NEW SOUTH WALES TOUCH ASSOCIATION 43 RD ANNUAL REPORT

Transcription

1 14 th May 2016 NEW SOUTH WALES TOUCH ASSOCIATION 43 RD ANNUAL REPORT NSWTA Annual General Meeting Saturday 14 th May, Bankstown Sports Club, Greenfield Parade Bankstown

2 2 P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS AGENDA Page 3 MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING Page 5 ANNUAL REPORTS President Page 14 General Manager Page 15 Director of Referees Page 50 Director of Elite (Selectors) Page 57 Director of Coaching Page 58 Regional Director Northern Eagles Page 60 Regional Director Hunter Western Hornets Page 62 Regional Director - Southern Suns Page 67 Regional Director - Sydney Scorpions Page 69 Regional Director - Sydney Sydney Mets Page 75 Regional Director - Sydney Sydney Rebels Page 81 Director of Finance Page 83 FINANCIAL STATEMENT Attachment 1 ELECTION OF OFFICERS Page 85 LIFE MEMBERSHIP NOMINATIONS Page 86 SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS NIL MOTION FOR AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION Page 87 APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR Page 87 NOTICES OF MOTION NIL GENERAL BUSINESS Page 88 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Page 89

3 3 P a g e NEW SOUTH WALES TOUCH ASSOCIATION 43 rd ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 14 th May, pm Bankstown Sports Club AGENDA 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Registration of Attendance 4. Minutes from previous AGM 5. Annual Reports a. Presidents report b. General Managers report c. Technical report i. Referees report ii. Selectors report iii. Coaching report d. Regions reports i. Eagles ii. Hornets iii. Suns iv. Scorpions v. Sydney Mets vi. Sydney Rebels 6. Financial Statement 7. Election Of Officers a. President (2 year appointment) b. Technical Director (2 year appointment)

4 4 P a g e 8. Appointment of Life Membership 9. Special Resolutions 10. Notice of Motions 11. Appointment of Auditor 12. General Business a State Conference and Blues Dinner (NSWTA) b. TFA Presentation (TFA) 13. NSWTA will provide afternoon tea at 3pm with Regional AGM s commencing at 3-30pm. Regional AGMs held in conjunction with the NSWTA AGM will be the Sydney Mets, the Sydney Scorpions and the Hunter Western Hornets.

5 5 P a g e NEW SOUTH WALES TOUCH ASSOCIATION 42 nd ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 23 rd May, 2015 Bankstown Sports Club MINUTES 1. Welcome Aileen May (AM) opened the meeting at 1.37pm and thanked all for attending. She noted that MH will be joining the meeting shortly has he had been representing the Board at an important function during the day. AM acknowledged the Life Members present, Judy Begnell, Ian Matthew, Fran Hanson (noting Ron Hanson s illness and she passed on the NSWTAs best wishes), Gary Brickell and Michael Clark. She thanked them for attending. AM also welcomed Colm Maguire CEO of TFA. 2. Apologies Cary Thompson- Life Member Ray Vawdon- Life Member Ron Hanson- Life Member Mark Boland- Life Member Jim Yeo Life Member Deb Walsh Northern Eagles Peter Vincent Northern Eagles Glen Flanagan Hunter Western Hornets Les Bouveng- Sydney Sydney Rebels Paul Sfier Sydney Sydney Mets Neil Webster- Dubbo TA Kevin Kara- Goulburn TA Nicholas Altin- Griffith TA Brad Mitchell- Hills Hornets TA Jenny McFarlene- Lismore TA Mike Rush- TFA Chairman Garry Foran- TFA CFO Quinn Witika NSWTA Renee Payne- NSWTA Ricky Hetherington- NSWTA Pat Batiste- NSWTA Kristie Moseley- NSWTA Brittany Robbins- NSWTA Kim Solman- NSWTA 3. Registration of Attendance Aileen May NSWTA President (AM) {Life Member} Chris Dolahenty NSWTA Vice President (CD) Tony Doyle NSWTA Finance Director (TD) Ian Matthew NSWTA Technical Director (IM) {Life Member} Mark Hearnden NSWTA Independent Director (MH)

6 6 P a g e Fran Hanson NSWTA Co Director of Selectors (FH) {Life Member} Michael Clark NSWTA Co Director of Selectors (MC) {Life Member} Northern Eagles- Ian Wilson- Technical Director (EAG) Hunter Western Hornets- Kim Miller- Regional Director (HOR) Southern Suns- Greg Smith- Regional Director (SUN) Sydney Scorpions- Tim Kitchingham- Assistant Regional Director (SCO) Bankstown TA- Keith Rozairo (BAN) Bankstown Jets Jnr TA- Kylie Wilkinson (JET) Beresfield TA- Tony Bradley (BER) Dubbo TA- Reg Walker (DUB) Hills Hornets TA- Anthony Jack (HIL) Hornsby TA- Bill Slade (HBY) Jerrabomberra TA- Craig Thomas Schumacher (JER) Maitland TA- Melinda Walls (MAT) Nelsons Bay TA- Karen Davies (NEL) Nowra Shoalhaven- Peter Harris (NOW) Parkes- Beau Newell (PKS) Parramatta TA- Adam Fahim (PAR) Ryde Eastwood TA- Paul Wines (RED) Taren Point TA- John May (TPT) Wagga Wagga TA- Peter Millington (WAG) Wallsend TA- Nicole Bradley (WAL) Wellington TA- Don Green (WEL) Western Suburbs TA- Victor Baptista (WES) Wollongong TA- Gary Brickell (WOL) {Life Member} Yass TA- Bob Monkley (YAS) Dean Russell NSWTA General Manager (DR) Kylie Hearne NSWTA Business Operations Manager (KH) Daniel Rushworth NSWTA Sport Manager (Drus) Rob Summers NSWTA Event Manager (Rsum) Riley Sohier NSWTA Development Manager (Rsoh) Luke Heckendorf NSWTA Development Officer (LH) Becky Choake NSWTA Events Administrator (BC) Observers Colm Maguire- CEO Touch Football Australia (CM) Judy Begnell- Life Member (JB) Northern Eagles- Helen Wilson- Selectors Director (EAG) Northern Eagles- David Stone- Coaching Director (EAG) Hunter Western Hornets- Wayne Goodchild- Assistant Regional Director (HOR) Hunter Western Hornets- Tracey Howard- Selector (HOR) Southern Suns- Mark Lancaster- Technical Director (SUN) Sydney Scorpions- Ian Kalms- Coaching Director (SCO) Mike Harris- NSWTA Referees Panel (MHa) Hornsby TA- Carol Jones (HBY) Jerrabomberra TA- Annette Thomas Schumacher (ATS) 4. Minutes from previous AGM

7 7 P a g e AM noted the previous minutes had been circulated and asked for any matters arising. There being none she asked for a motion for the 41 st AGM minutes to be passed. Resolved to accept the minutes of the 41 st NSWTA AGM. Moved PAR Seconded HOR Carried 5. Annual Reports a. Presidents Report AM spoke briefly on her report stating that we had a very strong year financially and administratively. The down side was that senior participation numbers are not increasing as we would like. She noted that the cluster meetings with affiliates that are being had all over the state are being well received. AM mentioned that NSWTA tournaments have been successful and thanked staff for their efforts in delivery. AM noted that a highlight of the year was the SOO where Team NSW won a very close contest and offered congratulations to all involved. She mentioned the Blues Dinner and State Conference as other great successes. She thanked the Technical Panels for the work throughout the year. AM stated that TFA and NSWTA must continue to work strongly together to create success in the sport and in doing so also thanked the NSWTA staff for going above and beyond what is required and noted to all publically the Board s appreciation of their efforts. AM also mentioned the retirement from the Board of Emmanuel Buhagiar and thanked him for his contribution. She also welcomed Mark Hearnden who came onto the Board as the Independent Director. Finally she noted the efforts of the current Board and thanked them for their continued enthusiasm and drive while also personally for the support the Board give her as President b. General Managers report DR advised his report was fairly extensive so he would highlight a few areas. The two (2) biggest aspects in 2014 from the staff structure and work load viewpoint were the development of A Clear 2020 Vision strategic plan and the continued work with the NRL. The Strategic Plan has set some ambitious and challenging targets for NSWTA with the big push being around growth. The goal of the organisation is to continue to look to grow and the recent partnership with the NRL will give us further opportunities to do so. It is planned for this to filter down to grass roots level. DR noted that the NRL partnership is a positive alignment and at a NSW level we are seeing great opportunities come into being. He reminded all that our focus needs to be with our affiliates and linking to junior rugby leagues clubs for growth and we are starting to see some examples of great interaction. He commented on the work by Drus and Marty Meredith and Luke Ellis, both of the NRL, with good outcomes from their discussions. From a TFA perspective DR said that it was a good relationship last year and both are willing to work together to get to the desired results. Financially he noted it was a great result for the year but we need to temper that with the ballooning effect of affiliation fees collected at the end of 2014 and paid to TFA in Part of the reason for the good year was through tough decisions made at Board level. He noted that from a stability side we are in a good position. He highlighted the change in the finance system mid-year and highlighted and thanked Kylie Hearne for the time and effort in leading the team through the often frustrating transition. He advised that NSWTA are working with all the Regions so that all will be online with the XERO finance package. He noted that all our regions performed well throughout the year and acknowledged the work the Southern Suns are

8 8 P a g e undertaking to have them tracking in the right direction and getting the region back to a position of strength. He made special mention to the Hunter Western Hornets Executive acknowledging that from where they were at the end of 2013 to where they have got themselves to now on the back of working extremely hard is nothing short of outstanding and stated that they need to be congratulated. He advised that TFA had brought in new affiliate regulations during the period and we need to be a little bit tougher with our members as we are the only sport that allows people to pay without paying registration. We are trying to change the culture of the sport and need the help of affiliates to protect themselves. DR stated that the staff were outstanding in Noting they do put in extensive hours that people don t see and while we had some challenges internally that we needed to face and they did, they all have a passion for the sport to succeed and he thanked all the staff. He also said that the Board performed well especially when there were some hard and tough decisions to be made. He noted that always they were made with the best interest of the sport at heart and the results are there to see. He acknowledged that working with the Board is tremendous as they give staff guidance but never interfere. He offered a personal thanks to Emmanuel Buhagiar for his hard work and welcomed Mark Hearnden to the Board noting he has already shown a different and handy skill set for the Board. He discussed one focus for the coming year will be the social media aspect of the business and next year we should see a great result. He noted that our events continue to grow and stated it is a fine line to get the right balance between a State run event while still making it a fun festival style activity. He also noted an omission in the report for the State Cup Men s 45. The result was left out and he apologised to Manly TA and Newcastle TA. The development program led by Rsoh was extensive with over school children visited last year. The DO s are doing a great job and we continue to put pressure on them to do more as growth is our goal. He offered congratulations to AM on her Life Membership, also to Tim Kitchingham who was named the Rod Wise Medal winner for 2014 and Hunter Western Hornets for the Region of the Year. He highlighted the Hills Hornets and Brad Mitchell for both the Affiliate of the Year and Administrator of the Year Award which he shared with Tracey Yiangou of Western Suburbs TA. He stated he was very proud of Team NSW who again brought the SOO trophy home noting that it has been 10years since QLD have held it. He thanked both Tony Trad and Peter Forrester who worked with the coaches and selectors to put great teams on the fields. PKS asked about technical course presenter s numbers being down but accreditation numbers were up. DR advised that it came down to presenters and the fact we lost a lot of old presenters when the new presenters regulations were introduced by TFA. WOL advised that they previously had seven (7) but under the new presenter system now only have one (1) c. Technical report i. Referees report IM discussed the State Technical Panel meeting held the previous evening and the Regional Panel meetings held prior to the AGM. He noted that a way forward was created and this was very productive and from a referees perspective with view to a better understanding. ii. Selectors report MC spoke to the report and said working with the coaches showed results at SOO. MC made mention that Team NSW had won back the Men s and Women s SOO divisions which the Selectors view as very important.

9 9 P a g e d. Regions reports i. Eagles No questions. ii. Hornets No questions iii. Suns JER congratulated the Southern Suns on moving forward but feels a lot more needs to be done. He asked SUN how many affiliates are in the region. SUN advised he thinks 24. JER replied he thought as Regional Director he would have known exactly as it is more than 24. JER asked why the Southern Suns are still only looking at only 3 affiliates in the area. SUN advised they are looking at moving forward with the juniors and in this regard involving all affiliates. JER asked for a breakdown and SUN replied that he could provide this post meeting. WOL have a concern in the juniors program with the report stating that a decline has occurred. WOL quoted a number of affiliates have increased and noted that WOL believe that a 30% and 40% increase in juniors has occurred while the senior players have declined. WOL was concerned that it is only Wollongong TA and Griffith TA seemingly that are held to account in the report and others not. WOL stated they do not feel that they should be singled out around why the affiliate doesn t send representative teams. WOL feel Wollongong TA and Griffith TA shouldn t be labelled and feels that the report is not correct. At this point AM moved the meeting on and welcome MH reiterating that he had been attending another important function on behalf of NSW Touch iv. Scorpions No report v. Sydney Mets No questions vi. Sydney Rebels No questions Resolved to accept the reports of the 42 nd NSWTA AGM. Moved HOR Carried Seconded FH 6. Financial Statement AM thanked TD for all his hard work. TD started by saying what a difference a year makes. He acknowledged that the profit was a great result. Following the loss in 2013 the Board made a decision to put in place various strategies to recover the loss and did achieve that. He acknowledged the credit for the tournament turnaround goes back to Drus and Rsum who look after the budgets in this area and did a magnificent job last year. The increase in fees and State Cup sponsorship were the major areas of increase as well as in our junior numbers. Moving forward he noted that we finished with an equity of 1.4mil and that is the best position we have been in since 2008/2009. TD advised that 2015 is budgeted for a profit and a few programs have been re-introduced. Our goal is to always look at strategies and enhance our programs but at the same time monitor them and cut out non-essential items. PKS asked about the 2015 programs and the regional equipment program. TD advised if a region approaches the NSWTA about a program and or initiative which will increase growth or administration in the area there

10 10 P a g e is funding that could be made available but it would need to ensure that any application fits in with the strategic plan. HOR asked if it will be split evenly across regions. TD advised no it would be on a case by case basis. RED asked about the profit on the balance sheet and if monies paid deposited in 2014 but paid to TFA in 2015 had been accrued. DR stated he did not believe they had been. RED asked with the overlapping of the financial year in this manner would the financial year rather than calendar year be looked at. DR advised it was being discussed. AM said the Board is very open and if anyone doesn t feel like they want to discuss items here then please approach the Board or DR after the AGM. Resolved to accept the financial report of the 42 nd NSWTA AGM. Moved MC Seconded HOR Carried 7. Election Of Officers AM appointed FH, Rsoh & Rsum as scrutineers. AM also noted to the assembled audience how happy the NSWTA is to have Rsum back after not being well and we are excited to see him back at work. AM announced that both TD and CD had been re-elected. a. Vice President CD thanked everyone for their support and thanked all in the room for all their hard work in keeping NSWTA ahead of all when it comes to the sport. He is looking forward to working within the strategic plan and its coming together for all the members benefit. b. Finance Director TD thanked everyone for their support. Resolved to destroy the voting papers. Moved PKS Carried 8. Appointment of Life Membership NIL 9. Special Resolutions NIL 10. Notice of Motions NIL 11. Appointment of Auditor Seconded WAG Resolved to appoint Denis Jeff Quality Accounting as Auditors of the NSWTA for the 2015 Financial year.

11 11 P a g e Moved TD Seconded AM Carried 12. General Business a Vision- NSWTA Strategic Plan (NSWTA) DR gave a quick break down of the strategic plan pillars and the key areas of growth and development within it. b. New Child Protection protocols from Jan (NSWTA) DR spoke briefly on the new child protection protocols referring to the information provided to all at the meeting. He noted this information and recording keeping requirements will be forwarded to all affiliates as well as being available on the NSWTA website. HOR asked if it lasts 5 years what happens in 2yrs time if someone who has been cleared suddenly is bared. DR advised that the Office of Children s Guardian would notify any employer who had undertaken a check of that person. BAN asked what would occur if you were coaching your son s side and therefore exempt but bar came up during a check. DR advised that person could not be involved in child related employment (activities). WEL asked what if it s in an interim bar. DR advised that person could not be involved in child related employment (activities). He advised if the interim bar is lifted you would be notified as the employer. DR noted this is only one measure in keeping our sport as a child safe environment but we all must undertake due diligence. He also noted under the legalisation that referees are exempt but our advice is to get all to undergo the check as it is free. He also noted that affiliates and regions must keep records as they are currently not reminded to re do your child protection. It is also a requirement of the legalisation and fines can be from $5000 to $ c. Proposed Senior Divisions rationalisation feedback (NSWTA) Drus spoke on specific trends over the last few years where some divisions are shrinking and some are growing noting the percentages of over age players participating in divisions. He referred to the PowerPoint re possible scenarios that could be considered by the Board. He noted that we have tried to get feedback on this twice over the last 18months with little success. PAR asked if there is a general trend in number drops across all divisions or just a few. Drus said last year State Cup was not consistent with the trend and he believes that we now have a place for everyone because of the divisional structure. BAN asked about the possibility of ranking the teams. Drus said if the snr categories can operate the same as opens that would be great but we need big numbers. HBY asked about the 30s division and how many would qualify for 35s while also asking if the effect on affiliates had been looked at. Drus said that all needs to be considered. PAR asked if a consideration for underage players in the senior categories similar to the T-League had been considered. He felt often teams stay down a division because they have a few players not of the right age to go up so they stay together in the younger division. Drus said he can t say it s been considered. WAL spoke in general on women s categories in their region and don t feel the structure should change as it should be about participation in the senior categories. WAL asked what the time frame NSWTA are looking at is. Drus stated in his mind he is hopefully for this year s Country Championships and State Cup. HOR asked if there are more country teams participating in the senior divisions than city. Drus believed yes. HOR felt that this could harm country affiliates getting teams. AM asked for the paperwork to be re sent out for discussions amongst appropriate personnel at each affiliate and then respond to the NSWTA by the end of June.

12 12 P a g e d State Conference and Blues Dinner (NSWTA) A quick brief was give about the 2015 State Conference and Blues Dinner. AM encouraged all affiliates to attend for the benefit of their members. e. NRL Alliance Update (TFA) CM congratulated the NSWTA Board and staff on the results from the last year and the vision that has been put in place with the new strategic plan. He then spoke on how TFA are finalising their strategic plan and how they are working with NSWTA and QLD on how to invest back into the sport. He reported that they are seeing growth in the junior ranks and can see that growing in the next few years. He also advised that a lot of work and effort has been associated with the NRL strategies which has resulted in some amazing achievements. The work with the NRL will continue to operate in the long term. He commended the NSWTA with their junior league strategy. TFA are looking at key benefits of the value proposition on NRL relationship opportunities around the One Community focus. He noted the upcoming televised free to air games in NSW on Channel 9 prior to Sundays NRL games. The NRL element has provided both opportunity and challenge. He hopes that the new sponsorship opportunity with Harvey Norman would see TFA working together with affiliates. The Go Harvey Go affiliate packs will come on board shortly. These will change annually so clubs are going to get benefits via referees gear, balls, whistles signage etc. TFA s view was to use the money at grass roots level, build relationship with affiliates and recognise that Harvey Norman want to have a local relationship. He discussed possible VIP nights looking to our members for benefits such as local fundraising opportunities and that affiliates should investigate these avenues. He stated TFA needed support from affiliates in facilitating a free entry of a Harvey Norman team to gain an understanding of our game. It is a challenge and that TFA are open to working with any barrier to participation. He noted that the local opportunity is with the affiliate to be directly talking with the Harvey Norman franchisee at the local level. He cited the example of that only 10 teams in Queensland took up the opportunity but all 70 affiliates are gaining the benefit of the partnership. He believes that these types of commercial partnerships is the way out of the affiliation costs from grass roots. WOL advised that they attended a meeting Wollongong Sports reference group. WOL raised the issue of the way in which Wollongong Council charges fees and that professional/business models such as Oztag should be charged more than non for profits. WOL noted that at that point Chris Bannerman, Operations Manager of Illawarra RL, made a statement that the NRL are buying out Oztag. CM categorically denied that the NRL were doing so. He stated that the NRL would have to buy out every Oztag franchise. He noted that the NRL already have a league tag element and the league hierarchy have indicated that they are not interested in dealing with Oztag. He noted that TFA deal with NRL on a daily basis with both Todd Greenberg and Dave Smith now on the TFA Board. CM did state he would to take up the specific question. BAN asked what TFA s contingence plan for league tag is. CM stated it s an opportunity to build a strategy to work with NRL. They only have 3000 female players nationwide. The NRL is not sure what they are doing with the product itself. He advised that the NSWTA have discussed with TFA rule variances to offer a suite of products. This may mean we are able to align our products and set up in partnership with the NRL league tag competitions. That said CM believes that our sport needs to address how we present the sport ourselves to encourage greater participation. HBY stated that the PSSA are playing tag and how can we address it. Drus presented that there is a difference between League Tag and Oztag. He explained history of league tag. CM advised that the NRL junior programs going into the schools are pushing Touch football. CM stated that we need to look at our product offering. He stated that in areas where we are losing we need to make sure our product is better.

