Soccer Reform In Western Australia

Who will be selecting the first Board of Directors and why aren’t the members doing it? Why isn’t the Minister doing it?
In 2002 the Soccer Forum presented a proposed restructure for WA to soccer Clubs. It was proposed that the Minister for Sport & Recreation endorse the initial director appointments to improve the credibility of the process. At that stage, there was no progress at the national level, but this changed following the release of the Crawford Report, and the establishment of the new national body under the chairmanship of Frank Lowy.

The Minister became increasingly confident that WA soccer, with the leadership of the ASA, was in a position to make its own credible determination on the appointment of the directors. The Minister also decided it wasn’t really the Government’s role to elect the Directors of the new company, as it could be perceived by some people that the Government was running soccer. The Minister would continue to be kept informed and have input into the process, and would announce the new board.

Why should a small club with 2 or 3 teams have the same voting rights as a club with a $2m facility and 300 or more players?
This democratic model is used throughout the world by FIFA. For example, the Solomon Islands or Samoa with a small number of registered soccer participants has the same vote as Australia, and Australia in turn has the same vote as Germany or Brazil. However, although these higher profile countries might have the same vote they would have a greater influence on the running of soccer at the world level than smaller countries. The same philosophy would apply at the local level with a bigger club having more influence in the running of soccer than a 2 or 3-team club.

The issue of what constitutes a club will need to be addressed by the new body. The ASA’s definition of a club is one that is a registered body (incorporated) recognised by the state member affiliate where all of that club’s soccer participants vote (or at a minimum are entitled to vote) for the election of that club’s officials.

Will the State and National constitutions override club constitutions?
Over 90% of club constitutions will not be affected by the new State and National constitutions. However, each club will need to review their own constitutions to ensure they dovetail with that of the new body, the WA Soccer Association, and they may need to make references to the new constitution and by-laws.

Will clubs and players have to pay an increase in fees?
Currently we have five different associations duplicating the running of soccer in WA. For instance, they each run an office, pay rental, have different databases and duplications in office equipment. This means more costs to the members. Having only one body doing all this work will lead to savings in running soccer.

Also, one unified body running soccer will attract more sponsorship opportunities. The ASA has also said that it will not increase the national registration fees in the foreseeable future.

All of this means that fees should be able to be maintained at the current levels for the foreseeable future. However, just as it is the right of every club to review annual fees, so the new association will have that right to review its fees from time to time.

Will there be a decrease in the number of clubs?
No, there will be no change to the current competition structure for any of the disciplines, juniors, amateurs, semi-professionals, women etc. However, the new body will want to review all the competitions and their structure to ensure they are as effective and efficient as they can be. Also, decreasing the number of clubs could mean less revenue for the new body, and why would it want to do that? .

Will the soccer pools income remain under the new restructure?
The current situation is that 25% of the income from the pools (which come from the ASA) goes to SAWA and 75% to SWC, who offset it against the annual national registration fees. This current arrangement will continue with the new body, except that the only difference will be that the 25% will become revenue of the WA Soccer Association. As long as people keep buying soccer pools, the money will still come in from the ASA.

How will the Zone Representatives be elected?
Each club will vote for them. The state has been divided into 8 zones and the clubs in each of those zones will vote for two representatives each. Nominations will be called for and the clubs will vote for, with the two representatives getting the most votes being elected. Refer to the constitution and by-laws for more information.

What is the role of the Zone Representatives?
Initially they will be a conduit between the clubs in their zone and the WA Soccer Association. They will discuss any issues that the clubs have in their zone with whoever they need to, whether it is the CEO and his/her staff, the standing committees or any one else. The WA Soccer Association will also initially use the zone representatives to provide information to the clubs in their zone.

From 2006, when the first elections are held, these zone representatives, as members of the association, will vote for the directors and any constitutional amendments.

How will the Standing Committees be appointed and what is their role?
There will be four essential committees, Women, Futsal, Referees and Coaches at the state and national level. States may also elect others such as juniors, men’s or amateurs, but they are not essential, it will be up to the new board to determine these on advice from the soccer community. The role of the standing committees is an advisory one to the new association. Initially they will be made up of representatives of the current associations, but when the zone structures are in place and working properly the standing committee representatives will be elected by the clubs in those zones. Refer to the constitution and by-laws for more information.

