strikers for their amazing achievements.
On the women’s side, FFT piloted a new look Women’s Super League. This ran in tandem with the northern and southern championships and consisted of a 12-match season. There were some challenges around the format and structure of the competition; however in the end Olympia FC Warriors took the title with Launceston City in second place. Olympia also took out the southern championship and Launceston City prevailed over Ulverstone in the north.
We also had excellent competitions in all divisions across the State and we wish to congratulate all of the winners as well as the various best & fairest players.
Announcements:
PS4 NPL Expansion – One of the landmark decisions taken by the Board of FFT in 2016 was to expand the PS4 NPL from 8 to 10 teams from the start of the 2019 season. The competition is in a strong and sustainable position and is entrenched as part of a national approach to senior men’s competitions.
In 2018, two teams will be promoted to the PS4 NPL for 2019 and then following that there will be a system of promotion and relegation. We believe this will add significantly more interest to the PS4 NPL as well as making the Veto Northern and Southern Championships even more competitive.
The Board felt it was important to announce such significant changes in plenty of time for clubs to react appropriately to the changing future landscape and we will be providing further communication to clubs on this matter in the New Year.
Women’s Super League - Just this week, FFT President Sean Collins announced the planned second-phase of the Women’s Super League for 2017. Invitations have been given to the southern women’s championship clubs from 2016 as well as Launceston City and Ulverstone to compete in the WSL. The league will be a full competition running from March to August in-line with all other competitions. Each club in the WSL will also be represented by a separate team in the VETO Northern or Southern championship.
The plan is to have this competition lead into a full Women’s NPL in 2018 and FFT has already commenced working with FFA’s General Manager of Women’s Football, Sarah Walsh, on the various criteria.
In support of growing the women’s game over the coming year, FFT will also establish a working group of women’s senior players at the start of 2017 to ensure the views of the participants are well represented.
A-League – There has been much publicity and talk about the possibility of an A-League team being established in Tasmania. This has created excitement in the media and across the football community which has been positive for our sport. There has been substantial interest from politicians and this focus can only be good. FFT supports any endeavours that are designed to grow football on and off the pitch and bring more backing into the sport. FFA have indicated that there will be a formal tender process in the first part of 2017 and we look forward with interest to learning more about that process as well as the requirements for gaining a licence.
FFT STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT:
Competition Manager - Football Federation Tasmania is pleased to announce that Glen McNeill has been appointed as the new Competition Manager. Glen takes over from Damian Gill who did an outstanding job for football over the past four years. Glen will be well known to the football community in Tasmania and he was successful in gaining the role ahead of a strong group of applicants for the position. Glen will commence with FFT at the start of February 2017 and I’m sure everyone will wish him all the best with this important role in Tasmanian football.
Annual General Meeting:
The AGM of FFT will be held on Sunday, 5th February 2017 at KGV Park. The AGM will commence at 12noon and is expected to run for around 15 minutes which is normal. This will be followed by a strategy session with clubs and the FFT Board, focused on participation in the sport and opportunities to grow the game. Clubs are required to be represented at the AGM and forms will be sent out in the New Year.
THANK YOU:
In closing I would like to thank every one of our players from 2016. The game continues to grow and the way in which the players represent themselves and their clubs is outstanding. We have almost no major player behaviour issues and our sport continues to generate positive publicity and this is because of the strong leadership within our clubs.
The biggest thank you of all goes to the wonderful volunteers who serve the sport so well. Your dedication to ensuring that our clubs are progressive and well run and that positive opportunities are created for our players is something of which everyone should be proud. We are fortunate to have such a strong group of club presidents who all have the game very much at heart and combined with their committees ensure the success of the sport.
I would also like to give a big thank you to our referees. They have done an excellent job in 2016 and we have had a smooth season because of their dedication to the task. In particular it was nice to see so many young referees joining the ranks and I am sure clubs will continue to be positive and support the referees as they develop their craft further in 2017.
Finally thank you to the Board and Staff of FFT for your efforts in 2016. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2017 for an even more exciting year of football.
Please note the FFT office will be closed from 3pm on Thursday, 22nd December and will re-open at 9am on Tuesday, 3rd January 2017.