13 13 P a g e AM thanked CM for his attendance and contribution to the meeting. Meeting closed at 3.31pm and AM thanked all for their attendance, work and involvement in the sport.

14 14 P a g e REPORTS Presidents Report It is with pleasure that I present the Annual Report for NSW Touch Association for the year ending December, The committees of our affiliates across the State have continued to promote, develop and administer Touch Football at grass root level. We must give them our full support because the week to week competitions of our sport are by far the most important and must be our No 1 priority to ensure the growth of both Senior & Junior numbers. Tournaments commenced in February with record numbers attending Junior State Cup in Port Macquarie. To the disappointment of all involved the Sunday had to be cancelled due to the severe weather conditions. All tournaments are continuing to grow with the exception of Country Championships. Thank you to all the affiliates who hosted these events. The World Cup was held at Coffs Harbour in April and good results were achieved by all Australian teams and we congratulate the large number of NSWTA members present not just in the Australian teams and referees but also those who represented other nations as well. The State conference was well attended and I hope that all participants gained the information required to assist them as they continue their good work in various areas of the State. The Blues night was once again a magical night where we had the opportunity to thank and recognise our many volunteers from all arms of Touch in NSW. Thanks to the regional committees of Southern Suns, Sydney Rebels, Sydney Mets, Sydney Scorpions, Hunter Western Hornets & Northern Eagles for the work you do developing your region and your welcomed input into NSWTA. The support received from our Technical Directors and their panels is outstanding and we thank them for their continued contribution in ensuring the development of our personnel in order to reach the high standards required. I stress the importance of working together with TFA to ensure that Touch continues to prosper & grow. Thank you to Mike Rush who stepped down as TFA Chair for your years of service and welcome to Anita Hagarty. To Dean Russell and Staff thank you for your continued dedication, commitment & professionalism in ensuring that our affiliates & regions are supported and informed of the necessary information required to ensure our continued success in the future. To my fellow Board members it is a pleasure working with such a dedicated and motivated group always striving to achieve what is best for NSWTA. The Board are well aware of the challenges that are facing our affiliates and we are committed to work together to ensure that we are well placed to move forward together. Aileen May

15 15 P a g e General Manager I am pleased to present the 43rd d Annual Report of the New South Wales Touch Association (NSWTA), where we proudly as an organisation reflect the achievements and results of That said we did start the year with what was the most disappointing and saddest day in my 20 year history of working for the NSWTA. Having to make the call to abandon play at the 2015 Junior State Cup was a heart wrenching decision and one that we still haunts today. In saying that we have no doubt that not only was it the right call to make, it was the only call to make. The unfortunate perfect storm of the cyclone tail meeting up with a high pressure system off the NSW coast forcing the tumultuous weather back upon us was something we could only fight for so long. Whilst staff and volunteers often have to endure long and hard days in bringing events to our members, the hours, conditions and stress that they were placed under to attempt to get the event to the finish line, was in my time with the sport unprecedented. The sport owes the staff and those volunteers a vote of thanks for what they had to endure in presenting the 2015 Junior State Cup. Strategic Plan As you are aware 2015 saw the commencement of 2020 A Clear Vision. This is the NSWTA s strategic plan and it is pivotal for effective administration of sport and as a driver as to where we want to take the sport over the next five (5) years. This plan outlines, for the sport of Touch Football in NSW, the foundation for our efforts, programs and focus over the next five years. The plan will provide a clear direction for the sport and provide an outline of the activities we will undertake. We have set some lofty and ambitious targets for the sport and collectively all of us to obtain. The plan provides us with our strategic priorities for the next period and the initiatives that underpin the implementation of these strategic priorities. We now have a clear 2020 vision toward such outcomes. This Strategic Plan is the cornerstone of the cohesive and outward-looking New South Wales Touch Association (NSWTA).

16 16 P a g e The following outlines how we are tracked against the 2015 targets for each of the strategic pillars.

17 17 P a g e A part of the Strategic Plan is a review and production new policies to be utilised across the board. Whilst work has commenced we are not yet finished on this project. Part of the process is the trying to match already existing policies of the national body that can be replicated across the system along with areas of specificity to our state. There was a delay accessing policies from the national body in an editable format however that was rectified which allowed the process to commence. All regions have also be asked to provide copies of all current policies they are operating under so that they can be considered when developing one bank of policies that can be produced for all, regions and affiliates alike, to follow and abide by. Another key area and probably our most ambitious but potentially rewarding is that of Managed Competitions. By 2020 we aim to be running some 75 domestic competitions across the state. To commence this process we secured the recruitment of our first Competitions Coordinator. This has been both significant and necessary to achieve this goal. Kim Solman was appointed into the position and in her first year the output in the role has been outstanding. A summary of activities in the role can be broken into 3 areas, the Shire Touch League, Blacktown Touch and Liverpool TA. Shire Touch League is a bold step of working with an existing Touch Affiliate, Taren Point and the Sharks NRL club to take on Oztag in their heart land. It is a startup venture with significant hurdles but pilot programs are starting to provide a foothold. Both Liverpool and Blacktown are dormant affiliates that the NSWTA has taken over. The issue in relaunching dormant affiliates is that there is a disconnect with previous participants once the competition has stopped running. Our major push was to revamp these competitions is season Shire Touch League pilots were in two guises. Firstly in Season 1, 2015 we ran a junior league pre-season competition. This was played at Taren Point TA with 61 registered participants. The demographic included Girl s u10, Boys u10, Girls u12, Boys u12, Girl s u14 at one venue. In working with CSJRL we also launched a pilot girl s competition- Shire Touch Girl s Winter League- running in conjunction with the local Junior League. The CSJRL Clubs wished to encourage girls to play a variation of rugby league during winter and this was our opportunity. The inclusion of Opens players integrated with the juniors allowed for on field coaching and development. Despite the hurdles we were able to run the pilot with 55 girls aged from 8-14yrs. Games were played ant Junior Leagues clubs home venues of Engadine, Gymea, De La Salle, Taren Point and Menai. Our work with Cronulla Sharks allowed for the grand finals to be played on Remondis Stadium prior to the Sharks v West Tigers NRL game in front of assembled supporters of both NRL teams and proud parents. In Season 2, 2015 of the Shire Touch League we ran a junior competition with age divisions of Boys & Girls U7/U9/U11/U13/U15. This was over two venues. Gwawley in conjunction with Taren Point TA and Engadine. Again Cronulla Sharks interaction was excellent with provision for the installation of a Touch Football pass the ball promotion at the Round 22 and Round 24 home games on the family hill. Taren Point Touch Association assisted in these game day activation with the provision of volunteers and participants. Also Sharks player Myles Taueli to attend the Grand Final at Taren Point and NRL Ambassador Brett Kimmorley at Engadine to assist with presentations. Overall it was a successful startup however the general feedback was that more teams in each age division is what is needed to improve the competition. With Liverpool Touch Football we looked to relaunch the competition in Season 2, 2015 and were aiming at the Junior competition age divisions Boys & Girls U8/U10/U12/U14/U16. Despite some extensive work in the promotion of the competition there were significant historical hurdles that were not foreseen and the competition proper did not go ahead. This forced a change in thinking and approach to build some currency back into the brand of Liverpool Touch and a view of looking to re attack the competition in 2016.

18 18 P a g e Blacktown Touch Football relaunched for Season 2, 2015 at Kareela Reserve, Doonside. Surprisingly even though we have a partnership with the NRL and Rugby League, Blacktown Junior Rugby Union were happy to assist and distribute promotional material and information to clubs. We also utilised the Blacktown PSGD as a promotional opportunity. The adult competition commenced in Season With the Juniors all 14 teams participated in a Grand Final with every player receiving either a medal or consolation prize (TFA water bottle). The majority of the feedback has been positive. As for the Seniors Originally 11 teams were registered but only 9 teams were confirmed. After Round 10 the division split in to 2 based on team skill and competition level. Division 1 dropped down to 6-a-side and Division 2 remained as 7-a-side. Overall it was a successful season however the general feedback was that more teams in each age division is what is needed to improve the competition. Age Category Rationalisation One of the major changes that has occurred during the year was the change in senior divisions at NSWTA Events. This was not an easy decision for the Board but one that had been discussed and in process for 18 months via consultation with affiliates. At the 2015 NSWTA Annual General Meeting a third and final analysis paper was presented to all Affiliates in attendance around the rationalisation of the senior divisions at NSWTA Events (Vawdon Cup, Country Championships & State Cup). This followed on from correspondence sent twice previously to all Affiliates seeking feedback on the matter over the past 18 months. The paper indicated that there were two options that were being considered for the future of senior divisions of NSWTA Events. The rationale behind the consideration for the change was evident. At most events where senior categories are offered, NSWTA has had to merge divisions to ensure a competition existed for the benefits of those participants registered. Doing this has also caused dissatisfaction amongst those participants as this may have meant that the categories would have only one final series, as per the NSWTA Tournament Conditions of Entry which states that for a category to exist it must have a minimum of 5 teams. Whilst the Open s & Junior Categories continue to go from strength to strength in team numbers, it would be remiss of this Organisation not to invest considerable time and resources into the people that have helped the sport reach its current status. The recommendation was made to try this new avenue due to the declining participation rates in some categories and the quality of competition NSWTA could offer the membership in the senior divisions. In doing so it was presented as an agenda item at the NSWTA AGM and the NSWTA Board requested that further feedback be sought from Affiliates in relation to the rationalisation of the senior representative divisions after that discussion. In this process a total of 65 Affiliates provided feedback on their preference and circumstances for their choices. It was on the basis of the feedback provided that the NSWTA Board carefully considered their position and opted to implement Option 2. This now means the divisions of the 35 s and 45 s have been removed from the divisional categories. This came into effect immediately and was advertised as part of the 2015 NSWTA Country Championships (Dubbo Oct 24-25) and the 2015 NSWTA State Cup (Port Macquarie Dec 4-6). It is the intent to offer a divisional breakdown similarly to the Open s divisions at the State Cup in the senior divisions should participation warrant it. We see this as an excellent opportunity for new Teams and Affiliates to enter these categories and compete based on their own abilities. For this to take place there would need to be a minimum 16 teams entered into a division. The Affiliate responses were as follows;

19 19 P a g e All Affiliates Responses Against Any Change Nil Comment Either Option 1 Option 2 Total % 20% 26.16% 18.47% 29.23% 100% Those Engaged in Senior Representative Touch Football Currently ( ) Against Any Change Nil Comment Either Option 1 Option 2 Total % 6.25% 18.75% 25% 37.50% 100% Below are the listed options that Affiliates were required to give feedback on; Option 1 Option 2 Men s 30 (removed) Men s 30 Women s 30 (removed) Women s 30 Senior Mixed Senior Mixed Men s 35 Men s 35 (removed) Women s 35 Women s 35 (removed) Men s 40 (removed) Men s 40 Women s 40 (removed) Women s 40 Masters Mixed Masters Mixed Men s 45 Men s 45 (removed) Women s 45 Women s 45 (removed) Men s 50 Men s 50 Men s 55 Men s 55 What this means now as the pathway for a participant at NSWTA events can be seen below;

20 20 P a g e Divisional breakdown as an example (min 16 teams required); Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Qualification: 4 Pools of 4 Teams (3 games each) Championship-Top 2 teams from each pool qualify) 2 Pools of 4 Teams (3 Games Each) Bowl-Bottom 2 teams from each pool qualify. 2 Pools of 4 Teams (3 Games Each) Championship Finals- Quarter Final Knockout Bowl Finals-Quarter Final Knockout Touch Football Australia In relation to the national body, Touch Football Australia (TFA) were heavily engaged in the NRL partnership, the Harvey Norman Sponsorship and the hosting of the 2015 World Cup during the year. Further to this they also instated a new Chairperson to take over from Mike Rush who stepped down as Chair but remained on the Board. Sitting Board member Anita Hagarty, from North Queensland, was appointed to the Chair, firstly as a casual vacancy, and then elected outright at the November 2015 AGM. On behalf of the NSWTA we would like to thank Mike Rush for his contribution to the sport whilst Chair of TFA. The NSWTA Board was always pleased with his engaging approach to the NSWTA and openness to discuss matters with the NSWTA President. We are pleased that he will be staying on the Board to offer assistance through the transition phase of Anita's taking on the Chair. We also offer our congratulations to Anita Hagarty on her elevation. It is pleasing that the sport has an individual of Anita s quality and substance who has been able to step into the role to continue to build on the work thus far achieved by the TFA Board. The NSWTA is looking forward to working with the new Chair in the next stage of TFA's progression for the benefit of the sport and all the constituent bodies. Indeed the NSWTA has had the opportunity to meet face to face with Anita to discuss issues and left suitable impressed. Anita has shown a great to capacity to engage with all Board members and openly seeks feedback and views on the sport and its direction. The World Cup was seen as a successful event and while the NSWTA did not agree with the decision of the venue, we do congratulate the national body for their delivery of the 2015 World Cup. I would be lying if I didn t have a slight smile on the inside with the thought of thank god it s not our problem this time, when they too were effected by horrendous weather so soon after the Junior State Cup. That said it did cause some very drastic alterations to the event and both TFA and the Federation of International Touch called on NSWTA assistance in relation to revamping the event and the making of tough decisions. (So much for the our comment thank god it s not our problem this time ) As an independent body we were able to bring some clarity to discussion s, options and outcomes to parochial views from some nations at the time. Harvey Norman Partnership The relationship with Harvey Norman came in to full view for our affiliates during the year with the delivery of the Go Harvey Go packs. The packs themselves were designed to aid affiliates but also to help provide a better looking and more professional venue for our members and prospective members to participate at. TFA will continue in 2016 the distribution of the Go Harvey Go packs for NSWTA affiliates in season 2. The Go Harvey Go participation packs are an example of the Affiliate-level benefits that are designed to support the delivery and identity of the game at every venue under the Harvey Norman NRL Touch Football banner. The packs include branded materials such as balls, kit bags, signage and other equipment. Importantly, this will reduce costs to the Association and create a unified brand under which our sport can flourish.

21 21 P a g e As a commitment to Touch Football and to actively engage Harvey Norman staff with our sport, Harvey Norman staff were and are being encouraged to enter teams into local affiliated competitions around Australia as part of the national partnership. Due to the national approach and local timing variations of individual affiliate registrations for competitions across Australia TFA have elected to nominate the state offices as the point of contact for Harvey Norman staff, rather than individual competitions. As a result of this there will be a requirement on state staff to assist Harvey Norman staff register in their local competition. This process however will also enable the formation of relationships with Harvey Norman franchisees within state/region which may create further opportunities. As many Harvey Norman staff are new to our sport please take the time to provide them with the information they require about their relevant competition, their options and our sport in general. In 2015 Harvey Norman Teams participated at; Central Coast TA Gunnedah TA Hills TA Nowra Shoalhaven TA Western Suburbs TA Wollongong TA State Conference and Blues Dinner The State Conference was themed PARTICIPATION- Learn, Review & Resource. It delivered in three key streams on the Saturday of Marketing, Product and Participation. The Sunday session opened with TFA/NRL update and technical strands. The program delivered four Keynote presentations across the weekend all of which were/are vitally important for our affiliates. These were; How Will Sports Sell themselves in 2020 Caroyln Miller, renowned and highly regarded media/advertising specialist. Competition Benchmark Analysis- Delivered by TFA and based on significant research into the area. Inclusion and Community Engagement- Adam Check Head of NRL Community, Amy Quirk Community Engagement Manager Netball NSW and Michael Procajlo Participation Manager Cricket NSW. NRL Affiliate Engagement- Marty Meredith NRL National Participation Manager, Colm Maguire & Daniel Rushworth. The Blues Dinner again proved to hugely popular and a highlight on the year s calendar. Both the Conference and the Dinner are viewed by the NSWTA as our most important weekend of the year. The Dinner celebrates and recognises the achievement of our best in all fields, not the least of which are our grass roots volunteers. The Award Winners were presented at gala dinner in the Grand Ballroom of Bankstown Sports Club; NSWTA AWARDS for 2015 Hall of Fame Tony Trad (Western Suburbs Touch Association) Adam Foley (Eastern Suburbs Touch Association) Rod Wise Medal Volunteer of the Year Brad Mitchell (Hills Hornets Touch Association)

22 22 P a g e Blues Awards The Blues Awards recognise volunteer contribution and excellence. Congratulations to the following people; Adam Cooper (Milton Ulludulla Touch Association) Alan Hill (Sydney Mets) Annie Tolhurst (Nelsons Bay Touch Association) Anthony Jack (Hills Touch Association) Brent Steep (Port Macquarie Touch Association) Cath Salmon (Wagga Wagga Touch Association) Colin Crampton (Nowra Touch Association) Corrine May (Taren Point Touch Association) Craig Egginton (Hills Touch Association) Debbie Maxwell (Wallsend Touch Association) Greg Smith (Southern Suns) Jenny Swain (Manly Warringah Touch Association) John Lochrin (Beresfield Touch Association) John May (Taren Point Touch Association) Julie Robinson (Maitland Touch Association) Kaylene Price (Wagga Wagga Touch Association) Kathy Swanson (St Georges Basin Touch Association) Linda Simbolon (Parramatta Touch Association) Luke Lawrence (Maitland Touch Association) Marina Papas (UNSW Touch Association) Min Cotter (Port Macquarie Touch Association) Nathan Richardson (Sydney University Touch Association) Neville Gear (Nelsons Bay Touch Association) Paul Cini (NSWTA Referees Panel) Paul Murphy (Central Coast Touch Association) Paul Wines (Sydney Mets) Peter Goodwin (NSWTA Volunteer) Robert Barakat (Sydney Scorpions) Satoru Ozawa (Sydney Touch Association) Steve Dunn (Goulburn Touch Association) Tanya Murphy (Central Coast Touch Association) Tracee Honeyman (Orange Touch Association) Wayne Goodchild (Hunter Western Hornets) Wendy Osborne (St George Touch Association) NSWTA Affiliate of the Year HILLS HORNETS TOUCH ASSOCIATION & MANLY WARRINGAH TOUCH ASSOCIATION Southern Suns: Wollongong Touch Association Sydney Rebels: Bankstown Jets Touch Association Sydney Mets: Western Suburbs Touch Association Sydney Scorpions: Hills Hornets Touch Association & Manly Warringah Touch Association Hunter Western Hornets: Central Coast Touch Association Northern Eagles: Macksville Touch Association

23 23 P a g e NSWTA Administrator of the Year KATHY LANG (Mudgee Touch Association) & BRAD MITCHELL (Hills Hornets Touch Association) Southern Suns: Steve Dunn - Goulburn Touch Association Sydney Sydney Rebels: Mette Kitiona - Bankstown Jets Touch Association Sydney Sydney Mets: Joe Dougal Balmain Juniors Touch Association Sydney Scorpions: Brad Mitchell Hills Hornets Touch Association Hunter Western Hornets: Kathy Lang - Mudgee Touch Association Northern Eagles: Mitch Alexander - Murwillumbah Touch Association State winner Kathy Lang- Mudgee Touch Association and Brad Mitchell- Hills Hornets Touch Association The Matthew Medal Referee of the Year: David Baggio- Wagga Wagga Touch Association Team of the Year: Canterbury Women s Open Selector of the Year: Tim Kitchingham- Sydney Scorpions Junior Coach of the Year: Janine Hinds- Eastern Suburbs Touch Association Coach of the Year: Peter Forrester- Canterbury Touch Association NSWTA Region of the Year: Hunter Western Hornets Senior Female Player of the Year: Kirstie Wakely- Eastern Suburbs Touch Association Senior Male Player of the Year: Mark Hearnden- Taren Point Touch Association Junior Female Player of the Year: Hannah Dyball- Manly Warringah Touch Association Junior Male Player of the Year: Kai Simbolon- Parramatta Touch Association Female Player of the Year: Claire Tandek Canterbury Touch Association Male Player of the Year: Sam Brisby Manly Warringah Touch Association Boland Medal (MPL Vawdon Cup Best and Fairest): Ben Moylan Penrith Touch Association Smith Medal (WPL Vawdon Cup Best and Fairest): Tara Mohi Western Suburbs Touch Association) NRL Strategic Alliance The relationship between our organisation and the NRL development arm is strong with a real understanding of the wants and needs of each. Daniel Rushworth has developed a strong relationship with Luke Ellis whom is the NRL equivalent of his position. We are in the process of working through an agreed communication strategy on inter staff activities. This is essential given the strategic outcomes that each organisation needs to meet. As part of the relationship we have agreed participation and promotional outcomes we want to achieve. As of July 13 every person that an NRL Development Officer came in contact with received information on where to play Touch Football. Given the extensiveness of their program and 66 Development Staff across the State this gave have a greater face to face marketing campaign than ever before. 92,000 Touch Football flyers were hand delivered by NRL Development Staff throughout the State during this period.

