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The Roar

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The window of change opens, now to find the right people

3rd October, 2018
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What has Steven Lowy actually achieved for football in Australia? (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Expert
3rd October, 2018
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On Tuesday, during one of the most extraordinary press conferences, the Chairman of the FFA board expressed his intention to step away from the game.

They were the words longed for by so many for so long and the governance of Australian football will now be democratically restructured. Theoretically, the changes will see broader representation with a voice given to all participants and stakeholders.

It was a press conference lacking in dignity, grace and humility all at the same time and Steven Lowy possesses a rare gift in being able to achieve all three simultaneously. While briefly alluding to his hopes for the game in Australia, his main thrust became the bitter concerns and fears he has for its future, after the agreement to restructure it in a manner he loathes.

No doubt Lowy would fear the change. It is a democratic system and one where stakeholders in the game will need to compromise, debate and at times, give ground.

The Chairman hasn’t taken that approach in his tenure and it is little wonder it scares the heck out of him. In the end, two comments he made during the presser revealed the selfish truths in which his reign was rooted.

Steven Lowy

FFA Chairman Steven Lowy addresses media during a press conference. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images)

His rather Freudian admission that he was ‘appointed unanimously’ before quickly backtracking and adjusting the phrase to ‘elected unanimously’ had many of us that were following the action live via social media in absolute stitches.

There was a collective, ‘Did he just say that?’.

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More alarming was his comment in regards to those who have fought passionately against him in pursuit of change. A rather childish, ‘Good luck to them’, gave the impressive of utter disinterest in the future and potentially validated the question around Lowy’s care for the game right from the very beginning.

It reeked of a man able to talk the talk – feigning interest in and concern for the game – yet when deposed, one whose true ambivalence towards it bubbled to the surface.

The toys were well and truly launched from the cot, yet there appeared very little sympathy if social media commentary was an accurate reflection of people’s sentiments.

The FFA will soon appoint a new Chairperson. It will also announce the final decision on the successful expansion clubs and begin work on nutting out the new structures, hopefully encouraging a smooth and practical transition in as timely a manner as possible.

As a poorly paid writer that battles away on the breadline from week to week, I wondered if the position of Chairman was within my reach. My darling wife assured me it was. She rather succinctly said, “We’ll you’ve got some nice suits, you talk too much and all you ever bloody do is watch football, so you are probably just what they are looking for”.

It got me thinking about the kind of people required at the arrowhead of the game during such a crucial time of growth, expansion and popularity.

Rawboned passion is never enough. However business acumen alone can also be more of a hindrance than a help. The risk adverse approach of Chief Executive David Gallop is clear evidence of that fact.

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An intricate knowledge of the A and W-League clubs, as well as a profound awareness of their history and current concerns is vital, as is an astute and detailed understanding of the NPL structures across the country.

First hand engagement with the formative, local and community clubs that are the roots of the NPL competition can never be underestimated.

Successful applicants must have an appreciation of the role that women’s football will play in the short to medium term and an understanding that the Socceroos and Matildas are not merely cash cows that exist to keep the FFA’s financial heads above water.

Sam Kerr Matildas Australian Football 2017

Sam Kerr of the Matildas. (Photo by Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images)

Quality coaching, player development and the effective use of pathways should be at the forefront of any thinking around the national teams; to ensure that both continue what have been steady climbs up the world rankings since their formative years.

Having a genuine foothold in grass roots football, whether it be as a coach, referee or active volunteer, might seem somewhat simplistic, yet all board members should have it.

The natural byproduct of that involvement is an acute awareness of the myriad issues in the game: the interconnectedness between park football, futsal, local and community clubs, the women’s game, access to fields, academy structures, development squads, as well as registration fees and associated costs.

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Armed with that knowledge, background and skillset, an FFA board should be well equipped to attack the ever present issue of morphing the game at a junior, community, NPL and professional level.

Those currently in power have lacked those attributes and failed to implement effective change. In essence, it is about making football a ‘whole’ being and not a fragmented creature where people engage at certain points yet rarely across all aspects of the game.

Put simply, much of the above correlates to the definition of a ‘football person’. Someone passionate about and involved in the game on numerous levels and capable of mapping an improved path for the future.

That is what the new board needs to be if real progress is to be made. Perhaps I’ll pull out one of those nice suits and give it a shot! It would be hard to do any worse.

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