Steering committee to liaise over football governance

A steering committee has been set up to liaise with Taranaki football clubs unhappy with Central Football's governance of the sport in the province.

Forty-eight representatives from Taranaki's football clubs and schools met in Inglewood yesterday to discuss the future of the way the sport is run in the region.

The meeting was organised by Waitara Soccer Club representative Neil Smith.

He wanted to protest Central Football's decision late last year to make Taranaki regional manager Mary Burkitt redundant after it reduced the number of its regional managers from five to two.

The restructure means football in Taranaki will be run by a manager in Palmerston North, who will also oversee the sport in Manawatu and Wanganui.

Yesterday's meeting, which was chaired by Taranaki Cricket Association chairman Neil Sulzberger, lasted for two hours, with the overriding theme being the frustration felt at the way Central Football was operating.

There was also widespread frustration at the perceived lack ofco-operation clubs received from Central Football.

Waitara Soccer Club spokesman David Arnold told the meeting that there was anger within his club about the way Central Football had hiked up fees while downgrading its resources in Taranaki.

"At the moment, it seems like we are at the bottom of the pile," he said.

Brent Dodunski, of Stratford, urged the meeting to look into the repercussions of breaking away from Central Football and how New Zealand Football would react.

Smith said New Zealand Football had already indicated that if Taranaki broke away from Central Football it could not be affiliated to the national body.

After a call for volunteers, five people – Dodunski, Angus Livingstone, Patrick Lawrence, Phil McArthur and Terry Van Hattum – were elected on to the steering committee.

The committee's main aim is to liaise and discuss with clubs on how they feel about the way Central Football was running the sport in Taranaki.

Once the committee had a clear mandate from the clubs it would meet with Central Football and New Zealand Football representatives on any changes it hoped to implement.

There was also a strong feeling from the meeting that Taranaki should regain control of junior football at under-10 level.

- © Fairfax NZ News