24 24 P a g e Some of these programs are Touch Football Gala Days which we are involved with. Additionally a number of their programs that were delivered throughout Terms 2 & 3 used our game as a bridging tool for participation. With the NRL Clubs gameday & community departments there have been a number of opportunities come to fruition with having our game utilised as a vehicle to showcase sport participation. Whilst these are not necessarily exclusive, these are opportunities that have rarely been offered previously. A number of NRL Clubs are interested in this approach and having a greater involvement with their local Touch Associations. Currently we are assisting in these connections happening. As part of the relationship with the Sharks NRL club we were afforded and took the opportunity to hold an Indigenous Allstars verse Shire Touch Allstars Touch Football game as part of the NRL indigenous round at Remondis Stadium. This was again a successful project and offered us more opportunities to showcase our sport in a heavily dominated Oztag area. The District Junior Rugby Leagues engagement is where we will be able to activate growth for affiliates. Through the NRL s Participation Manager Martin Meredith, Daniel Rushworth regularly attends the District Junior Rugby Leagues meeting to discuss the partnership and what the benefits are. Touch Football Australia SportsPass The relationship with SportsPass extends the benefits of affiliation for TFA and associated states, regions and affiliates and delivers on various TFA Strategic Plan objectives. This relationship provides an improved value proposition for you, and your members who will now be able to access special deals, cheaper rates and bonuses. SportsPass is a dedicated member benefits program for Australian sporting associations and clubs that adds value to club memberships, whilst also providing a new funding source for Australian sport through the sale of the Supporter Cards. Firstly, members and supporters of participating associations and clubs benefit by having access to instant rewards from hundreds of participating SportsPass partners, through the: I AM A MEMBER card and I AM A SUPPORTER card. Breakdown of Funds As this is only a new Partnership, within the first year of implementation (trial period), association members will receive their SportsPass card absolutely free as part of their existing and ongoing membership with their association which is linked to TFA. Supporter Cards are then available for purchase for family and friends for $25 + GST per annum, with a percentage of funds being returned to the association. $12 per Supporter Card activated returned to the association Secondly, associations and clubs have the opportunity to raise much needed cash through rebates from purchases through participating SportsPass companies/retailers via the online store. These rebates that will return cash directly to grassroots sports range from 3-50% as advertised per company/retailer per transaction, enabling associations and clubs to generate recurring income annually. 95% of specified rebate transaction amount (3-50%) returned to the association and 5% retained for administrative costs Review Noting this program is in its first year of implementation, all administrative and financial processes developed will be reviewed before second year of distribution with all relevant stakeholders and partners.

25 25 P a g e SportsPass Package Affiliates would have received a SportsPass Welcome Box distributed by TFA. It included: SportsPass I AM A MEMBER and I AM A SUPPORTER cards (to use for promotional purposes) SportsPass Information Booklet SportsPass Posters (A3 & A4) Distribution The initial distribution of SportsPass cards occurred during the National Touch League (NTL) event, from 11th 14th March, Distribution of SportsPass cards and various resources to all affiliated associations commenced from April. Please note TFA have advised that all funds received from SportsPass resulting from the rebate will be withheld to associations who are not compliant with their use of Touch Football Online (TFO), TFO Merchant Account registration requirements and the Affiliate Regulations (including similar NSWTA and QTA Regulations to be sighted by TFA upon request). TFA requires the listed compliance checks to ensure accurate records are kept, minimise fraudulent behaviour occurs and overall risk management practices are adhered to in conjunction with the National Insurance Scheme. Finance Our Finance Director Tony Doyle will cover in his report the performance of the organisation for the reporting period and I would refer you to his remarks in relation to this this. The profit for the year is pleasing while not over the top. That said I again reiterate that the business is heavily reliant on affiliation fees and those grass root volunteers in relation to aiding us in growing the sport. Without the assistance of and the willingness to grow the sport by the volunteer workforce we have it makes it difficult to extend programs to aid and enhance assistance to the grass root sector. It will be discussed later in the meeting and moved as a motion to change our financial year. I would lend my weight to this process. We currently try to run the business based on assumptions of what our income will be as we do not receive our bulk income until the last 6 weeks of our current financial year. By moving to a true financial year, as an organisation we will be in a position to make more informed decisions on our end of year result by the mid term. This can then dictate spending or consolidation based on predicted outcomes. I would urge the members to support the motion the Board has put forward in relation to the change of the financial year. It is pleasing to report a position of financial strength however we must all remain vigilant if we are to grow the sport and achieve what we plan to achieve. It is imperative that the State body continues to work with our partners, you the members to ensure that growth is something we achieve together. It is also vitally important that we look to broaden our revenue streams while remaining attached to our core business. This is to both break the reliance on affiliation fees but importantly to be able to bring online more programs to be able to benefit the membership. I would also pay tribute to our Finance Director for his custodianship of the Associations accounts as well as the way in which the Board carry out their fiduciary responsibilities on behalf of the membership. A measure of this are the key financial ratios of the organisation. Measuring Stability. Financial stability indicators can be obtained by examining reported financial statements using ratio analysis for the purpose of expressing the relationship and interpretation of the reported information.

26 26 P a g e Liquidity Current assets = 5.35 : 1 Current liabilities This indicator, often described as the current ratio, is the most common to determine an organisations ability to meet short term debt. The analysis provided indicates that the NSWTA has $5.35 in current assets to meet every $1 in short term debt. Solvency Total assets = 5.25 : 1 Total liabilities This analysis, Debt/solvency ratio, demonstrates that the NSWTA overall solvency and organizational robustness in that NSWTA has $5.25 in current assets to meet every $1 in debt for This presents the organisation in a strong financial position. I would also note that the Regions were in a good financial position at the years close. A snap shot of all Regional Associations accounts at 31 December 2015 were: Southern Suns; $ Sydney Rebels; $ Sydney Mets; $ Sydney Scorpions; $ Hunter Western Hornets; $ & $ Northern Eagles; $ NB Regional accounts are not included in the NSWTA Financial Statements. NSWTA Regions I am pleased to report that all of our six (6) Regions are performing strongly. Certainly each have their own challenges, but all are working hard to deliver exciting pathways for those participants that fall in their catchment area. Financially they are all performing well and have proper practices in place to ensure good fiscal management of their funds. The Hunter Western Hornets have in the area of financial management been outstanding and have an extremely healthy bank balance. A remarkable turnaround given the predicament of only a few years ago. Whereas last year we showed concern that both Sydney Rebels and Sydney Mets were too heavily reliant on a few individuals, pleasingly this seems to have been rectified with more members sharing the load. Similarly the greatest concern in last year s report was for the viability of the Sydney Scorpions as a region. They are to be congratulated the way in which they have turned around, from a human resource perspective, with all positions filled and the members in those position operating the way in which they should. Hence the results they experienced not just on the field in 2015 but more importantly also off it. The following tables demonstrate the Regional Power Balance which is based on representative team performance only and is provided as a guide to tracking your own regions representative performance. It does not reflect governance or administrative performance as the positioning would be altered. POWER RANKING 6pts for ranking of 1st to 1 point for a ranking of 6th

27 27 P a g e 2015 Region MX MTL WTL M30 W35 M40 W40 M45 M50 M55 MXS B18 G18 B16 G16 B14 G14 TOTAL Sydney Scorpions 80 Hunter Western Hornets 61 Sydney Mets 48.5 Sydney Rebels 34 Northern Eagles 30.5 Southern Suns 26 Department Of Sport and Recreation and Communities We must thank the Department of Sport and Recreation and Communities (DSR) whom we maintain strong linkages with. They remain not just our funding partner, but they also continue to work with us in looking at new initiatives, training and developments that are of benefit to this organisation and our members. Many of these training programs provided by the DSR are of great value to affiliates and all members should look to avail themselves of the same. Kerry Turner, Jeffery Slatter, and Cathy Gorman-Brown are not only supportive of the NSWTA, but are encouraging in our own initiatives and it is important to formally recognise this in the end of year report to members. Affiliation Regulations We would take the opportunity to remind affiliates of the need to comply with the affiliate regulations brought in to place by Touch Football Australia (TFA) in The purpose of which is to guide affiliates, both existing and new to become and remain affiliated with both the national and state body through best practice. As such we would reiterate our messaging of previous years. Firstly in relation to affiliation and insurance fee payments our sport has developed a culture that allows participants to play at domestic level without paying their registration fees. We know of no other sport that allows this to occur and it is a culture that we must all look to change for the betterment and protection of all

28 28 P a g e involved. We know from our discussions with grassroots administrators it is something they to wish to see change to aid in making their role easier. These regulations go toward the first step of initiating this change. Under previous regulations and policy, Affiliates had up to the fourth (4 th ) round of their domestic competition to pay their affiliation insurance fees. This, as advised to us by TFA, is the extent of the insurance coverage, which in effect meant that both the state body and the national body assumed risk for those affiliates who did not meet the requirement. The national body has now changed this so that fees must be paid prior to round two (2) of the competition with advice that insurance does not extend beyond round four (4) should fees not be paid. In essence this is actually a positive for affiliates and their administrators to be on a position to be able to force people/teams to pay prior to taking the field. Given this change you will note that the four (4) tier compliance level of payment previously in place in NSW has now been reduced to two (2) tiers. First compliance level is payment prior to the second (2 nd ) round of the competition as per the new regulations. (discounted rate) Second compliance level is payment prior to the fourth (4 th ) round of the competition as per the new regulations. (normal rate) The other important issue in the regulations is a continuation of the work already commenced in NSW around the move to the Touch Football Online (TFO) registration system. That is that affiliates were to be utilising TFO from Season This was possibly the most difficult of transition for Affiliates was to the TFO, however we are pleased that all are now using the system, to varying degrees. As at the end Season March 2015) individual members of which 51% over 18yrs are in the system. This represents Additional Features have been added to the Touch Football online product which should benefit affiliates. Events Module Affiliates can now organise their activities through Touch Football Online (TFO). TFA released the new Events module in association with FOX SPORTS PULSE in March The Events module is an enhancement to the current TFO system that will enable you to: Create activities Accept activity registrations and payments online Manage activity registrations Track activity registrations Run financial reports The TFO Events module is the perfect solution for managing any activity you have during the season including social functions, presentation nights, training sessions, courses and programs. It also supports secure on-line payments, further streamlining and expanding the registration and payments process for participants Under previous regulations and policy, Affiliates had up to the fourth (4 th ) round of their domestic competition to pay their affiliation insurance fees. This, as advised to us by TFA, is the extent of the insurance coverage, which in effect meant that both the state body and the national body assumed risk for those affiliates who did not meet the requirement. The national body has now changed this so that fees must be paid prior to round two (2) of the competition with advice that insurance does not extend beyond round four (4) should fees not be paid. In essence this is actually a positive for affiliates and their administrators to be on a position to be able to force people/teams to pay prior to taking the field.

29 29 P a g e Events This portion of the business remains a strong point with all events with the exception of the Country Championships, continuing to maintain strong growth. That said the challenges in delivering quality events whilst Rob Summers was on prolonged sick leave placed a significant strain on the Sport Manager s and other staff s work schedule. This forced situation had a two-fold effect of both positives and negatives. Having to take care of crucial aspects/tasks with the assumption that many requirements had been confirmed, to find out they had not provided staff the opportunity to hit the reset button on many aspects of event planning and in doing so with an unencumbered vision of past practices to create change and possible improvements where necessary. The great assistance from the all staff made a huge positive impact especially through the Junior State Cup delivery. The return of Rob on April 20 th was a welcome one and he and Becky Choake worked closely in preparing all events for the backend of the year. The Country Championships is of real concern and one that we seriously had to consider cancellation of in 2015 due to lack of interest from country affiliates. The event itself will need to be reviewed and most likely overhauled to get growth back into it. On evidence so far the move, as requested by a majority of members, to the summer months has not delivered growth has had been argued, rather we have seen decline. The other issue in relation to events is totally at the other end of the spectrum. The success and growth of the Junior State Cup is providing challenges that are good to have but testing to deliver on. We are currently in a contractual arrangement venue wise until the completion of the 2018 event, however the significant growth of the event has the NSWTA already considering what the event may look like post Junior State Cup 20 th -22 nd February Venue: The Regional Sporting Complex & Tuffins Lane Fields Port Macquarie YEAR TEAMS No results due to the abdomen of the competition. Junior Regionals April 18 th -19 th Venue: The Kingsway Playing Fields Penrith Grand Final Results 14 Boys: Sydney Scorpions 3 defeat the Sydney Mets 2 in a drop off. Player of the Final: Ben Trbojevic, Referees: Phil Balcombe, Tony Collins & Clint Applit. 14 Girls: Sydney Scorpions 3 defeated the Southern Suns 0. The Player of the Final: Lucy McDonald from the Sydney Scorpions. Referees: Alec Clark, Matt Nott, & Amanda Draper. 16 Boys: Sydney Mets 3 Defeated Hunter Western Hornets 2. Player of the Final: was awarded to Isaiah Niumata (Mets). Referees: Josh Thomas-Schumacher, Alanah Sinclair & Zane McCahon.

30 30 P a g e 16 Girls: Hunter-Western Hornets 7 defeated Southern Suns 2. Player of the Final: Kelsey French, (Hornets). Referees: Kathleen Spence, Tim Moloney & Paul Khoudair. 18 Boys: Sydney Rebels 4 defeat the Sydney Scorpions 3 in a drop off. Player of the Final: Charbel Azzi Referees: Kai Maruta, Damon Cuppit & Steve Liang. 18 Girls: Sydney Scorpions 8 defeated Hunter-Western Hornets 0. Player of the Final: Shellie Davis. Referees: Peter Millington, Joe Aboud & Pat Costigan. Champion Region 1 st - Sydney Scorpions (69 points) 2 nd - Sydney Mets (46 points) 3 rd - Hunter - Western Hornets (42). 14 Boys 2015 State Merit Team 14 Girls 2015 State Merit Team Tom Baum Scorpions Pihuka Duff Scorpions Thomas Edgley Scorpions Lucy McDonald Scorpions Kurt Donoghue Hornets Lucy Anderson Suns Declan Bitar Mets Gabrielle O Connell Suns Bailey Hayward Mets Isabella Slattery Rebels Zac Bitar Mets Madison Higgins-Ashby Scorpions Ben Trbojevic Scorpions Kaleigh McDonald Mets Lawson Rankin Hornets Grace McCahon Mets Max Buderus Eagles Lily Murdoch Suns John Connolly Hornets Georgia Carroll Suns Samuel Hooper Suns Taylah Nicholls Scorpions Decan Ahipene Scorpions Gabrielle Davis Suns Luke Trevillian Mets Ebony James Hornets Angus Rawlinson Suns Sariah Paki Scorpions 16 Boys 2015 State Merit Team 16 Girls 2015 State Merit Team Declan Casey Rebels Faith Nathan Scorpions Shannon Gardiner Scorpions Kelsey French Hornets Ray Wehbe Scorpions Amy Dufour Hornets Ben Stevanovic Mets Tamyka Laws Rebels Conor Hickey Scorpions Brittney Clifford Scorpions Blake McCaffrey Mets Chloe Scranage Scorpions Harrison Haywood Scorpions Aaliyah Paki Scorpions Mathew Smith Hornets Rachel Fear Scorpions Isaiah Niumata Mets Bronty Hull Suns Max Burey Suns Brydie Parker Hornets Dylan Duffy Hornets Erin Cullen Hornets Mitchell Leonard Hornets Abigael Shepard Scorpions Will Roberts Mets Sarah Crackenthorpe Suns Adam Boumelhem Mets Georgia Wood Mets

31 31 P a g e 2015 Vawdon Cup. August- November Various Location throughout Sydney Metropolitan area. YEAR TEAMS Grand Final Results Men s Premier League Championship Western Suburbs Magpies 7 defeated Penrith Panthers 6 Player of the Final- Cameron Nichols (Western Suburbs Magpies) Plate Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 6 defeated Hornsby Lions 1 Player of the Final- Jake Pickering (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles) Women s Premier League Championship Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 8 defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters 3 Player of the Final- Tayla Clifford (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles) Plate Berkeley Vale Panthers 7 defeated Norths UTS Bears 6 Player of the Final- Amy Regal (Berekely Vale Panthers) Mixed Division One Championship Eastern Suburbs Roosters 8 defeated UNSW Bullets 7 Player of the Final- Men s- Gareth Young (Eastern Suburbs Roosters), Women s- Marina Pappas (UNSW Bullets) Plate Hornsby Lions 12 defeated Appin Warriors 9 Player of the Final- Men s- Ben Astley (Hornsby Lions), Women s- Kate Van Beer (Hornsby Lions) Men s Division One Championship Wollongong Devils 8 defeated Central Coast Dolphins 4 Player of the Final- Bradley Hayes (Wollongong Devils) Plate Western Suburbs Magpies 7 defeated Hornsby Lions 6 Player of the Final- Daniel Charmody (Western Suburbs Magpies) Women s Division One Championship Northern Beaches Renegades 9 defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters 8 Player of the Final- Georgette Randall (Northern Beaches Renegades) Plate Hills Hornets 7 defeated Campbelltown Ghosts 4 Player of the Final- Clare Belfanti (Hills Hornets) Men s Division Two Championship Western Suburbs Magpies 5 defeated UNSW Bullets 4 Player of the Final- Kurt Puspetto (UNSW Bullets) Plate St George Dragons 5 defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters 2 Player of the Final- Luke Harris (St George Dragons)

32 32 P a g e Women s Division Two Championship Bankstown Jets 5 defeated Canterbury Bulldogs 1 Player of the Final- Jamie Phipps (Bankstown Jets) Plate Varsity Stingers 6 defeated UNSW Bullets 3 Player of the Final- Samantha McKay (Varsity Stingers) Men s Division Three Championship Campbelltown Ghosts 5 defeated Hornsby Lions 4 Player of the Final- Sean Lakeman (Campbelltown Ghosts) Plate Western Suburbs Magpies 8 defeated UNSW Bullets 4 Player of the Final- John Alha (Western Suburbs Magpies) Boys Youth League Championship Bankstown Jets 8 defeated Penrith Panthers 6 Player of the Final- Mitchel Grey (Bankstown Jets) Girls Youth League Championship Parramatta Eels 6 defeated Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 4 Player of the Final- Tatum Bird (Parramatta Eels) Plate Central Coast Dolphins 3 defeated Northern Beaches Renegades 2 Player of the Final- Kayla Paterson (Central Coast Dolphins) Gary Croft Cup Winners- Penrith Panthers- 295 points Club Championship Winners- Penrith Panthers- 129 points

33 33 P a g e Country Championships - Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 th of October, 2015 Venue: Riverside Playing Fields Dubbo YEAR TEAMS Results Men s Open Result: Doyalson Dragons 11 Def Newcastle 4 Player of the Final: Dylan Thompson Doyalson Dragons Referees: T.Calabria, K.Skelly, D.Baggio Women s Opens Result: Berkeley Vale Panthers 11 Def Dubbo Devils 1 Player of the Final: Madison Crowe Berkeley Vale Panthers Referees: S.Clark, C.Reynolds, Amanda Draper Mixed Open Result: Wollongong Devils 11 Def Doyalson Dragons 3 Player of the Final: Benjamin McLennan Wollongong Devils Referees: J.Davis, P.Costigan, N.Altin Men s 20 Result: Beresfield Bandits 8 Def Newcastle City Knights 2 Player of the Final: Harrison O Brien Beresfield Bandits Referees: J.Taylor, D.Cuppit, Z.Schembri Women s 20 Result: Newcastle City Knights 5 Def Wagga Wagga Vipers 4 Player of the Final: Kelsey French Newcastle City Knights Referees: P.Balcombe, A.Faulkner, N.Dickson Men s 30 Result: Newcastle City Knights 5 Def Wagga Wagga Vipers 4 Player of the Final: Emmanuel Conde Newcastle City Knights Referees: J.Banfield, J.Schumacher, J.Frost Women s 30 Result: Dubbo Devils 4 Def Newcastle City Knights 1 Player of the final: Rachelle Darcy Dubbo Devils Referees: V.Costigan, N.Scarfone, P.Keyte Men s 40 Result: Jerrabomberra 3 Def Newcastle 1 Player of the Final: Todd Mills Referees: P.Millington, I.Gimarco, T.Bradley