Will there be a Director of Coaching like there is in other states?
The current proposed structure has an Education & Development Manager and two development officers. If the new body determines that they need a Director of Coaching, and they have the funds, then they will employ one.

Semi-professional clubs want a minimum 3 years of guaranteed fixed prize money, will this happen?
There should be no change to the current competition including prize money.

Will WA Soccer Association (WASA) be able to secure venues such as Subiaco Oval or Members Equity Stadium for International fixtures?
Members Equity Stadium is leased to Allia Holdings who in turn lease it to Perth Glory and others. If WASA wants to hold internationals or other soccer events at Members Equity Stadium, or Subiaco Oval, or any other venue they will have to negotiate with the managers of these venues.

The proposed staff numbers for WASA is 9 people, is that enough to run soccer?
At certain times of the year, mainly in the weeks leading up to the start of the season, the new body may need to employ extra casual staff. As the new body grows and can afford to, it will no doubt employ extra staff.

Does the new body intend having International Fixtures?
Yes it will. The National body, the ASA is already planning for International fixtures and WASA will work in with them.

Who was involved in developing the proposed Constitution for WA?
The proposed constitution was developed from the recommendations of the Crawford Report. The Crawford Report recommendations were developed after extensive consultation with soccer stakeholders throughout Australia. Therefore all soccer stakeholders were represented in the development of the constitution.

If we take the ASA Constitution and start changing it, what are the ramifications for each state?
Only members of the new body will be able to change the constitution, however, any amendments will require the approval of the ASA to ensure that states remain unified in the development of soccer.

With regard to the current draft constitution all associations were asked to provide feedback by the end of April. Some indicated they would seek legal advice. The ASA is happy to consider any proposed constructive changes.

Soccer West Coast’s previous position with SAWA of a 30%-40% of the directorships and membership is diluted to 5%-10% at best. Is this the case? What about the JSAWA, WSWA, and WAASSA also?
We are dealing with a whole different structure from the one that is in place now, and we cannot compare the two structures. The JSAWA, SWC, WSWA, and WAASSA are all in the same boat; we are changing from all these different entities to one new and unified organization with representation from the members, being the zone and standing committee representatives appointed by the clubs.

What would happen if any of the current associations reject the constitution and decided not to join the new structure?
Any association or club that does not want to be part of the new structure will become isolated from the whole structure under FIFA. Any talented players, coaches or referees not in the new structure will miss out on any possible opportunity to progress through the development pathways. If they do not want to be part of it then they can’t expect to become elite participants. Clubs not part of the system will not get access to FIFA referees or the education and information resources of the FIFA structure.

The new association would continue to invite individual clubs to affiliate to it so that they can become part of the one unified structure.

Will clubs lose their current sponsors under the new structure?
The ASA will be seeking large national and multi-national companies to sponsor soccer at the national level, whilst the state body will target large Western Australian companies. Clubs sponsored by local smaller companies should not be affected. It is expected that existing club and association sponsors will want to be part of the new structure and support the new body

What will happen to the assets of the current associations when they amalgamate and are there any ramifications for the clubs?
The members of each association will need to decide what to do with any left over assets. They will have to vote at a special meeting to wind up the association and agree to give any surplus assets to a body with similar objectives. If they want a lasting legacy for the benefit of all soccer participants then they should give any surplus assets to the new association so that the clubs continue to get the benefits of those assets.

Why and how has the State been caught up in the National restructure?
History has caught up with us. Soccer stakeholders in WA asked the WA Government to facilitate a new restructure so that the sport would be unified, and so that soccer could once again access government grants. At the time soccer at the national level was also in a state of turmoil. However, after the Crawford Report was delivered and a new national body appointed it has been working hard with the states to deliver a national restructure for the benefit of all registered participants.

When the Constitution is put up for adoption, will the people be asked to adopt the whole Constitution or adopt it section by section?
The Constitution needs to be adopted as a whole but if there are one or two legitimate sticking points then they need to be worked through with the ASA until they are resolved.