Group to liaise over football administration

A new advisory committee is likely to be formed next week to work with Central Football over the administration of the sport in Taranaki.

Representatives from clubs and schools throughout Taranaki met in Inglewood on Monday night to get feedback from an elected steering committee.

The steering committee – Brent Dodunski, Patrick Lawrence, Terry van Hattum and Phil MacArthur – met earlier this month with Central Football representatives to discuss concerns over the governance of the sport and a hike in player fees.

The committee was formed after representatives from Taranaki's football clubs and schools met to discuss the future of the way the sport is run in the region.

The meeting was in part a reaction to Central Football's decision late last year to make Taranaki regional manager Mary Burkitt redundant after it reduced the number of regional managers from five to two.

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

Dodunski, spokesman for the steering committee, said seven points of concern were put to Central Football, including the proposal to form a Taranaki advisory committee, the scrapping of individual player fees in favour of a return to team fees and a plan to run junior football up to 10th grade from within Taranaki.

Central Football chairman Bob Patterson replied to the points after a board meeting and said that it would welcome the formation of a committee to represent clubs and schools in Taranaki.

It had also agreed to scrap individual fees in favour of a return to team fees but it was against Taranaki running any junior football grades themselves.

Dodunski said all clubs and schools had now been asked to provide feedback and vote on two key points:

That Taranaki create its own advisory committee to liaise with Central Football on behalf of clubs.

That 10th grade competitions and below be run by Taranaki.

Another public meeting will be held in Inglewood next Monday. If the club and school vote is in favour of forming an advisory committee, nominations will be sought.

Dodunski also called for unity on the decision to run competitions below 10th grade.

"We need it be a majority vote and have all clubs stay with the one competition," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News