34 34 P a g e Women s 40 Result: Jerrabomberra 4 Def Newcastle City Knights 3 Player of the Final: Julie-Ann Craig Jerrabomberra Referees: J.Powyer, F.Scarfone, G.Oaten Men s 50 Result: Newcastle 5 Def Wollongong 4 Player of the Final: Doriano Meta Wollongong Referees: R.McKechnie, S.Harris, T.Ahsee State Cup- Friday 4 th of December- Sunday 6 th of December 2015 Venue: The Regional Sporting Complex & Tuffins Lane Fields Port Macquarie YEAR TEAMS Men s Open A Championship Parramatta Eels 4 defeated Murwillumbah Mavericks 3 Women s Open A Championship Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 5 defeated Wests Magpies 2 Mixed Open Championship Eastern Suburbs Roosters 7 defeated Murwillumbah Mavericks 5 Bowl Mudgee Mudcrabs 7 defeated Wallsend Wolves 3 Plate Wagga Wagga Vipers 7 defeated Yamba Ospreys 5 Shield Narrabri Knights 6 defeated Macksville Falcons 5 Men s Open B Championship Central Coast Dolphins 4 defeated Wests Magpies 1 Bowl Wests Magpies (3) 5 defeated Appin Warriors 4 Plate Taree Flames 6 defeated Penrith Panthers (2) 5 Shield Cronulla Sharks 6 defeated Doyalson Dragons (3) 5 Women s Open B Championship Easts Roosters 6 defeated Wallsend Wolves 3 Bowl Murwillumbah Mavericks 3 defeated Norths UTS Bears (2) 2 Plate Taree Flames 2 (2) defeated Peninsula Piranhas 0 Men s 20 s Championship Murwillumbah Mavericks 9 defeated Penrith Panthers 2 Bowl Taree Flames 7 defeated Hills Hornets 5 Women s 20 s Championship Murwillumbah Mavericks 6 defeated Manly Sea Eagles 5 Bowl Beresfield Bandits 5 defeated Hills Hornets 2

35 35 P a g e Men s 30 s Championship Murwillumbah Mavericks 9 defeated Manly Sea Eagles 5 Bowl Newcastle City Knights 7 defeated Port Macquarie 5 Senior Mixed Wollongong Devils 9 defeated Balmain Tigers 2 Women s 30 s Eastern Suburbs Roosters 5 defeated Maitland Redbacks 2 Men s 40 s Championship Wallsend Wolves 7 defeated Murwillumbah Mavericks 5 Bowl Lismore Lizards 4 defeated Manly Sea Eagles (2) 3 Women s 40 s Championship Manly Sea Eagles (1) 3 defeated Central Coast Dolphins 2 Bowl Manly Sea Eagles (3) 1 defeated Forster Tuncurry Men s 50 s Manly Sea Eagles 6 defeated Murwillumbah Mavericks 2 Men s 55 s Manly Sea Eagles 3 defeated Penrith Panthers 1 Staff The membership can be proud of the way that all staff have conducted themselves throughout It was in many respects a tough year given the illness of one of their colleagues and the strain that put on the office as a whole. Rest assured that you have a group of dedicated professionals that will continue to strive to make this sport the best it can be. They are tied into the notion that what they do is not just for your benefit but importantly for the sports benefit. All staff are always open to ideas, feedback and suggestions. Our goal is to remain enthusiastic and passionate employees who want to continue to work to provide the level of service and experience you require. The staff want to assist you in delivering not just a better product to our members, but the best product, from grass roots to representative levels. You have a team who are ready to work with you to meet any challenges you face together. The staffing structure of the NSWTA as at 31 st December 2015 was as follows: General Manager Dean Russell Senior Management Kylie Hearne- Business Operations Manager Daniel Rushworth- Sport Manager Management Rob Summers- Event Manager Riley Sohier- Development Manager Development Team Ricky Hetherington- Development Officer Pat Batiste- Development Officer

36 36 P a g e Luke Heckendorf- Development Officer Stacey Parker- Development Officer Matthew Kiddle- Development Officer Events Becky Choake- Events Administrator Adminstration Brittany Robbins- Technical Administrator Kristie Moseley- Administration Assistant Karren Valdez- Sport Support Officer During the year we saw both Quinn Witika and Renee Payne leave the ranks of Development Staff. This allowed us to bring in both Stacey Parker and Matt Kiddle to the organisation. Both hit the ground running and have proven to be outstanding employees. Of greatest concern to the organisation staffing wise during 2015 has been the illness of long term employee, Rob Summers. Rob had extensive sick leave during the period and we are working with him in relation to his getting back to full health and work capacity. This did have an impact on all staff but we as an organisation are proud in which they all stood up and took on extra workloads to ensure that the job got done. Board 2015 saw some tough decisions for the Board of the NSWTA to make and as always they have made these decisions and performed with the best interest of the sport in NSW at heart. They have monitored the progress toward growth via the strategic plan, A Clear 2020 Vision as well as making the hard financial decisions when required. From an organisation point of view it is not just the guidance they offer to staff, but it the way in which it is handled, that is without inference but with a genuine thirst for being across aspects of the business that sets this Board apart from others in the sport. I offer my personal thanks for the way in which they go about the business that is the NSWTA and for the debate, consensus and for an approach that is a best for NSWTA attitude which they operate under. Throughout the 2015 NSWTA financial year, the Board conducted six (6) meetings as well as 5 teleconferences. The NSWTA Board remained constant throughout the year and was the same as at Jan as it was Dec : Aileen May President Chris Dolahenty- Vice President Tony Doyle- Finance Director Ian Matthew- Technical Director Mark Hearnden- Independent Director

37 37 P a g e Details of face to face meeting attendance are as follows: DATE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR FINANCE DIRECTOR INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR GENERAL MANAGER Feb 15 May 15 Jun 15 Jul 15 Sep 15 Nov 15 There were also one (1) Board of Management meeting held during the year, 26 th September Board, Staff, Technical Directors and Regional Directors attendance was as follows: President Vice P Fin Dir Tech Dir Ind Dir GM SM BOM Sept Apology Southern Suns Sydney Rebels Sydney Mets Sydney Scorpions Hun/Wes Hornets Northern Eagles Sept Apology Apology Coach Sel Dir Ref Dir Obs Obs Obs Obs Obs Dir Sept vacant Rebels Scorpions Eagles As a new initiative in place of the second Board of Management Meeting we held Technical Panel meetings with Regional Technical heads and the State Directors. This was held on 23rd May Technical Directors and Regional Technical Directors attendance was as follows: State Southern Suns Sydney Rebels Sydney Mets Sydney Scorpions Hun/Wes Hornets Northern Eagles Coaching Apology Selector Apology Referee Technical The technical arm has maintained its progression with steady growth and engagement. As noted in 2015 all existing presenters were and still are required to register and update through the new Touch Football Australia process every four years. This is our current major issue with having enough presenters in all arms across the state to meet the need of courses. Similarly we did attempt to have an Elite Coaching Course piloted in NSW however the national body did not have the course completed in time for it to occur. TFA have changed the direction in the way in which they structure the technical arm of the sport at national level. They briefed Ian Matthew, Dean Russell and Daniel Rushworth on this change and all three (3) have provided feedback during the process to TFA. The structure that they have chosen to follow is not something that we will be instigating in NSW.

38 38 P a g e Coaching Accreditation Program Coaching Courses over the past few years have been the most sort after by our affiliates with a majority having attendees at some up and over 25 people. Below is a comparison of Participants over the past 3 years Coach Foundation Total Coach Talent Total Total Coaches Elite Coaching Course The Elite Coaching Course (Level 3) was to be delivered as a pilot on August 1-2, it then got transferred to August 29 as a bridging course and now has had to be postponed again to a date to be confirmed. This has been due to problems with TFA being able to deliver the completed course on advised timelines. Originally this was to be delivered by Dean Russell and Daniel Rushworth, however with the discussions with TFA this will now be delivered by Tony Trad. The Course has similar components to the previous Level 2 accreditation and is delivered with the following inclusions; Course Outline Day 1 Participant Introduction 10 mins Module 1: Coaching Processes Theory 90 mins Module 2: Team Dynamics - Theory 30 mins Module 3: Skill Development Movement, Ball, Rollball and Rucking Practical 100 mins Module 4: Attack Skills and Strategies Practical 100 mins Module 5: Defence Skills and Strategies Practical 100 mins Course Outline Day 2 Module 6: Athletic Performance - Theory 60 mins Module 7: Coach Intervention and Game Analysis Theory/Practical 80 mins Module 8: Elite Game Plan Theory/Practical 50 mins Module 9: Athlete Development, Selection and Talent Identification - Theory 40 mins Module 10: Coach Professional - Theory 60 mins Module 11: Game Concepts and Strategies Practical 100 mins TOTAL (inc breaks) 16 hours Bridging Course There will also be a bridging version for the course which will be for Level 2 accreditation holders. This will reduce the above outline significantly. The final outline for that version of the course is yet to be advised by TFA. Once this is done I do expect to have significant interest given the number of Level 2 s accredited within our boarders.

39 39 P a g e Regional Coaching Directors as at 31 December Region Coaching Director Hunter Western Hornets Karley Banks Northern Eagles David Stone Southern Suns Mark Wade Sydney Mets Tony Trad Sydney Rebels Keith Rozairo Sydney Scorpions Ian Kalms Referees Accreditation Program We still have an issue with having enough presenters since TFA changed their protocols. Last year with the new procedures put in place all existing presenters were and still are required to register and update through the new Touch Football Australia process every four years. Unfortunately some volunteers saw this as too hard and they just chose not to re qualify. Brittany Robbins who administered all the paperwork for courses has seen the issues with this area in particular. Ian Matthew ran two (2) RRRP Courses during the year which produced more presenter s to now run courses and start to take some pressure off the system. It should be noted that the new Sport Education Guidelines do have a recognition of prior learning application which will assist in the recruitment of professional educators. There will need to be a push from within the Technical arms to encourage reaccreditation of presenters as can be seen by the comparison of referee s courses below. Below is a comparison of Participants over the past 3 years for January-December in the Referee Arm and Referee Level 1 total Referee Level 2 total Referee Level 3 total Total Referees

40 40 P a g e Regional Referees Directors as at 31 December Region Referees Director Hunter Western Hornets Beau Newell Northern Eagles Phil Rainger Southern Suns Peter Millington Sydney Mets Greg Eggins Sydney Rebels Victor Baptista & Greg Eggins Sydney Scorpions Bill Slade Selectors Accreditation Program The Selectors Panel along with the Technical Director, Coaching Director and General Manager wrote a new Level 1 Selectors course and ran the pilot at Country Championships. This new course came about after the Technical Director, General Manager and Sport Manager met with TFA over a number of Technical issues and it was confirmed by TFA they have no interest in Selector education. The NSWTA viewed this as a negative stance that would only hamper selector development and pathways and moved to develop their own course. While TFA are not interested in Selectors development or education they are supportive of NSWTA to develop their own courses. Below is a comparison of Participants over the past 3 years for January-December Level 1 Selectors Level 2 Selectors Total Selectors Regional Directors of Selectors as at 31 December Region Hornets Eagles Suns Sydney Mets Selectors Phil Helen Bob Michael Director Robinson Wilson Monkley Clark Reg Walker Social Media Sydney Rebels Kylie Mazloum Scorpions Dr Bruce Agar Kylie Hearne is heading section of the Social Media portion of A Clear 2020 Vision- our Strategic vision. Kylie has taken it upon herself, to undertake and education in this area via a course and this year has received her Diploma in Social Media Marketing and Online Reputation Management which will benefit our organisation in this new world of how people communicate.

41 41 P a g e The team responsible for delivery have met weekly and recently held a half day brainstorming session for our plans on social media taking us up till years end. Kim Solman has been very valuable when it comes to ideas. Her knowledge and innovation using the go pro will show some fun and new initiatives through our social media. We have created Hashtags, weekly twitter questions, Throwback Thursday and Flashback Fridays in an effort to drive traffic and interest in the sport in NSW. Twitter We have seen a substantial growth in the number of followers on Twitter. We are currently at 1505 followers which is a 332 growth since we knuckled down back in April Twitter serves a different purpose to Facebook as it s more of a keep up to date tool where announcements and news are easily shared and I feel is currently under utilised by our office In order to increase our Twitter following and engagement we have already discussed ideas around a daily Twitter question to encourage chat amongst our followers with a generic hashtag and an image around the topic of discussion but as such that style of social media feed does not seem to work for whom follows us and we look at another way of attacking it during the 2016 year We are currently trying to engage other sports by good luck wishes, encouraging councils to follow us by tagging them in NSW Touch Gala Day posts or school visits, tagging the local paper to re tweet our events back through their pages, posting a Touch Tip of the day and there is always the rivalry banter between QLD Touch and NSW Touch. Below are our statistics for January through to December showing the increase in mentions and profile visits

42 42 P a g e Facebook In the past few months the engagement rate on Facebook has increased due to different post ideas that NSWTA have trialed. At this stage NSWTA has 7610 followers which is an increase of 2139 since April. By posting photos and articles that are related to sports and active living we have seen an increase in Likes on Facebook and a higher engagement rate. We are still working through what works for us and what doesn t and the trial of an Events Page for Vawdon Cup this year is our first test. Here we have been posting venue activities, parking, food options and anything to do with the event. It worked well and we also then created pages for Country Champs and State Cup. Throw Back Thursday Pictures always works and it s probably where we get a lot of our hits however finding out what we should be posting and what people want to see is always hard. But it s a learning curve As you can see from the chart below any major event is always going to have a large hit of likes, shares and or page visits. Its how do you keep those people visiting even when there is no major event

43 43 P a g e Instagram- Our Instagram is proving to be one of our most popular forms of social media with a following base of 5087 followers which is 3914 more since April. Hashtags for events will be one of our main priorities when we sit and discuss our Social Media Plan. By creating these hash tags we can track the engagement rate and also create a trend which appears as a recommendation in peoples general explore section but at the same time they need to be unique and not be lost amongst other events happening with the same or similar tag Our biggest photo likes this year have been JSC or anything to do with kids in the picture / World Cup and State of Origin. Other likes were for support of charities/events that affected the world, Vawdon Cup and or of more recent State Cup

44 44 P a g e NSW Touch Football Smart Phone App The App has been a huge success and has proven how valuable it has become to our company. The App has recently been updated. The imagery on the front page is brand new along with a few other new features. The dedicate Touch YouTube channel is now on the App along with new alert settings. At the bottom of the App the new toggle allows you to turn on the events you would like to receive updates on. DEVELOPMENT Strategic Plan Links The Development Staff have been tasked with several key objectives which link into our Strategic Plan in various areas. These key strategic locations require the Development Staff to focus on the following key areas; Build a beneficial relationship with the relevant Sport & Recreation Officer at Council and create direct links with both Community & Cultural opportunities Build a beneficial relationship NRL Development Officer in locality to discuss priority and possible cross over opportunities. Review Competition information in TFO Contacts/Details/location-ensure season 1 information is correct for both comp and contacts. Ensure that there are variance in product and that the offering are competitive with key oppositions in the same locations. Build a beneficial relationship with all Schools and Zones (Primary & Secondary) details and meetings within 5 km radius. Extensive Clinic, Event and Educational plans throughout terms 2 & 3 Build a beneficial relationship with District Junior Rugby League around meetings and information on strategic priority in their locations. Build a beneficial relationship Universities/TAFE regarding opportunities to work together and promote competitions as well as technical courses. Build a beneficial relationship with the Chamber of Commerce around the opportunity for a Corporate Touch Day. Cluster Meetings Throughout 2015 the development staff commenced a series of Cluster Meetings within regional locations to assist in greater communication and interaction between Affiliates and staff. These have been very successful with Affiliates engaging well with each other on ideas and concepts for what has and can work within their areas to assist growth and competition enjoyment. We see this as a great tool and one we will look to enhance going forward. Schools Program In 2015 we tried to a new concept with the Years 9 & 10 All Schools Program, rather than have regional rounds we looked to have a straight state final type carnival. This was met with limited success and on review it was decided to go back to a regional format from The schools program run by the NSWTA is to continue the linkage of our sport with the schools and community. It is unfortunate that the linkage and bridges to community competitions is somewhat broken with waning support in some areas by affiliates supporting the days. We certainly recognise that our affiliates are run by volunteers and we live in a time poor society, however these events offer great opportunity to directly market and engage with future participants for your area. The Primary School Gala Day Program continues to positively increase through excellent attendance of local. These Gala Days differ greatly from other events we offer in the school system with each event a non-competitive competition. This allows students to participate with friends regardless of ability as the emphasis on the result is removed.

45 45 P a g e The results of the 2015 State Finals were; Year 9/10 Boys Winner Runner Up Girls Winner Runner Up Year 7/8 Boys Winner Runner Up Girls Winner Runner Up Patrician Brothers Blacktown Narrabeen Sports High School Tweed River High School Helensvale High School Hunter Sports High School Warners Bay High School Kildare Catholic College Tomaree High School Events Area Teams 7/8 All Schools Campbelltown 9 7/8 All Schools Dubbo 16 7/8 All Schools Central Coast 27 7/8 All Schools Manly Warringah 9 7/8 All Schools Wallsend 37 7/8 All Schools Penrith 14 7/8 All Schools Goulburn 16 7/8 All Schools Nowra 6 7/8 All Schools Wagga Wagga 4 7/8 All Schools Taree 8 7/8 All Schools Griffith Not Conducted 7/8 All Schools Hornsby Not Conducted 7/8 All Schools Sutherland 25 7/8 All Schools Parramatta 16 7/8 All Schools Wollongong 9 7/8 All Schools Tamworth 14 7/8 All Schools Murwillumbah 10 7/8 All Schools Ballina Not Conducted 7/8 All Schools Bathurst 21 7/8 All Schools Armidale 11 7/8 All Schools State Final PSGD Events Area Teams Primary School Gala Sutherland 55 Primary School Gala Berkeley Vale 16

46 46 P a g e Primary School Gala Hornsby 12 Primary School Gala Gunnedah 21 Primary School Gala Dubbo 22 Primary School Gala Penrith 28 Primary School Gala Griffith Not Conducted Primary School Gala Hawkesbury 39 Primary School Gala Wollongong 9 Primary School Gala Woolgoolga 8 Primary School Gala Wallsend 32 Primary School Gala Parkes 17 Primary School Gala Milton-Ulladulla 11 Primary School Gala Blacktown 22 Primary School Gala Scone 13 Primary School Gala Bathurst Not Conducted Primary School Gala Central Coast 37 Primary School Gala St George Not Conducted Primary School Gala Liverpool Syd SW 34 Primary School Gala Nelson Bay 8 Primary School Gala Albion Park Not Conducted Primary School Gala Orange 8 Primary School Gala Woolgoolga 8 Primary School Gala Mudgee 53 Primary School Gala Macksville 20 Primary School Gala Lithgow Not Conducted Primary School Gala Wagga Wagga 36 Primary School Gala Goulburn 67 Primary School Gala Parramatta Not Conducted Primary School Gala Murwillumbah 29 Primary School Gala Port Macquarie 63 Primary School Gala Maitland 85 Primary School Gala Nowra Not Conducted Primary School Gala Lismore 18 Primary School Gala Inverell 32 Primary School Gala Ryde Eastwood 15 Primary School Gala Newcastle 27 Primary School Gala Doyalson 34 Primary School Gala Narrabri 15 Primary School Gala Canterbury Not Conducted Primary School Gala Booroowa 145 High Schools Gala Day Yamba 107 Total Teams 1398

47 47 P a g e Sporting Schools 2015 saw the commencement of the $100 million Australian Government initiative Sporting Schools program. It is designed to help schools to increase children s participation in sport, and to connect children with community sport. Touch Football is one of 30 National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) that Sporting Schools will help to coordinate sporting organisations, coaches and teachers to deliver sport before, during and after school hours. This commenced late in 2015 for Touch Football but has had a steady take up from Schools and no doubt will grow in Total of 19 schools across NSW participated over Term 3 and Term 4 in Sporting Schools School Region Male Female Total Grade Month program ended Al Amanah College (Liverpool) SSW Year 4-6 November Blackheath Public School SW Year 3-6 November Black Springs Public School West K-6 September Central Coast Adventist School Hunter Year 2-4 November Culcairn Public School South West K-6 October Fernleigh Public School Hunter K-6 September Gwabegar Public School North West Year 3-6 September Holbrook Public School South West K-6 November Holy Spirit Infants School Hunter K-2 December Hurstville Adventist School SE September Liverpool West Public School SSW K-6 December Mayfield East Public School Hunter Year 3-6 December New Lambton Public School Hunter K-6 December OLMC Catholic Primary School SSW Year 1-4 November St Ives North SN Year 3 November St Joseph s Alstonville North Coast November Toongabbie West Public School SW Year3-6 November Valentine Public School Hunter Year 3-6 November Wyee Public School Hunter K-6 November Total As at December 31 some 106 field officers had registered with TFA and 21 were active in NSW. During with time they delivered over 158hrs of coaching. To add to this 3 Schools ran Sporting Schools under the Teacher Ambassador Program; Fernleigh Public School Holbrook Public School St Joseph s Alstonville The challenge facing our sport in the development area is the abundance of competitors all bidding for the same participants to enjoy their sport. Like us many other organisations are offering similar programs to schools to create their link with their sports. Thankfully this organisation is heavily entrenched in the schools sector and continues to move from strength to strength with the relationships in these markets. A continued focus on these will assist in our associations benefiting with increases in participation as more and more school students access our product.

48 48 P a g e New Affiliates We also welcome to the NSWTA family new affiliates that joined us in Finley Touch Association Mendooran Touch Association Narrandera Touch Association Macleay River Touch Association Finally, there are a lot of important decisions and challenges that will be placed before us in next 4 years as we head toward While the coming period promises to be an exciting time, we will all need to be very well planned to take up the opportunities that lie ahead and take on the challenges that we will confront. Not just the NSWTA and our affiliates but importantly the sport as a whole. We will need to look to make some innovative decisions based on growing participation. While we have stated in the Annual Report that we are in a strong financial position we need to continually work to get growth back into the sport and investigate alternative revenue streams so we can continue to spend on the legitimate programs that we wish to run. Whilst the year itself was one of positivity it should not be lost on any of us that in NSW are in the toughest sporting market in the country and one that will continue to throw up diverse challenges for us all, from park level to elite. Our bonus is that Touch as a sport is one of the more inclusive sports in the sporting landscape, due to its ease of accessibility and nature of play. The diverse cultures that participate and the number of different programs or competitions for joe public to become involved in our game offer entry level acceptance. We need to continue this ease of entry to our game and once we have the new membership, work to retain them. We also need to be conscious of the fact how people consume their recreational activities is changing and we too must look to change to keep pace. We can t be frightened to change to meet the need of the consumer to grow our sport. The key for all of us going forward will be community engagement. Those clubs who embrace this with their local community will reap the success has been a roller coaster, but we have enjoyed the ride. I will close be reiterating that we will continue to work for you and provide the best opportunities to you as the NSWTA is your organisation and its strength lies wholly with you the membership. Dean Russell Referees NSWTA Referees and Referee panel members continue to be at the leading edge in all facets of referee development across the country. Junior State Cup A huge event for everyone including the referees. This was our largest contingent of referees ever assembled. There were 387 referees in attendance or all varying levels and age groups. This was the event that everyone was held to account by the weather with the finals day being washed out. However, we were still able to manage Level 3 upgrades and have a list of Grand Final appointments had they been able to be played. Level 3 Upgrades Michael Almond Layo Aromire Romi Berridge Wayne Calleja Eric Chaney Rod Dixon Amy Draper Taylor Draper Stephen Gallagher Amanda Hollis Aaron Kin Daniel Kustec Terrence Kwok Darren Lampard Katrina Maher

49 51 P a g e Rebecca Maher Michael Melick Patrick Moran Chris Mortell Josh North Patrick Rankmore Ellen Sanderson Jordan Taylor David Thomas Nick Thornton Shaun Willis This is a large amount of Level 3 upgrades and this is mainly due the courses being more accessible as they are conducted the night before the event. Grand Final Appointments B18 Kim Skelly Billy Greatbatch Tony Calabria B16 John Taylor (S) Rob Bowen Luke Saldern (L5) G18 Damon Cupitt Kai Maruta Josh Schumacher G16 Peter Millington Nick Altin Amberly Keating (LF) B14 Steve Laing Zan McCahon (L4) Vic Naumovski G14 Chris Reynolds Tony Collins Tracee Honeyman B12 Victor Baptista Dave Brown Ian McFarlane G12 Phil Balcombe Jake Davis Alex Faulkner B10 Dave Robertson Ivan Giammarco Jamie Banfield G10 Vince Costigan Tony Bradley Amanda Draper NTL Series This was a major event for NSWTA referees, referee coaches, referee managers and our physios. There were 157 referees from around Australia that attended this event. 69 of those were from NSW. There were 3 managers, 2 were from NSW There were 3 physios, 2 from NSW There were 12 referee Coaches, 5 from NSW Level 5 Upgrades Joe Aboud Tony Alevras Jamie Banfield Tony Collins Pat Costigan Level 6 Upgrades Damon Cupitt Amberly Keating Steve Laing Amanda Draper Paul Khoudair Rob McKechnie Tim Moloney Barry Nichols Kai Maruta John Mitchell Luke Saldern Danielle Nunn Frank Scarfone Chris Reynolds Dave Robertson Kathleen Spence Tony Suters

50 52 P a g e Finals Appointments 1 MO Elite 8 Dale Lawrence / Dave Baggio / Luke McKenzie 2 WO Elite 8 Brett Freshwater / Matt Lavery / Kim Skelly 3 Mixed Open Anthony Smith / Billy Greatbatch / Brad Smith 4 M30 Rob Bowen / Luke Heckendorf / Damian Carlson 5 MTL Tony Calabria / Josh Vernon / Chris Schwerdt 6 WTL Sam Hacon / Rebecca Ward / Matthew Prendergast 7 M40 Justin Parsons / John Taylor / Bill Slade 8 Senior Mixed Bernard O Donohue / Barry McNamara / Scott Marsh 9 M45 Michael Watt / Tim Pearson / Michael Landsberg 10 W35 Anabelle Connolly / Denise Weier / Amanda Single 11 M50 James Steinberg / Adam Vickery / Richard McILroy 12 W40 Jo Mason / Sally Melzer / Alanah Sinclair 13 M55 Chris Murray / John Frost / Greg Taylor In BOLD are NSW Referees. The remaining are from across Australia Junior Regionals This event continues to improve in standard and really needs support from the regions to ensure we keep the integrity of the event. This tournament is the final selection for the TRYS members. This year the intake was 7 new members being; Alec Clark Taylor Draper Wil D Amato Mason Gilfilan Damian Cross Atikah Scott Dillan Wells Touch World Cup 117 Referees were selected from across the globe to represent their country. 61 of these were from Australia with 23 of these being from NSW, being; Nic Altin Dave Baggio Victor Baptista Rob Bowen Tony Calabria John Frost Billy Greatbatch Phil Lowe Luke Heckendorf Barry McNamara Mick Medlin Victor Naumovski Beau Newell Bernard O Donohue Luke Saldern Alanah Sinclair Kim Skelly Bill Slade Anthony Smith Andrew Smith Tony Suters John Taylor Josh Vernon Our managers in Megan Harapa and Melissa Jones also attended. They are the best in the business. Ron Miller and John Burke were a part of the Medical team.

51 53 P a g e The World Cup Referees Panel consisted of 6 Australians and 2 New Zealand coaches. were initial NSWTA Referee Panel members. Chris Dolahenty is still current. 5 of the 6 Australians While no upgrades were available for Australian referees, we were able to secure 5 of the 6 Federation of International Touch Gold Badges. These badges are awarded to the best of the best. Our referees were Kim Skelly Mick Medlin Bernard O Donohue John Taylor Bill Slade They have joined Adam Foley, Dave Baggio, Sam Clark and Anthony Smith who achieved this badge at the 2011 World Cup in Edinburgh. This Gold Badge can only be awarded at a World Cup. Rankings Open Male Open Female Senior Male 1. Miah Williams Sam Hacon Bernie O Donohue 2. Dave Baggio Alisha Ruaiti John Taylor 3. Dale Lawrence Rebecca Ward Bill Slade 4. Luke McKenzie Annabelle Connolly Sonny Whakarau 5. Matt Lavery Amanda Sheeky Greg Taylor 6. Kim Skelly Shelley Grace Scott Marsh 7. Bernie Schrader Amanda Single Barry McNamara 8. Brett Freshwater Ailsa Falconer Chris Baker 9. Brad Smith Caron Kaveney John Frost 10. Mick Medlin Denise Weier Chris Murray 11. Anthony Smith Renee Janes Chris Knott 12. Tony Arnel Alanah Sinclair Richard McILroy 13. Rob Bowen Kiri Martin Gary Reid 14. Ray Cairns 15. Nathan Budge Senior Female 16. Luke Heckendorf 1 Jo Mason 17. Richie Heap 2 Sally Melzer 18. Kevin Hobbs 19. Josh Vernon 20. Zarne Johnson 21. Billy Greatbatch 22. Michael Littlefield 23. Damien Carlson 24. Tom Polkinghorne 25. Luke Saldern 26. Derek Fisher 27. Dali Tui-Taylor 28. Matt Reid 29. Tony Calabria 30. Matt O Brien 31. Logan Forrester 32. John Wright 33. Sylvain Charras 34. Brian Blechynden 35. Cameron Pederson-McDonald

52 54 P a g e 36. George Haswell 37. Justin Parsons 38. Mike Wallace 39. Michael Watt 40. Chris Schwerdt 41. Jonathon Broughton 42. James Steinberg 43. Kenneth Chan 44. Shane Canning 45. Victor Baptista 46. Hare Rua 47. Nick Richardson 48. Darren Couper 49. Simon Buttery 50. Anton Van Rensberg In Bold are NSW referees. The remaining are form across Australia and around the World. I only went to 50 in the opens as it was way too difficult to go further. Course and Referee Development Since the beginning of the year NSWTA Referees Panel have either updated, redesigned or developed a number of courses. Updated the Presenter course to include Facilitation topics. Updated the Level 1 Referees Coaching Course Developed and implemented a Mentor Program Developed and implemented a High Performance Youth Program Developed a Level 2 Referee Coaching Program The presenter s course has been updated to include facilitation. This is in line with expectation in course delivery and the need for sessions to be facilitated, especially with the amount of video that is included in the latest courses. The same thing with the Level 1 Referees Coaching Course. Both of these are hybrid versions as TFA have new releases pending. The Mentor Program was developed in line with the High performance Youth Program. It was designed to ensure the mentors within our system know what a mentor is and how to mentor. The Level 2 Referees Coaching Program is a new thought process. Currently it is a workbook that has to be completed. The book takes about 8 to 10 hours to complete and our success rate has not been too good. In light of that and the need to develop a referee coaching program to bolster referee coaches throughout the state, a program was developed and to cover the workbook with a workshop in one day. This ensures that are coaches have a career path.

53 55 P a g e Country Championships The Country Championships was smaller than has been in the past and this allowed us to trial a few new things. The main element we trialed was the use of Mentor Support to our Team Leaders. This allowed us to develop new leaders and have support people ready to assist. It also allowed out top end referees to focus more on their own performance. As a coaching panel we were very active with the development and TID of future referees. Level 3 Upgrades John Dingle Finals Appointments 1. MO Dave Baggio / Kim Skelly / Tony Calabria 2. M20 John Taylor / Damon Cupitt / Zac Schembri 3. WO Sam Clark / Chris Reynolds / Amanda Draper 4. MXO Jake Davis / Pat Costigan / Nic Altin 5. M30 John Frost / Josh Schumacher / Jamie Banfield 6. W20 Phil Balcombe / Alex Faulkner / Nicole Dickson 7. M40 Peter Millington / Ivan Giammarco / Tony Bradley 8. W30 Vince Costigan / Nadine Scarfone / Paul Keyte 9. M50 Rob McKechnie / Ben Harris / Tim Ah-See 10. W40 Jonathon Powyer / Frank Scarfone / Greg Oaten Vawdon Cup Possibly one of the most enduring and most competitive tournaments on the Touch Calendar. Referees are really teste and with coaches having more opportunity to send game videos of incidents and rulings it is more than challenging but at the same time beneficial for the ongoing development of referees. The Sundays are great but with about a third of the referee group being involved in either playing or refereeing other sports it does make life difficult. We get through because of the support we receive from country based referees that drive up to 5 hours to referee on Friday nights and some up to 8 hours for the Sunday. Simply amazing. Level 3 Upgrades Nicole Alevras William Calleja Finals Appointments MPL Championship WPL Championship MX1 Championship MD1 Championship MPL Plate WPL Plate MD2 Championship Peter Cooper Ivan Faller Dave Baggio / Tony Calabria / Kim Skelly Josh Vernon / Rob Bowen / Kim Perry Anthony Smith / Kai Maruta / Luke Saldern Luke Heckendorf / Bernard O Donohue / Damon Cupitt Tony Suters / Paul Tesoriero / Steve Laing Rina Janson / John Frost / Alanah Sinclair Pat Costigan / Josh Schumacher / Clint Aplitt Richard Norris

54 56 P a g e BYL Championship MD3 Championship WD1 Championship WD2 Championship GYL Championship MD1 Plate MX1 Plate MD2 Plate MD3 Plate WD1 Plate WD2 Plate GYL Plate Paul Khoudair / Jamie Banfield / Matt Bowcock Craig Hughes / Phil Lowe / Peter Millington Victor Naumovski / Tony Collins / Joe Aboud Kathleen Spence / Alex Faulkner / Steve Pratt Dave Robertson / Barry Nichols / Tim Moloney Vince Costigan / Tony Bradley / Chris Dillon Peter Khoudair / Ivan Giammarco / John Salisbury Larry Kent / Josh Little / Dave Dal Santo John Turnbull / Tony Alevras / Wil D Amato Rod Sawell / Analiz Deganos / Mick Zhurawel Pierre Abiwahab / John Clark / Ray Kessey Alec Clark / Andrew Smith / Tyler Aplitt State Cup With this being one of our larger events we are now finding it easier to have a full complement of referees. This is largely due to NSWTA introducing a payment scheme that allows the referees to attend with the cost being covered by their affiliate nomination. While we still have a little way to go for all affiliates to invest in their own referee development we are well on the way. Having Level 2 and Level 3 badge level course the night before the tournament has also been an attraction. NSWTA Referees Panel work hard to ensure all aspects are covered. This is where we see the benefits of the port folios we set in place some year back. We attract referees from all over Australia and overseas. Further to that we are very active in the development of referee coaches from all over Australia. This year we really stepped up with our team leaders and mentors to great effect. We have developed new leaders for the future and allowed more flexibility to our mentors. This was possible one of the most rewarding and enjoyable tournaments I have been involved in. Level 3 Upgrades Jason Coram Charity Elford Kurt Grogan Tyler Hampton Steve Mann Level 4 Upgrades Tyler Aplitt Alec Clark John Clark Dylan Clarke Ivan Cole Damian Cross Mahonri Moana Glenn Mortell Wayne Nott Davon Patton Sam Piper Mason Gilfilian Chris Inwood Aaron McAndrew Patrick Moran Matthew Nott Greg Oaten Pene Te Hira Dillon Wells Corey Wiseman David Rowlands Andrew Smith Craig South Obe Stanley Michael Tasker Malcolm Ward

55 57 P a g e Finals Appointments 1. MO Dave Baggio / Kim Skelly / Josh Vernon 2. WO Tony Calabria / Luke Saldern / Kim Perry 3. MXO Rob Bowen / Anthony Smith / Kai Maruta 4. MOCH John Taylor / Bill Slade / Bernard O Donohue 5. M20CH Paul Tesoriero / Anthony Suters / Damon Cupitt 6. M30CH Steve Laing / Joe Aboud / Zan McCahon 7. MOBBO Alex Faulkner / Zac Schembri / Sam Esen 8. MOBPL Greg Myers / Chris Reynolds / Pat Costigan 9. WOBCH John Frost / Amberley Keating / Adam O Keeffe 10. W20CH Alanah Sinclair / Amanda Draper / Mark Camilleri 11. M20BO Jake Davis / Jamie Banfield / Clint Aplitt 12. MXOBO Paul Khoudair / Phil Balcombe / Tony Alevras 13. M30BO Tony Collins / Tim Moloney / Barry Nichols 14. MOBSH Ivan Giammarco / Ben Harris / Justin Appleby 15. M40CH Peter Millington / Steve Bell / Craig Hughes 16. MXOPL Nic Altin / Mark Sinclair / John Mitchell 17. MXOSH Kathleen Spence / Victor Naumovski / Phil Lowe 18. SMXA Dave Brown / Tony Bradley / Rob McKechnie 19. WOBBO Ian McFarlane / Nicole Dickson / Nadine Scarfone 20. WOBPL Larry Kent / Peter Khoudair / Vince Costigan 21. W20BO Analiz Deganos / Tim Ah-See / Rod Sawell 22. M40BO Chris Dillon / Dave Dal Santo / Cameron O Riordan 23. W30 John Salisbury / Frank Scarfone / Murray Power 24. M50 Jonathon Powyer / Dave McGee / Mick Zhurawel 25. M55 Kerry Campbell / Peter Kirkland / Mark Montgomery 26. W40SH Dylan Clarke / Alec Clark / Matthew Nott 27. WOBO John Clark / Greg oaten / Ivan Cole This outcome wouldn t happen without a great team to drive it. All of our NSWTA Referee Coaches are excellent. Our managers are simply outstanding as are our medical team. They are a very dedicated and committed group of volunteers. Ian Matthew Selectors Hornets, Sydney Mets and Scorpions continue to provide a high level of professionalism accompanied by equally strong results on the field. Both Suns and Eagles are going through a rebuilding process in respect of Selectors and the Panel are keen to assist in their processes. The Panel are very pleased with the efforts of Kylie Wilkinson as Director of Selectors at Sydney Rebels, where processes have improved significantly over the past 2 years. NSWTA Selectors Panel Fran Hanson Michael Clark Don Green Annette Thomas-Schumacher Bob Monkley - Director of Selectors - Oversees Open Selections, Technical Policy - Oversees Senior Men s selections, administers the Living Document. - Oversees Senior Women s selections, administers Selector upgrades & History. - Oversees JNR selections, administers the Budget.

56 58 P a g e Tim Kitchingham Player Liaison. During 2015, the Level 1 Selectors Course was revised with invaluable input from the Panel, Ian Mathews and Tony Trad. It involved a Presenters guide, Participants workbook and a very comprehensive Power point display of the course. Since the introduction of the new format, courses have been held at Balmain, Western Suburbs, Ryde Eastwood and Sydney Sydney Rebels run by Michael Clark assisted by Kylie Mazloum. Bob Monkley held a Course in Wagga Wagga. Don Green has run courses in Ballina, a level 2 Course at NTL15, Level 1 Course in Nelson Bay. The intention of the Panel, this year, is to revise the Level 2 Course. At The Blues night 2015, Tim Kitchingham was named as The Selector of the Year, we also wish to congratulate Annette Thomas-Schumacher and Steve Kolenko as worthy nominees. NSWTA Selectors attended 2015 JNR Regional s to select State Merit teams and choose Players of the Finals. In addition, Development teams were selected to represent NSWTA as under 18 s at the NYC. Vawden Cup and Country Championships were used to conduct T.I.D of players within the Living Document. Both of these Tournaments, together with the State Cup were used to introduce and mentor new Selectors. NTL, Elite 8 and State Cup were used to update the Living Document, with Players of the Finals being selected at both Vawden Cup and State Cup. The Panel appointed the following selectors for the Elite 8 teams Kristy Judd, Glen Flanagan, Stacy Lapham, Annette Thomas-Schumacher, Tim Kitchingham, Greg Harris, Bob Monkley and Kevin Jurd. The relationship between Selectors and Coaches at NSWTA remains a positive and mutually beneficial relationship. Thanks go to Tony Trad, Peter Forrester and the State Coaches, together with the NSWTA Team Leaders. Finally on behalf of the Selectors Panel and myself, I wish to thank Dean and his wonderful staff, our President Aileen May, Tony Doyle, Mark Hearndon, Chris Dolahenty and Ian Mathew, for their continued support and genuine interest in the welfare and success of The NSWTA Selectors. Fran Hanson Coaching State Of Origin In the past 12 month (January 2015 to December 2015) there has been a focus on Coach Education and direction. Leading into the 2014 SOO a total review of coaches and in fact process at all arms was conducted. As a result many new coaches were appointed and development re-education and coaching relationship building was conducted. This lead to a very successful 2014 SOO. In 2015 once again a review took place and debriefs were conducted as well as interviews and appointment for the 2016 SOO. National Youth Championship In 2015 a change of direction was implemented in the NSW Youth Development teams coaches. NSWTA appointed high profile, technically proficient coaches in an attempt to revamp the program and make it more professional and Elite thus more enticing and rewarding for players and their parents. The whole program was elevated to an elite well-resourced and professional run program which resulted in our best performances at NYC. Experienced Head Coaches such as Barry Gibson for the Girls and Jason Martin for the Boys were appointed with Assistant coaches Pat Batiste (Incumbent) and Brandon McDonald as well as Development Assistant Coaches such as Belinda Caruso and Darren Shelley.

57 59 P a g e Coaching Development Program (CDP) NSWTA commenced a new initiative, the CDP, where 14 Coaches were selected throughout the State and placed with 5 Mentors. Five targeted Female Coaches were placed with Tony Trad whilst 4 other Mentors, Mark Boland, Dave Collins, Dave Nolan and Matt Tope were also given 2 Mentees each. This program is aimed at one on one coaching and Mentoring with a 3 month rotation for 12 months. Elite 8 The Elite 8 concept is now in its 4 th Year and NSWTA are continually looking at rotating Coaches for Development and offering opportunities to others. In the 2015 season coaches were moved to new positions with Dave Nolan moving from NSW Rebels to NSW Scorpions, Mark Boland to NSW Country Mavericks Women Keith Rozario to NSW Rebels Men, and Peter Forrester to MSW Mets Men. NSW has had moderate success in the Elite 8 format but a new strategy needs to be looked and implemented in order to achieve continued and long lasting success. NSWTA Conference The coaching arm continues to attend and present at the NSWTA Conference. In 2015 all four Mentors of the CDP presented on innovative ideas and trends of the game. This was the first time we had so many experienced coaches contribute to the Conference. SUMMATION The last 12 months have proven to be challenging but rewards are now starting to show. NSWTA is starting to develop a group of innovative and strong coaches who are capable of taking the sport in this state to a new level. However strong allegiances and egos still hinder the ultimate goal of getting all senior coaches working together for the good of the State and the good of the game. Changing their way of thinking and not fearing failure or judgement will be the next task moving forward. Under this group some good prospects are emerging however we need to widen this pool if we wish to encourage healthy competition amongst the coaching ranks and we need to use the senior coaches to do this. Again this the goal moving forward. Tony Trad

58 60 P a g e Regions OVERVIEW Northern Eagles had a relatively successful and progressive year. As shown below there has been growth in finance, player participation, officials participation and tournament results influenced by effective planning. This planning has resulted in increased participation in administration/organisation, coaching and selecting; areas targeted for development. FINANCIAL The introduction of the Xero Financial Package caused problems as there was a need for hands on training that was only available via on-line courses. We sourced personnel familiar with the system and financed one on one training for the Finance Director that proved to be most successful. The system is operating effectively but we will continue to seek support from the same source to maintain our financial management efficiency. Northern Eagles have strengthened its financial position while still providing support for coaches, managers, selectors and referees in relation to team selections, tournament participation and skill development. The region is committed to supporting player participation, at senior and junior level, by maintaining levies at the lowest levels possible. TECHNICAL Coaching David Stone was elected Coaching Director in 2015 replacing Peter Vincent who stood down after ten years in the position. Over the last year the region has introduced a number of new coaches to senior and junior teams. Interaction with affiliates has identified a pattern of growth in coaching numbers and coaching experience. There has been opportunities for affiliate coaches to be mentored by senior regional coaches and this has received positive feedback. Foundation coaching courses were held in a number of affiliates and Talent courses planned for early Coaching success was achieved at the NTL with the MTL side finishing 8 th, the WTL side finishing 9 th and the M55 side second, significant improvements from It was disappointing to only field four sides at the NTL but subsequent action related to our review of the tournament resulted in six teams entering the 2016 NTL. This include the resurrection of the M30 and M40 divisions. It also included the introduction of four new coaches to this level of participation. Selecting With many Northern Eagles wearing multiple hats there has been a need to increase the ranks of the selectors. This was gradually addressed and the region had a significant increase in selectors available for trials, gala days and tournaments. Level One courses were arranged and reasonably well attended with the director seeking interested people to attend. Six selectors covered the NTL trials and an extra six supported the junior gala days in Taree and Ballina as well as the JSC.

59 61 P a g e The regions selection process is being refined regularly and provided squads that are graded on performance viewed. Referees The director has communicated with the affiliates to assess referee availability for tournaments and up-grading opportunities. Courses have been established to meet affiliate needs. A number of referee up-grades have occurred and those participants have been enthusiastic in their support of the region. A number of these referees were from our junior playing ranks and successfully balanced playing time and refereeing commitments. A number of affiliates communicated an increase in younger referees officiating in senior divisions. JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT The progress and growth of a number of affiliates was most encouraging with player numbers increased, coaching development and strong parental support. The region still has historically strong affiliates in Taree, Port Macquarie, Forster and Ballina but Macksville has joined that category with immense work being done by officials. Armidale, Lismore, Tenterfield, Yamba and Inverell make significant progress. All these affiliates predicted increased team participation at the 2016 JSC. The region achieved a high level of success at the 2015 regional titles in Penrith. With training opportunities restricted due to a wide spread of players the efforts of all Northern Eagles teams was pleasing. The Boys 18, Girls 18 and Boys 14 were semi-finalists and the Girls 14 side unlucky not to achieve the same success. The Boys 18 side played entertaining touch and matched all the Sydney sides. These results reflect the efforts of coaches and players and the planning implemented over the last two years to lift playing standards. Craig Englert (Macksville Touch) stepped into the Junior Director role late in the year, in place of Anette Coleman who did such a fine job over the last few years. TOURNAMENTS The junior gala days held at Taree and Ballina again proved successfully and was supported strongly with more sides attending this year. Again the Taree day included sides from the Hornets region. Talent identification in these days was invaluable in developing squads for team finalisations at the JSC. The JSC again showed the improvement in sides from our region as a number reached the quarter finals only to have the weather intervene on their progress. The NTL provided another example of the growth players from the region have made with the MTL, WTL and M55 achieving notable success. A number of sides from the region attended the Country Championships with the Port Macquarie Open Mixed being successful. This team had success in the state cup, reaching the semi-finals. A number of affiliates identified an increase in junior players moving into the under 20 and open sides for the state cup. Performances were encouraging. ACHIEVEMENTS Representation at the NYC with eight Northern Eagles players representing various state sides. Two representatives in the World Cup, in Coffs Harbour. Increased success and participation of youth players at the NTL and JSC. Success of the regions teams at the Regional Titles and selection of a player in the Boys 14 state merit side.

60 62 P a g e Expanded numbers in the coaching and selecting ranks. Growth in strategic planning for the future. Peter Vincent OVERVIEW 2015 saw the Hunter Western Hornets Region strive to improve on We were fortunate to take out Region of the Year at the NSW Awards and financially improve as well. Our Committee has been quite stable over the last few years so it was disappointing to see our Coaching Director, Glenn Flanagan, not continue in the role. I would like to thank Glenn for all his hard work over the last few years. Congratulations to Karley Banks on being appointed as our new Coaching Director. Karley comes into the position with an enormous amount of experience. Congratulations to Central Coast for being the Hunter Western Hornets Affiliate of the Year and to Kathy Lang from Mudgee being named Hornets Administrator of the Year. We inducted two new Hall of Fame players in Congratulations to Dean Wilbow from Central Coast Touch Association and Nicole Mitchell from Nelson Bay Touch Association. Congratulations to Reg Walker from Dubbo TA on being named a Life Member of the Hunter Western Hornets. Thank you to our volunteers to run our Affiliates in the Hornets area, and to our sponsors S-Trend and Mi-yo I hope we will be able to work together. Many thanks to NSW Touch for their assistance and for the Hunter Western Hornets Committee who continue to work very hard so that our Region runs smoothly. FINANCE The audited financial statements for the period will be presented at the Regional AGM (still to finish this & get to the auditor). Hunter Western Hornets started the period with a bank balance of $41,574 and a loan owing to NSW Touch of $ Hunter Western Hornets finished the period with $98,177 bank balance (including $30,000 in a term deposit) and had fully repaid the loan balance owing to NSW Touch. The profit cash basis for the year of $82684 including $17684 insurance claim relating to fraud prior to May 2013 year, grant from NSW Touch of approximately $20,000 and combined profits from PWMC & Senior Hunter Western Hornets Champs of approx. $ NTL shows a profit due to prepayment of a $100 player deposit in November 2015 for 2016 NTL s

61 63 P a g e Player levies for Hunter Western Hornets Players attending 2015 Junior Regionals were reduced to $210 (from $249) & for NTL s to $390 (from $400). Uniforms were sold at cost rounded up to the next dollar. Significant reduction in these levies will be implemented for 2016 due to the strong cash position. Don Green Junior Western team levy increased to $280 and ran at a profit of approx. $4000. Player levies for PWMC were $37 & for Senior Hunter Western Hornets Champs $ Sporting pulse on-line rego system was used to collect levies for both of these tournaments. The committee s will significantly reduce the cost of Hunter Western Hornets Players attending Junior Regionals and NTL s in 2016 by subsidising these approx. $15000 each using the profits from PWMC & Senior Hunter Western Hornets Champs. Neil Marshall continues to assist in a non-office holding capacity with the finance functions. No new Treasurer has been appointed. Neil is not a cheque signatory or a public officer of the association. TECHNICAL Coaching We started the year with two wins at NTLs with our Ladies T-League being successful and our Ladies 35s winning a second title. Glen Flanagan did not seek re-appointment as our Coaching Director - we would like to thank Glen for all his hard work over the past years. We appointed Karley Banks as the new Coaching Director and Karley has been busy helping Jason Stanton implement the PACSA coaching program into our region. A number of our Hornets coaches have completed the program. Karley has also been busy assisting both our senior coaches and our junior regional coaches. Selecting In summing up 2015 the Hunter Western Hornets Selectors have put in a great year. I have been quite impressed with the quality of the selectors coming through. We have had more talented selectors join our ranks with a wealth of knowledge. We are lucky to have the expertise of John Dalton whom has come back to help hornets with the addition of Paul Farrah. We also have Nicole Bradley, Andrew Moore, Karen Manton and Annie Witton join the ranks. Wayne Goodchild, Karen Davies and Kim Miller help out when not busy with committee duties. Communication between the committee, coaches and panel has been good. Our selectors have been involved in selecting for both junior and senior teams for Hunter Western Hornets Touch. Regionals where in October last year at Maitland where squads where selected for all age divisions. Final selections where well attended with some solid teams announced, we are looking forward to some outstanding results. For juniors we started the process of identifying our players to take part in the 14; 16; Junior Regionals with selectors attending the Don Green Championships, Peter Wilson and Junior State Cup. We are hoping to improve on our 2015 results. We will continue to strive towards achieving a higher standard of results within our selectors and teams.

62 64 P a g e I would like to say thank you to each selector and look forward to another great year Referees 2015 World Cup; Hunter Western Hornets Touch was recently blessed with seven (7) referees going away to represent Australia as referees at the 2015 Touch World Cup in Coffs Harbour. We we re pleased to offer support to all seven referees, financially and mental, as they prepared to officiate this most prestigious event. We would like to officially congratulate Rob Bowen (Central Coast), John Frost (Nelson Bay), Billy Greatbatch (Orange), Beau Newell (Wallsend/Parkes), Mick Medlin (Dubbo), Kim Skelly (Central Coast), and John Taylor (Beresfield) on being selected for the 2015 Touch World Cup. To top this achievement off, we are thrilled to congratulate Mick Medlin, Kim Skelly and John Taylor for being awarded the prestigious Gold Badge. An achievement only received by the best touch football referees in the world. They now join the likes of our own Sam Clark (Nelson Bay) in the elite group, which now also sets a new benchmark for number of gold badge holders in not just Hornets, NSW or Australia, but in the world. Referee Recruitment & Retention; Our Regional Director of Referees, Beau Newell, along with NSWTA Director, Ian Matthew, presented a Recruitment and Retention Program (RRP) (Referee Presenter and Referee Coaches Course) at Mudgee in July 2015, with 14 participants attending from across the Hornets region. We are now graced with 14 new referee course presenters, and 14 new referee coaches to assist with the ongoing recruitment, development and retention of referees in our region. In addition, we are also pleased with the efforts of both Beau Newell and John Turnbull for presenting a remarkable number of Level 2 and Level 3 referee s courses; particularly those on the eve of tournaments assisting with the progression of referees across the entire state.

63 65 P a g e Referee Upgrades; Once again, the Hunter Western Hornets Referee Panel has done a wonderful job in the development and progression of many referees across the region. We wish to congratulate the coaching panel and those individuals on their upgrade successes during 2015; Level 2 Upgrades: 2015 Peter Wilson Memorial Championships: Jarrod Burdekin (Wallsend TA), Jarrod Cave (Nelson Bay TA), Joshua Fishlock (Maitland TA), Neil Marshall (Newcastle City TA), Rhys Marshall (Newcastle City TA), Koby Old (Singleton TA), Nick Martin (Singleton TA), Davon Patten (Singleton TA), Mia Cooke (Maitland TA), Brooke Greenwood (Maitland TA), Brock Van Aalderen (Peninsula Junior TA), Charity Elford, (Port Macquarie TA), Glen Mortell (Central Coast TA), Cory Wiseman (Maitland TA). (14) 2015 Junior State Cup: 2015 NSW Junior State Cup: John Dingle (Nelson Bay TA), Blake Griffiths (Orange TA), Michelle Moana (Central Coast TA), Mahonri Moana (Central Coast TA), Sarah Richmond (Central Coast TA), Lachlan Vella (Berkeley Vale TA), Rachael Byrne (Mudgee TA), Eric Edwards (Mudgee TA), Riley Murphy (Mudgee TA), Brett Paulson (Mudgee TA), Adam McCullum (Orange TA), Sheldon Harris (Orange TA). (12) 2015 Hunter Western Hornets Championships: Nicholas Armstrong (Central Coast TA), Darrel Smith (Nelson Bay TA), Martin Robertson (Bathurst TA), Lachlan Proctor (Maitland TA), Emma O Shaughenes (Nelson Bay TA), Eddie Nichols (Maitland TA), Shelly Rush-Nichols (Maitland TA). (7) 2015 NSW State Cup: Mason Colwell (Peninsula Junior TA), Tom Sawyer (Peninsula Junior TA), Michael Rudd (Orange TA), Anthony McSpadden (Port Hunter TA), Rhys French (Dubbo TA). (5) Level 3 Upgrades: 2015 NSW Junior State Cup: Michael Almond (Maitland TA), Taylor Draper (Parkes TA), Amy Draper (Parkes TA), Rod Dixon (Nelson Bay TA), Stephen Gallagher (Newcastle City TA), Amanda Hollis (Wallsend TA), Darren Lampard (Wallsend TA), Michael Mellick (Muswellbrook TA), Romi Berridge (Mudgee TA), Patrick Moran (Port Hunter TA), Jordan Taylor (Singleton TA), Chris Mortell (Central Coast TA). (12) 2015 NSW Country Championships: John Dingle (Nelson Bay TA). (1) 2015 NSW State Cup: Glen Mortell (Central Coast TA), Cory Wiseman (Maitland TA), Davon Patton (Singleton TA), Mahonri Moana (Central Coast TA), Kurt Grogan (Wallsend TA). (5) Level 4 Upgrades: 2015 NSW State Cup (State Grading): #479 Alec Clark (Nelson Bay TA), #480 John Clark (Nelson Bay TA), #481 Dylan Clarke (Maitland TA), #482 Ivan Cole (Maitland TA), #487 Patrick Moran (Port Hunter TA), #490 Ben Rogers (Central Coast TA), #493 Craig South (Peninsula TA). (7) Level 5 Upgrades: 2015 National Touch League: Tony Collins (Central Coast TA), Amanda Draper (Parkes TA), Robert McKechnie (Dubbo TA), Tim Moloney (Berkeley Vale TA), Barry Nichols (Singleton TA), Chris Reynolds (Parkes TA), David Robertson (Wallsend TA). (7) Level 6 Upgrades: 2015 National Touch League: Damon Cupitt (Bathurst TA), Amberly Keating (Nelson Bay TA). (2)

64 66 P a g e Finally, a big thank you to the entire Hunter Western Hornets Referee Panel; Peter Kirkland, Jordyn Tomba, John Turnbull, Steve Shailer, Jim Yeo, Rob McKechnie, Mick Medlin, Nicole Dickson, Ivan Giammarco, Amanda Draper, Amberly Keating and led by Beau Newell. Their efforts most certainly don t go unnoticed, and their passion and attentiveness in developing other referees in our region is wished upon by many other regions. Their devotion to the Hunter Western Hornets name is abundant, and their desire for referee development goes with them to tournaments were they always succeed at their goals. Junior Development A meeting of regions Western affiliates was held in Wellington on Saturday 30 May 2015 to discuss issues and set dates for the 2015 Touch year. The affiliates in attendance were Parkes, Wellington, Mudgee, Dubbo, Dunedoo, Orange and Bathurst. It was decided to hold the Hunter Western Hornets Don Green Western Junior Championships in Orange again on Sunday 22 November It was also decided to hold two Junior Gala days on Sunday 13 December 2015 in Wellington and Sunday 31 January 2016 in Parkes, both which were very successful. The Don Green Western Junior Championships went off very well with 36 teams nominating (5 up on 2014). The affiliates entering teams were Orange, Parkes, Mudgee, Dubbo and Wellington. The results are set out in the table below. Finals Results and Players of Finals for DGWJC 2015 DIVISION RESULT PLAYER OF FINAL 10 Boys Orange 4 defeated Dubbo 2 Ryan Boxall (Dubbo) 10 Girls Dubbo 10 defeated Orange 3 Saxbii Shaw (Dubbo) 12 Boys Dubbo 6 defeated Orange 1 Klayton Naden (Dubbo) 12 Girls Orange 6 defeated Wellington 1 Holly Board (Orange) 14 Boys Orange 6 defeated Wellington 3 Ben Blimka (Orange) 14 Girls Orange 10 defeated Mudgee 3 Ella Robbins (Orange) 16 Boys Orange 7 defeated Parkes 3 Lachlan Wilson (Orange) 16 Girls Orange 7 defeated Parkes 1 Chenoah Merchant (Orange) 18 Boys Parkes 7 defeated Orange 2 Joey Dwyer (Parkes) 18 Girls Wellington 2 defeated Orange 1 Tamika Tamatea (Orange) Club champions for 2015 City of Orange TA It was pleasing to see the Hunter Western Hornets Executive, Kim Miller, Wayne Goodchild and Karen Davies make the trip to Orange and help with the TIíng of players for possible selection into the Hunter Western Hornets Junior Squads for TOURNAMENT We started the year with Peter Wilson Championships which the Newcastle City Club won. Hunter Western Hornets then went to NTLs where our Women s T-League and Women s 35s were successful in taking out their respective titles. Our Senior Championships were held in September at Maitland Touch Fields and Newcastle City were the Senior Champions.

65 67 P a g e We finished off the year with the Don Green Championships at Orange. Orange were the Junior Western Champions. ACHIEVEMENTS The Hunter Western Hornets Region received the award for being the Best Region in NSW for The 16 Girls Hornets team took out the Junior Regional title. Congratulations to Damon Cupitt, Bathurst Touch Association, and Amberly Keating, Nelson Bay Touch Association, on receiving their Level 6 Referees upgrade at National Touch League. Congratulations to all our players and referees who represented our Region at the World Cup in Coffs Harbour in The Newcastle City Club had a very successful year being our Region s Champion Club as well as Country Champions and Junior Champions. While Orange Club won the Don Green championships. Finally congratulations to Wallsend Mens 40s for winning State Cup. Kim Miller OVERVIEW Southern Suns have come a long way in 2015 and I believe we have continued to improve our communication channels between the committee, affiliates and players. The committee is again full and everyone is working so well together. Shortly after our 2015 AGM we lost a very valuable member of our team as our Assistant Regional Director moved to Melbourne, however we were able to fill the loss fairly quickly with a very hard working and dedicated person. The executive agreed to move Raeleen Honeysett from Finance Director to the Assistant Regional Director a position she was made for and we were also extremely blessed to have Katie Carroll take on the position of Finance Director. I would like to make special mention to Tony Doyle and Dean Russell for their guidance over the past couple of years as their assistance has been instrumental in getting Southern Suns heading in the right direction with our operations. FINANCE Southern Suns continue to track well financially and as of 31 December 2015 had a bank balance of $ 17, Raeleen has continued to guide Katie through the role of the Finance Director and both ladies work extremely well together which can only benefit Southern Suns moving forward and with a very bright future. TECHNICAL Coaching Mark Wade is doing a super job as our Coaching Director in the short time he has been in the role and he is totally dedicated to growing our younger coaching numbers. The following courses were held in 2014:

66 68 P a g e Two level 1 courses were held in November 2014 in Wagga and Wollongong, We also held a level 2 course at Milton Ulladulla also in November 2014 Referees: Peter (Milo) Millington has taken over the position of Director of Referees in 2014 so he is just settling in to the role. Milo brings to Sun s a wealth of experience and has been part of us for some time in his role for Wagga Touch. Milo is also excited at the prospect of passing his experience on to the younger referees and assisting each of the Suns affiliates Selectors: No Report JUNIORS: Suns are currently going through a decline in participation from two of our major affiliates in Wollongong and Griffith, when it comes to selection of our Junior Regional teams. I have monitored over the past few years the decline in the number of players from these two affiliates attending our selection days for junior regional squads. We have even included a trial day in Yass for teams not going to Junior State Cup, however this has not increased the player numbers from either affiliate. In previous years Wollongong and Griffith provided almost 50 % of the teams, however are now down to 1 or 2 players at best. I have contacted each of the affiliates to try and get an idea of their reasons and the affiliates are not sure of why the sudden decline in interest. Wagga on the other hand have been our most dedicated affiliate when it comes to Suns teams as well as supporting events like Junior State Cup with 8 teams nominated for the 2015 JSC and I must congratulate Wagga on the way they conduct their operations. Our smaller affiliates like Yass, Goulburn and the South Coast are now being given the opportunity of trialling for Suns with the introduction of the trial in Yass for teams not going to JSC or individual players from any of our affiliate. Suns sent 5 teams to the 2014 Junior Regional carnival and we are very proud of our Under 16 Girls who were Regional Champions. We were however equally as proud of the 4 other teams who did Suns proud with very young and inexperienced teams. We intend to keep plugging away with our new Web site and Face Book on line system promoting the Junior Regionals and encouraging each and every-one of our affiliates to send their players to the various events and how exciting it can be to represent Southern Suns and also it is open to all affiliates and not just the large ones. I also intend paying a visit to our affiliates and find out how we can best assist them and what we need to do to gain more participation from their players. Seniors Unfortunately our senior players from our two largest affiliates in Wollongong and Griffith are identical to that of the juniors with their participation in Sun s teams declining over the past 4 to 5 years. Normally both Wollongong and Griffith would provide a fair percentage of our representative players, however Wagga are currently our number one supporters for Southern Sun s teams.

67 69 P a g e As with the junior players I intend contacting all of our affiliates to ask the question if there is anything we can do better for them to participate in our selection of NTL teams. Sun s only sent the 3 teams to the 2014 NTL tournament which was very disappointing and whilst the players tried hard, all teams found the going tough however every player agreed they were proud to attend the event and said they would do it all again if given the opportunity. The players view on our attendance is not about winning but about representing Southern Suns even in tough conditions as it brings out the best in them. CONCLUSION The committee are really excited at where the Sun s presently sit and are eagerly looking forward to our players, committee, managers and trainers wearing our brand new uniforms at NTL s. It has been a very long process from the first draft design down to placing our order last week, however the final outcome will be worth the wait. Our new website, which includes face book and twitter has been a welcome change and our technical director, Mark Lancaster and his team has done a tremendous job. The new web site has opened up our communication channels to all players, parents etc so we can quickly send any news, stories, photographs, updates to each and every affiliate. I believe we have a great committee who all work very well together and I am looking forward to many prosperous years in NTL s and Junior Regionals, however we do have a job to do, in getting back the interest from both Wollongong and Griffith affiliates. Greg Smith OVERVIEW For Sydney Scorpions 2015 will be viewed as a year of continued success on the field and change and development at an administrative level off it. Brett Gillard has completed his tenure as Regional Director after successfully holding the position for a number of years. His strong leadership at the top of Scorpions has been instrumental in our success over a sustained period of time. Brett will continue to be involved with Sydney Scorpions as a member of the newly formed Scorpions Working Group. Anthony Dudeck has taken over as Regional Director with a number of other committee changes. These changes are an ideal opportunity to review the manner in which we are meeting, sharing information and actioning tasks. As such we have formed our Scorpions Working Group and hand-picked a number of highachievers from around the permit. We are confident our new committee and Scorpions Working Group will provide an extremely strong leadership team. From this position of strength Scorpions will continue to improve, move forward and be leaders at both state and national level. Additionally, Scorpions are now using an online Project Management tool to assist us with our everyday operations, which includes all aspects of our operating model from permit administration and governance to tournament preparation. As has been the case for many years now, Dave Nolan continues to lead the way with our juniors in the position of Juniors Director. This is an area that we believe we have continued to make strong inroads and

68 70 P a g e improvements over a number of years, however the job is not yet complete and over the next 9 months and beyond we will allocate greater resources into this area. Brad Mitchell vacated his Junior Coaching Director position (which is currently vacant) and has now moved onto the Executive Committee, taking on the Technical Director role. Brad has had great success over the past 12 months at affiliate level with Hills Touch and we are fortunate to have him with us again, this time overseeing the technical arm of the permit. Ian Kalms continues as our Senior Coaching Director although we are looking for a replacement at his request due to his high work load with Manly Warringah Touch Association and other commitments. Bill Slade, Bruce Ager, and Sandra Dyball all continue in their roles with Monique Nolan joining us to assist Tim Kitchingham as our joint Merchandise Manager. We additionally filled the position of Sports Science Manager, with further developments in this space in the near future. As previously mentioned, the Scorpions Working Group has been introduced this year, these participants include a number of the Scorpions committee members and additionally others who bring their own unique skill-set, experience and value to our permit. On this group are new faces Adam Fahim and Stuart Geros, along with Brett Gillard who we are pleased has agreed to continue his involvement with Scorpions. 2015/16 Scorpions Working Group: Adam Fahim, Anthony Dudeck, Brad Mitchell, Brett Gillard, Dave Nolan, Ian Kalms, Stuart Geros, Tim Kitchingham. The primary objectives of this working group are as follows: 1. To meet together as a group with the outcomes of these meetings both clear and actionable 2. All members are encouraged to make active contributions and should be willing and able to take on responsibility for actions as appropriate to their skills and expertise 3. Scorpions committee members should provide assistance outside of their portfolio where extra resources are required for continued and ongoing success 4. Share a common goal that the general workload involved in running the permit be distributed evenly amongst the Committee & Working Group 5. Where possible partner and collaborate with the games governing bodies in both NSW Touch Association & Touch Football Australia From an affiliate level it is extremely pleasing to see the ongoing development of the newer permits such as the Carlingford Cyclones and Northern Beaches Renegades. Additionally Hills Touch continue to grow in strength which is excellent for the region. Of additional interest at an affiliate level is the introduction of numerous junior development programmes and new competitions, including Hills Hornets, Hornsby Lions and the Carlingford Cyclones. FINANCE: The Scorpions finance situation has further eased this past year, to such an extent where we did not require any reimbursements against expenses from NSWTA. We are continuing to apply better accounting practices and initiatives to remedy the ongoing cash flow issue and will be shortly migrating to the new accounting system Xero. We are further investigating the use of an online application called AllSportsAdmin and the use of PayPal to better control on-time payments from teams for tournaments. It is a challenging role as financial controller, paying out in advance for uniforms and accommodation and not having the yearly income stream and cash flow

69 71 P a g e to supply this. Again we have agreed that our timelines need revision and increased the number of people willing to assist. We will continue to monitor and addressing this where required. Our Executive is committed to continuing along these guidelines for the benefit and financial growth of the whole permit. Tim Kitchingham continues to cover this role as well as that of Assistant Director and we are ensuring that his workload is distributed more evenly amongst the committee than it has been in the past. The Scorpions Working Group is an initiative that was introduced which is assisting to alleviate these pressures. In regards to 2015 /16, Sydney Scorpions will be working with around $12,000 in the bank, with the aim of finishing the year (2016) at around the $16,000 mark. TECHNICAL Coaching Our coaching remains strong throughout the permit and most of the successful on-field performances directly reflect this. Although we continue to produce excellent coaches from within our own ranks, we do need to continue to develop more coaches to alleviate pressure from the current established group of coaches who are often committing themselves to both open/senior and junior tournaments. The 2015 Junior Regionals was the second year in which we have aimed to give coaches roles in which they will not be directly coaching a sibling. Although there has been mixed reaction to this policy we feel this is a step in the right direction and believe at a regional level coaches should be motivated in coaching teams to develop their personal coaching skills, not just being a parental coach which is often seen at local competition level. Last year we aimed at bringing in coaches from other affiliates than the usual and this has taken place with roles being filled from Hornsby, Northern Suburbs, Northern Beaches and an increased number from Hills. At the 2015 NTL, Scorpions had 21 Coaches involved in 11 teams, with two Assistant Coaches unable to attend the tournament. On the downside we only had three teams with Managers. This is an area we have been trying to strengthen, recently including a Manager of the Year Award to our Scorpions Annual Awards Dinner. Once again as in the playing ranks, Scorpions were well represented by coaches in international tournaments. Dave Nolan, Jason Martin, Barry Gibson and Anthony Dudeck all held 2015 Australian Youth Trans-Tasman coaching positions and experienced success with their respective teams. Additionally Scorpions had over 30 players and coaches that represented Australia at the 2015 FIT World Cup which was held in Coffs Harbour. Selecting Our selection policy continues to gain strong results and this year we have updated our website to include all the relevant selection forms required for tournaments. The location of the Junior State Cup at Port Macquarie did limit the number of available selectors to those that have participating children or that are coaching Junior State Cup affiliate teams. Due to the extreme weather, the TID process did not allow us to get our squads down to their usual numbers. As a result the amount of players that were included in the final trial squads were larger than usual. Despite the high number of players the final teams were selected over three trials. This campaign we had our trial dates and venues set 12 months in advance, with all teams trialling on the same day and at the same venue. This was advantageous as it made final selections logistically much easier with numerous referee and selectors available - a great improvement over past years.

70 72 P a g e In regards to our open/senior selections for NTL, this was an off-year for NSW and Australian squad selections. As such fewer players were available and selections were needed primarily for the T-League, Mixed Open, and Women s 40 s teams. Once again our Men s 50 s team required pool players to supplement local players. Referees Once again our representative level referees have been outstanding and continue to be a credit to the Scorpions permit. We are continuing to develop referees at club level, having once again provided several courses throughout the region in the past nine months. Our Referees Director Bill Slade has been in the role for several years now and continues to do an outstanding job. As per usual we had a large number of referees attend the 2015 Junior State Cup, and unfortunately due to the inclement weather the tournament was cancelled early. As part of the lead up to the 2015 National Touch League (NTL) many of our referees attended our annual Scorpions Day, whereby our teams play trial games against each other. These games are highly beneficial to both the players and referees. Scorpions had seventeen referees attend the 2015 NTL tournament. Congratulations to Anthony Smith, Bernie O Donohue, Luke Heckendorf, Josh Vernon, and Bill Slade who achieved the ultimate in being appointed to a final in the NTL/Elite 8 series. We also had seven referees who received upgrades to Level 5 or Level 6. The Talented Referee Youth Squad (TRYS) programme has now been running for over eight years. During this period Scorpions have had four referees participating and all referees have reached their Level 4 status. This year we have Dillon Wells and Atikah Scott both from Northern Suburbs Touch Association. They were added to the programme after the 2015 Junior Regionals. JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT: Our Junior ranks continue to excel and as is widely communicated this is a direct result of the work and energy put in my many individuals at Scorpions permit and affiliate level over many years. Scorpions introduced the Nolan Medal which commenced at the 2015 Junior Regionals. This is an award that is presented to our Best & Fairest Scorpions Medal winners from each of the Sydney Scorpions junior teams. This medal has been named after Dave Nolan who has been instrumental in the recent success Sydney Scorpions are experiencing within our junior programme. The Croft Medal remains in place for our open/senior teams who compete at the NTL. Our second annual Scorpions Merit training session was held on Scorpions Day (March 2015) for the Girls & Boys 10 s/12 s Scorpions merit teams. We published these teams following the 2015 Junior State Cup with Brad Mitchell coordinating the training session and Dave Nolan liaising with the clubs to gather their input for these teams. Our objective for this Merit team concept is to create an understanding and brand awareness of Scorpions for the younger players and their parents from an early age. We also had a number of NTL & NSW Scorpions Elite 8 players that attended and assisted on the day, with additional thanks to Inferno for supplying water bottles for the players. The second year of our Scorpions Junior Gala Day took place during February, 2015 with 36 teams competing at Nolan Reserve, North Manly. The event is an opportunity for Scorpions affiliate teams to have final trial games before the Junior State Cup, with the majority of affiliates in attendance. At this year s Scorpions AGM we received feedback requesting we look at an alternative weekend to host this event - as opposed to the weekend

71 73 P a g e before the Junior State Cup tournament. Our Scorpions Working Group accommodated this request and going forward from next year this Junior Gala Day will be held on the last Sunday of January. Next year s event will be held on Sunday 31 January, 2016 with this date already agreed to by our affiliates and published via our Scorpions online calendar. TOURNAMENT: Once again 2015 has been a successful year for Sydney Scorpions at both the Junior Regionals and National Touch League. The Junior Regionals were held at Penrith Touch Association during April Congratulations to all involved with Sydney Scorpions once again the Champion Permit. We had title wins with the 14 Boys, 14 Girls and 18 Girls. Our 18 Boys went down in their final against the Sydney Sydney Rebels 4-3 in a drop-off. The 16 Boys lost in a semi-final drop-off to Sydney Sydney Mets 4-3 and our 16 Girls also lost in a semi-final drop-off against Southern Suns 4-3. At the National Touch League Sydney Scorpions were successful winning five titles and were runners up in another two divisions. This year we shared the Golden Boot Champion Permit with the South Queensland Sharks - even though we had fewer teams than in previous years and won more titles. Scorpions have now won four and drawn one of the last six Golden Boot trophies losing the one other by just a single point. Additionally in 2014 NSW Scorpions were also the first permit to have won both the Men s and Women s Elite 8 titles. A special mention to the 2015 NSW Scorpions Men s Elite 8 team who had an excellent tournament going all the way to the final. Sam Brisby once again stamped his class on the tournament with the Player of the Series award. Additionally well done to our Sydney Scorpions NTL medical team (Stephanie Holroyd, Kieran Watson and Neville Edwards) who always receive extremely positive feedback for their professional and down to earth manner in which they operate. The 2015 Youth Trans-Tasman was held at Remondis Stadium, Cronulla in January The event was once again dominated by Australia with all divisions retained by the home nation. The representation from Scorpions members was high in both the coaching (4 coaches and 1 manager) and playing ranks (16 players) showing that the future of Scorpions is in great hands. Special mention and congratulations to the Manly Warringah club who had a total of 9 girls representing their country. This is a phenomenal effort from a single club and is a great example of the benefits achieved by implementing a successful junior development programme. ACHIVEMENTS: 2015 NSWTA Junior Regionals Champion Permit 2015 TFA National Touch League Joint Champion Permit 2015 Sydney Scorpions Nolan & Croft Medal Winners: Nolan Medal Boys 14 s Thomas Edgley Nolan Medal Girls 14 s Pihuka Duff Nolan Medal Boys 16 s Conor Hickey Nolan Medal Girls 16 s Chloe Scranage Nolan Medal Boys 18 s Jackson Mills Nolan Medal Girls 18 s Kaitlin McCaffery Croft Medal Men s Elite 8 Sam Brisby Croft Medal Women s Elite 8 Elesha Dougal Croft Medal Men s T-League Greg O Connor Croft Medal Women s T-League Alex McOnie Croft Medal Mixed Opens Georgia Toovey Croft Medal Senior Mixed Stephen Day Croft Medal Men s 30 s Willie Bishop Croft Medal Men s 40 s Lars Hanson Croft Medal Women s 40 s Vicki Humpherson Croft Medal Men s 45 s Andrew Stergio Croft Medal Men s 50 s Michael Hardgraves 2015 Scorpions In Appreciation Awards (Inaugural Award):

72 74 P a g e Parramatta TA for use of Doyle Ground and facilities for training and trials Manly Warringah TA for use of Nolan Reserve & facilities for training, trials and our Junior Gala Day Eastwood Rugby Club for use of TG Millner Field and facilities for training, trials and Scorpions Day Sandra Dyball for Scorpions action photography at numerous tournaments Nepean Physiotherapy for the organisation and provision of the medical team for 2015 NTL tournament 2015 TFA National Touch League Player of the Final & Player of the Series Awards: Men s Elite Eight Player of the Series Sam Brisby Men s 40 s Player of the Final Darren Swain Women s 40 s Player of the Final Megan McGhie Men s 45 s Player of the Final David Cheung Men s 50 s Player of the Final Peter McDonald Senior Mixed Players of the Final Brad Mitchell & Sarah Nash 2015 NSWTA State Merit Teams Representatives: 14 Boys Tom Baum, Thomas Edgley, Ben Trbojevic, Decan Ahipene 14 Girls Pihuka Duff, Lucy McDonald, Madison Higgins-Ashby, Taylah Nicholls, Sariah Paki 16 Boys Shannon Gardiner, Ray Wehbe, Conor Hickey, Harrison Haywood 16 Girls Faith Nathan, Brittney Clifford, Chloe Scranage, Aaliyah Paki, Rachel Fear, Abigael Shepard 2015 TFA Youth Trans-Tasman Representatives: Australian 18 Girls Tayla Clifford, Shellie Davis, Stephanie Maiolo, Zara Nicholas, Anthony Dudeck (Assistant Coach) Australian 18 Boys Jackson Mills, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Jordan Sarmento, Kai Simbolon, Matthew Wilson, David Nolan (Coach), Jason Martin (Assistant Coach), Mark Harrington (Manager) Australian 20 Girls Danielle Davis, Hannah Dyball, Yasmin Meakes, Laura Peattie, Sam Rodgers, Barry Gibson (Assistant Coach) Australian 20 Boys Jonathon Huskins, Ciaran Toner 2015 FIT World Cup Representatives: Australian Men s Open Sam Brisby, Jonathon Palau, Dave Nolan (Assistant Coach) Australian Women s Open Danielle Davis, Hannah Dyball, Laura Peattie, Samantha Rodgers Australian Mixed Open Daniel Barton, Kylie Hilder, Yasmin Meakes, Sarah Peattie Australian Men s 30 s Willie Bishop Australian Men s 35 s Drew Davies, Adam Fahim, Michael Irvine, Brad Mitchell, Shannon Warren Australian Men s 40 s Chris Benfield, Christian Browne, Anthony Dudeck, Tony Eltakchi, Lars Hanson, Phil Jarrett, David Roberts, Darren Swain, Dean Murphy Australian Men s 50 s David Cheung, Brett Gillard, Trevor Jolly, Tim Kitchingham, Peter Wandl, David McDonald Australian Senior Mixed Sarah Nash New Zealand Women s Open Elesha Dougal Anthony Dudeck

73 75 P a g e OVERVIEW 2015 turned out to be an excellent year for the Sydney Sydney Mets region. The year commenced with the running of an excellent gala day for all Sydney Mets affiliated junior teams. The event was hosted by the Wests TA and it is run to: 1. Provide a hit-out for Sydney Mets affiliated junior teams leading up to the NSWTA Junior State Cup (JSC), 2. Provide an extra avenue for players to be TID prior to competing at the JSC. Riding high on the success of the Sydney Mets Gala Day, and following the JSC, the teams selected to represent Sydney Mets at the NSWTA Junior Regionals performed admirably. Sydney Mets were rated 2 nd in the club championship. This is an outstanding performance from a Region that effectively has 3-4 affiliates from which to select teams. This, in comparison to other regions, who have up to 13 affiliates to choose teams from, more realistically portrays the true strength of the region. Support for the development of selectors, referees and coaches continued as per schedule in It has long been the premise of the Sydney Sydney Mets region that so long as people commit in some way to employing their skills in a Sydney Mets affiliate, the region will fund their accreditation costs. While the cost of this initiative is high (generally $7k-$8k per annum) the rewards outweigh the cost. Interest in participation at the National Touch League (NTL) appears to be on the decline in the Sydney Mets Region. In 2015 Sydney Mets sent away teams in the Boys & Girls T20s, Mixed Open, Mens 30s, Mens 40s & Mens 50s. In 2016 Sydney Mets are only sending 4 teams. One of the issues that hampers Sydney Mets in this area of operation is; we have an abundance of high profile coaches who are not eligible to coach at the NTL due to other commitments such as; Tony Trad, Paul Sfeir, Peter Forrester, David Collins and Graham Fleming. It is Sydney Mets policy that no team will be nominated to participate in the NTL unless there is an appointed team coach in the first instance. Congratulations to the Sydney Mets Mens 50s on winning the NTL in Financially the Sydney Mets region is sound. Sydney Mets are positioned to be able to make financial commitments while still maintaining a healthy balance in its operating account. I am advised that operations with the newly introduced Xero program are smooth with no apparent issues. FINANCE At the time of writing this report the accounts of the association had not been audited. With NTL scheduled in less than 3 weeks, closely followed by the NSWTA Junior Regionals, it has been determined that paperwork will be handed over to the auditor in late April As at 31 December 2015 the balance of the Sydney Met s operating account was $14,252. What needs to be factored in here when assessing the financial position of the region at this date is; $10,315 was prepaid for the 2016 Elite 8 team accommodation in October 2015, and a further $2,500 was prepaid (deposit) for 2016 Junior Regional team accommodation at Parkes NSW. Levies for these events did not start coming back to the account until January So effectively the financial position of the region is better than that indicated in the closing balance for 2015.

74 76 P a g e As has been accepted practice in the region for over 8 years now, all referee, selector and coaching courses (attended by participants who are active within a Sydney Mets affiliate) were fully funded from development funds ($3,500) held on Sydney Mets behalf by NSWTA, with a further $3,700 funded from the general account. The Sydney Mets Gala day which was held at the Wests TA fields in 2015 was fully funded by Sydney Mets. In total 32 teams attended the event. All participants were provided with a free sausage sizzle and drink. When the on-costs to support the event (referees, selectors, field hire, medical services) were factored in, the event cost in excess of $6,000. Sydney Mets use the gala day as part of the selection process for Junior Regional teams. The feedback from parents was excellent, and the co-ordination and running of the event by the Wests TA Committee was superb. Building on the fine efforts of the Wests TA, the 2016 Gala Day grew in size from the 32 teams in 2015 to 47 teams. The Penrith TA Committee did an amazing job!! The 2016 budget was prepared in October Sydney Mets have budgeted for a meager profit of $2,000 in TECHNICAL Selectors In 2015 the following Selectors (all qualified) were used to select Sydney Mets teams Penrith Margaret Thornton (TL) Linda Benfield (TL) Jason Zabielo Derek Duguid (TL) Geoff Thornton (TL) David Collins David McDonald Sharon McDonald Wests Stacey Lapham (TL) John Tannous Kristie Moseley Milad Almaoui Balmain Alan Hill Pat Digiglio Canterbury Claire Tandek Dan Munro Not with a Sydney Mets affiliate Paul Wines Kevin Jurd (TL) Peter Ndeira Pat Batiste Rob Barakat Michael McDonald (TL) Scott Muir Scott Harford Graham Fleming Louise Winchester Kristy Judd Shane Peacock Matt Yiangou Mick Moussa Tony Ianella Steve Kolenko Andrew Phillips Daniel Walsh Michael Clark Their performance, professionalism & dedication to task played a big part in the success of Sydney Mets teams in Coaches, included in the above list and led by Tony Trad, created a great relationship with our Selectors. During 2015 Level 1 Selectors Courses were held at Balmain and Western Suburbs. Coaching Due to continued improved overall results for SYDNEY METS at the 2015 Junior Regional s with the Permit now climbing to second on the Club Championship SYDNEY METS have reappointed most of the coaching staff for

75 79 P a g e the 2016 Junior Regional s with the addition of some experienced coaches such as Rob Barakat and Peter Nderia. In 2016 The MJCDP (Sydney Mets Junior Coaching Development Program) targeting Coaches of the SYDNEY METS Juniors saw Sydney Mets coaches attend Australian Mens and Womens Opens Camp to observe experienced coaches in action as well as having access to current training techniques, patterns and cognitive games. Sydney Mets Gala Night In lieu of the ongoing Coaching Clinics SYDNEY METS established the SYDNEY METS Gala night where teams from the SYDNEY METS Permit, in preparation for JSC attended a local affiliate and played Round Robin games. This allowed the Junior SYDNEY METS coaches to continue with their TID of players to aid in final team selections. In 2015 the SYDNEY METS Gala Night was hosted by the Wests TA affiliate with great success. Looking over all teams is its clear that SYDNEY METS, through its united Coaching plan has established a common thread amongst SYDNEY METS Coaches in relation to: 1. Rucking Patterns, 2. Line Defensive Policy, 3. Line attack plays 4. A consistent use of Touch Jargon throughout all teams. In short it was decided that all teams within Sydney Mets should play the same style and have the same culture and expectations to enable a smoother transition of players and coaches throughout the age groups as they progresses year after year. In 2016 our Goals will culture creation, mental applications and Drop Off Preparation. Conclusion There is no doubt that Sydney Mets Gala night continues to be a key strategy for the strength and growth of our players, coaches, affiliates and our region over all saw Sydney Mets return to the top 2 in the state with a Grand Final win in the 16 s, a Grand Final defeat in the 14 s and Semi Finals Positions in all other divisions. This year we need to work hard to convert our appearances into victories both in Grand Final and Semi Finals. And of course by doing this we can reach our main aim which is to be the number one Region in NSW. Referees A key change in 2015 Sydney Mets appointed two DORs. Greg Eggins returned to Penrith TA & Sydney Mets in May15, after a seven month leave of absence. Greg and Victor Baptista co-chair the DOR role within Sydney Mets. A key in their working relationship is regular meetings and phone calls and a focus on their strengths and work relationship Season 2 was a period of consolidation for Penrith TA to lift the referee service and standard. How? Four new referees from the ADF, including 2 x L3 referees, and two new L1, qualified through Defence. Several former Penrith referees were also enticed back to Penrith. The affiliate finished the 2015 year strong in referee numbers, and that trend has continued in Victor Baptista has made a huge impact at Wests in regard to referees. He has a large number of high end referees, and they now support Wests, Sydney Mets, NSW & TFA. He continues to recruit and develop referees for our sport. The Lower Blue Mountains Juniors referees continue to develop under the strong guidance of Daniel McSpadden. Daniel is a L2 referee. Daniel plays at Penrith, coaches Lower Blue Juniors, and is the Junior DOR at Lower Blue. This is a substantial commitment.

76 80 P a g e The key persons of contact for referees at Balmain are Ian McFarlane L5 (Seniors) and Steve Pratt L4 (Juniors). There was significant development in the teenage referees at Balmain in The goal is to produce a teenage(s) L3 at Balmain by the end of It has never happened in the last ten years. There is a lack of focus by the Canterbury affiliate on Referee Development. This has been the case for some years. So it is best to be up front about this issue. For the 2015 State Cup, Greg Eggins organised two referees to support Canterbury. A goal for the 2016 SC is to provide Canterbury with the necessary referees. It is important for the Sydney Mets to assist all the regions affiliates, and one way to do this for Canterbury is to provide referees for NSW tournaments. Wests and Penrith have supported Blacktown in their new competition in 2015 and early This included Penrith providing two L4 referees for their semi-finals, and Wests & Penrith referees for the finals. The affiliate is now run by NSWTA and the Sydney Mets DORs will assist to help this competition grow. Goals for 2016: Sydney Mets has a very large contingent attending the 2016 NTL. Wests have ten referees, Penrith four referees and Ian McFarlane from Balmain/Defence. For the Junior Regionals, the target for Sydney Mets is to provide to 25% of the referees. During 2016, several new teenager referees will be pushed to Vawdon Cup & State Cup. A strong overall focus for the Sydney Mets 2 DOR is to develop all referees, for the park/affiliate, Sydney Mets, NSW & NTL levels. Both are very proud to be the Sydney Mets DOR, with a focus to achieve goals and milestones. JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT In 2015 Sydney Mets continued their resurgence at the Junior Regionals, fully attributable to the Junior Development program in place. From a base of coming in 6 th in 2013 Sydney Mets have improved each year since to rise to 2 nd in Sydney Mets won the under 16 Boys and were Runners-up in the 14 Boys and had 12 players selected in Merit Teams. This has really been a team effort headed by Tony Trad. As Director of Coaching he has placed a focus on the Juniors that has ensured we find and develop the best coaches. These Coaches in 2015 were David Collins (assisted by Derek Duguid), Pat Batiste, Alan Hill, Graham Fleming, Jason Zabielo and Paul Wines. After many years of service Paul Wines has retired and is replaced by Peter Ndeira. Our Selectors come from Canterbury, Wests, Penrith and Balmain and include elite players and coaches with long and distinguished careers for NSW and Australia. Once squads/teams are selected they continue to attend training sessions, assisting the Coaches with drills, becoming role models for our young stars of the future. These players include Louise Winchester, Stacey Lapham, Claire Tandek, Jason Zabielo and Kristy Moseley, while David Collins, Peter Ndeira, Michael McDonald and Milad Almaoui have coached at the highest level. In addition Margaret Thornton and Kevin Jurd are currently NSW Selectors. An important part of our success has been the attention given to our Juniors by the referees. Greg Eggins & Victor Batista have ensured referees are always in good supply for the Sydney Mets Gala Day, and all trials and training sessions. The feedback given to coaches and players helps prepare them for the Junior Regionals.

77 81 P a g e Finally the work behind the scenes by Margaret Thornton, Michael Clark, Pat Batiste, Paul Sfeir and Tony Doyle ensure that juniors at Sydney Mets are one of the best supported player groups in NSW. ACHIEVEMENTS Sydney Mets continued climb up the championship ladder at the NSWTA Junior Regional event. From last to 2 nd in two years is a great effort. The continued growth of Selector participation in the Met s Region. While the Region is small in affiliate numbers, there is an abundance of volunteers (former & current players, administrators etc) across each of our affiliates who have acquired Selector accreditation, and donated time to give back to the Region. Regions cannot exist without the participation of these volunteers. The Sydney Mets Gala Day. This event continues to grow in size each year and the host affiliate each year has risen to the occasion to meet the needs of the participants. Paul Sfier OVERVIEW 2015 was an excellent year for Sydney Rebels with a strong financial status we were able to follow through on planned events and put more time into our juniors. We continued our great efforts at tournaments and improved in all areas of the sport. There are many people to thank within Sydney Rebels, all the coaches, Selectors and referees that give their time, it would be impossible to achieve what we do without their help. FINANCE We are blessed at Sydney Rebels to have Jamie Chan as our finance director, we all work so well together with Jamie keeping us on our toes. We have managed to fulfil all our programs and stay in budget for another year. It has been a long time and hard work but to be in the black with healthy funds is a real credit to him. TECHNICAL Our development is ongoing and always will be, we have great people here and Selectors, Referees and coaching arms are always searching for new people to join and for existing people to upgrade. A big thank you to Manu Wakely, who as always continues to pass on his knowledge of the game. Manu has a gift that is benefiting all our coaches with his skills day this year along with Keith, it was a great success Coaching Coaching director, Keith Rozairo has been along with leading coaches improving our current coaches as well as bringing along new younger coaches.

78 82 P a g e Selecting Director of Selectors, Kylie Wilkinson has taken a number of new persons through the course and we are much better off now in this area than ever before, we thank Kylie for her dedication to this area. Referees Referee's director Andrew Smith only in the job a short time is getting together a new squad of leading referees from around the region. JUNIORS Brad Lugg and the junior coaching staff have had some coaching clinics and with the Bankstown Gala day and now the Easts junior day we have more opportunity to see our young rep players TOURNAMENTS We again had great tournaments in 2015, With our Mixed open winning their 5th straight National title this now takes them to 55 consecutive wins at the NTLS. Well done Manu and congratulations to your wonderfully dedicated team. Also our 18 Boy's side made it three in a row at the NSW Junior Regional's well done to Brad Lugg and is staff, with the pressure on you guided your talented boy's home Conclusion Thank you to our volunteers who have worked tirelessly, and deserve all the credit, we all agree we could not do half the things we do get done without them We all look forward to continuing the rebuilding of our region. Les Bouveng

79 83 P a g e Financial Statement General The NSWTA achieved an operating surplus of $71k for the financial year ended 31 December The NSWTA has positioned itself to ensure that the association remains in a strong position, both financially and resourcefully, with an inherent capacity to respond effectively to all influences and economic pressures. The operating surplus was achieved within revised budget targets. With the exception of the 2013 financial year, where unavoidable financial factors came into play (decline in affiliated team numbers, ATO Tax penalty, outstanding insurance claims), NSWTA member funds have continued to grow at an acceptable rate since The table below details NSWTA s financial position at the end of each financial year since Rev Ord Activities $2,485,089 $3,167,656 $2,978,198 $2,954,965 $3,454,639 $3,440,613 Direct Exp -$1,398,402 -$1,729,186 -$1,553,265 -$1,527,198 -$1,754,999 -$1,813,181 Employee Benefits Exp. -$684,955 -$662,469 -$722,623 -$722,623 -$851,317 -$931,458 Depreciation & Amortisation Other Expenses -$17,416 -$19,782 -$16,791 -$16,314 -$17,533 -$21,674 -$629,790 -$633,569 -$601,675 -$726,239 -$586,026 -$602,958 NETT PROFIT $245,745 $122,650 $83,844 -$37,409 $244,830 $71,342 Total Assets $1,279,597 $1,599,425 $1,481,234 $1,595,653 $1,788,026 $1,889,743 Total Liab $235,054 $431,860 $229,777 $381,565 $329,108 $359,482 Total Member Funds $1,044,542 $1,167,565 $1,251,457 $1,214,088 $1,458,918 $1,530,261 In line with past year performances, NSWTA has forecast a profit of $60k for the 2016 financial year. This forecast has taken into consideration all essential programs. The decline in affiliated senior team numbers over the past years seems to be plateauing out, and there is a strong indication that junior team numbers are on the increase across most affiliates. Increases at the grass-root level of our sport are a strong indication for future growth, and NSWTA is overly conscious of the need to support and promote junior development across the state Funded Programs Given the strong financial position of NSWTA at the close of 2015 the NSWTA Board has endorsed the continuation of essential programs in 2016, including:

80 84 P a g e The Emerging High Performance Referee program - $10k The referees TRYS program - $13k Regional development programs (juniors, referees, selectors & coaches) - $10k State Conference - $50k Special Projects in Regions - $10k Upgrade of Regional Equipment - $10k Xero Accounting Program As at 1 January 2016 four of the six NSWTA Regions have moved their financial accounting operations over to Xero and are fully operational with that program Rebels, Hornet, Mets and Eagles. Southern Suns ran dual MYOB and Xero programs for their finances in 2015 to ensure full retention of data until the changeover to Xero was implemented. Sydney Scorpions are currently in the process of converting over to Xero. As reported previously, the Xero program is a cloud based package that enables the NSWTA General Manager and Finance Director to view the financial transaction of each Region. The ability to view day to day transactions negates the need for Regions to provide monthly financial reports to NSWTA, and thereby becomes a time saving factor for each Region. Summary 2015 was a positive year for NSWTA which delivered a healthy operating surplus. I am confident that similar, if not better, outcomes will be achieved in Tony Doyle Audited Financial Statements and Report Refer attachment 1

81 85 P a g e ELECTION OF OFFICERS Interested Director- President AILEEN MAY Sports Administrator Member and Administrator of Port Hacking and Taren Point Touch Association for 40 years. Life Member of Taren Point Touch Association Previous Regional Administrator (Region 7) Manager of Numerous State Teams Tour Leader 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 & 2014 State of Origin NSWTA Vice President NSWTA President 2010-present Nominated Mark Hearnden Taren Point TA & Wollongong TA Seconded Ross Culbert Taren Point TA Interested Director- Technical Director IAN MATTHEW Company Director- Breezmat Carpets NSWTA Technical Director Present. NSWTA Referee Director 1992 Present Member of NSWTA Board for past 13 years FIT Director of Referees NSWTA Life Member Campbelltown TA Life Member TFA Life Member National Referees Panel Member Nominated Aileen May Taren Point TA Seconded Chris Dolahenty Wagga Wagga TA

82 86 P a g e LIFE MEMBERSHIP NOMINATION/S The Board received a nomination for Life Membership of the organisation in accordance with the constitution. This nomination was for Tony Doyle. We wish to nominate Tony Doyle for Life Membership of the NSWTA. Graded Referee in 1989 Finance Director of the NSWTA from present Sydney Mets Finance Director present Life Member of the Sydney Mets Life Member of Penrith Touch Association Tony has been a loyal servant of the sport having made contributions to the Penrith Touch Association, Sydney Mets Touch and the New South Wales Touch Association for over 30years. At Penrith Touch Association he has provided over 30 years service as a referee and in various committee capacities involving administration. During this time Penrith Touch Association emerged from obscurity to become one of the largest affiliates in NSW and a representative powerhouse. Tony has been one of the few constants for Penrith Touch Association over this period. At Sydney Mets Touch he has been Director of Finance for 17 consecutive years over which time Sydney Mets Touch have consistently shown a healthy bank balance all the while under his stewardship supporting all technical arms of the sport and Sydney Mets Juniors without hesitation. Often Tony has taken on responsibilities of Administrator (ensuring at these times segregation of duties for Financial Matters is maintained). The success of Sydney Mets Touch on and off the field is in no small way due to Tony s proactive approach to all things touch related. As a member of the NSW Touch Association Board for the past 15 years Tony has ensured that the State body has maintained a strong financial outlook during economic times that have been challenging to say the least. Expenditure on technical arms has continued at a sensible level and Tony has been very active in ensuring financial accountability within the regions is stronger than ever while supporting them whenever they have needed support. Despite his position as a member of NSW Touch most senior elected Board Tony could be seen in recent years carrying the water bottles for teams including Penrith s Premier League and Mets 30s. In conclusion for a man who has exemplified the word service to all levels of Touch Football both Michael and I nominate Tony Doyle for elevation to Life Member of NSW Touch. Proposed: Fran Hanson (Life Member) Seconded: Michael Clark (Life Member) On receipt of this nomination the Board reviewed, independently of Tony Doyle, his service to the game.

83 87 P a g e Tony Doyle has been a major contributor on the Board of the NSWTA and Executive of the Sydney Mets Region as well has contributed at grass roots Association continuously for over 30 years. His service at Sydney Mets and Penrith TA has been rewarded by with a Life Membership of both organisations. At NSWTA level Tony Doyle has contributed in two spheres of influence. Firstly as Finance Director of the Association for over 15 years and has been paramount in the financial position that the organisation currently finds itself in. He has provided leadership to this organisation in this area which has been beneficial not only to the Board but also the NSWTA in an outstanding manner. Secondly he has maintained the portfolio of Finance Director of the Sydney Mets Region for 17 years. His stewardship of the finances of the region have been equally critical to their success. Further he has on many occasions needed to maintain the administration of the region and is no doubt the backbone of the region.. The Board looked at the breadth and depth of service to the NSWTA across all gambits of the game, as a Finance Director, as an administrator, as a graded referee, as a manager and as a leader. They find a gentleman who has given to this organisation over 30 continuous years of dedicated service. The Board recommends to the members this nomination from two Life Members. The Board endorse the nomination and seek the member s approval to rightfully place Tony Doyle as a Life Member of the Association. SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS NIL MOTION FOR AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION Notice is given to all Members that it is proposed to alter the Constitution of New South Wales Touch Association Incorporated (Association) at the Annual General Meeting of the Association on 14 May The following motion is moved by the Board of the Association as Special Resolutions under clause 3 of the Association Constitution and Section 124 of the Associations Incorporation Act (NSW) 2009:- 1. THAT Clause 4.1 be amended to delete the following Financial Year means the year ending 31 December in any year. And replace with the following sentence at in its place: Financial Year means a period of 12 months commencing 1 July and ending 30 June each year. Note- This provides for Association to run on a true financial year. It provides for great financial management of the organisation as currently 80% of the associations income is delivered on the last 8 weeks of the year. Hence financial projections and decisions are made with a scope of what might come in from affiliation rather than what has come and providing for a greater informed decision making capacity. A change in the financial year gives the Board and the staff surety in projections and financial decisions with bulk money received in the midterm. It would also allow for the AGM to be held in conjunction with eth State Conference and free up a weekend of the membership and our volunteers. If motion 1 is passed, the new financial year would come into effect from January and see the Association trade for 18months to 30 June APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR Moved: that Denis Jeff Quality Accounting be appointed auditors for 2016 financial year. Moved Tony Doyle Seconded Aileen May

84 88 P a g e GENERAL BUSINESS State Conference and Blues Dinner (NSWTA) 2. Touch Football Australia Update (TFA)

85 89 P a g e ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The NSW Touch Association would like to recognise and thank those who have supported the organisation throughout All New South Wales Touch Association Affiliates, Regions and their members Touch Football Australia National Rugby League and Harvey Norman NSW Department of Sport and Recreation Hastings Council Inferno Hyperactive Clothing MIYO Sports Steeden My Finance Agent Canterbury Council - Bankstown Sports Club - Wholesale Trophies- Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Dr. Martin Jaffe, Steve Cunningham and the NSWTA Medical Team All NSWTA Volunteers who have assisted us throughout 2015

86 90 P a g e Attachment 1