Minutes of the Capital Football Annual General Meeting Capital Football Offices, Memorial Park, Petone 7.00pm Monday 30 March 2015 1. Roll Call Present: Justin Raffan (Wgtn United), Craig Deadman (Petone FC), Steve Ware (Onslow), Chris James (Greytown FC), Wylie Smith (Victoria University), Mike Wood (Tawa), Troy Denton (Naenae FC), Warwick Smith (North Wellington AFC), Grant Stephen (North Wellington AFC), Bill Pilu (Eastbourne), Rob Houghton (Petone), Peter Thomas (Upper Hutt), Kath Henshaw (Tawa), Gavin Underhill (North Wellington JFC), Renee Fortune (Lower Hutt City), Shane Kinley (Island Bay United FC), Dave Keat (Wellington College Football), Peter Gillespie (Western Suburbs), Sola Freeman (Eastbourne), Peter Becker (Miramar), Martin Gray (BNU), Cam Mitchell (NZ Football), Ian Rogers (FIFA u20 LOC GM) Life Members Barry Tasker (Referee) Chair of Capital Football Board and Meeting Chairman Paul Houliston Capital Football Board Helen Mallon, David Taylor, Mike Moore Capital Football staff Richard Reid (Chief Executive), Jamie Cross, Des Buckingham, Sam Blackburn, Tim Bush, Natalie Lawrence, Renee Clearwater, Robert Johnson, Matt Snaddon, Lisa Jones 2. Apologies: Dave Trueman (Board), Phil Barry (CF Board and NZF Board), Rosie Telford (Miramar Rangers), Sandy Cumpstone (Wellington United), Ian Paterson (BNU Juniors), Barry Pickering (Petone), James Webb (CF staff) Motion: That the apologies as tabled, be accepted. Moved: Peter Thomas Seconded: Peter Gillespie All in favour, carried. Page 1 of 8
3. Members who are no longer with us The following were remembered by the acknowledgement of a minute silence: Trevor Rigby (Capital Football Life Member & Miramar Rangers), Richard Graham (Naenae), Tim Bullock (Past WJFA Chair), William Bridge (North Wellington AFC), Greg Armitage (Lower Hutt City). 4. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 24 March 2014 Motion: That the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 24 March 2014 be accepted as a true and accurate record. Moved: Troy Denton Seconded: Sola Freeman All in favour, carried. 5. Annual Report The 2014 Annual Report had been previously circulated and copies were available to members from each club. The financial accounts were sent out as an appendix on 4 March 2015, and were also provided on the evening. Chair s Report Paul Houliston thanked Richard Reid and the Capital Football staff for their work in producing the Annual Report. Highlights of the report included: It had been a busy season with approximately 900 games every week. The Board and CF staff remained focussed on ensuring the financial viability of the organisation. The previous financial year has resulted in a small surplus and a rebate on ground fees is being returned to all clubs. The Board is committed to providing the support required for Richard Reid and his team to support clubs. A new governance model has been ratified by NZF. The Board will establish a working group to identify what, if any, actions will need to be undertaken for the Federation. This may include alternative voting processes for electing Board members etc Conduct on and around the pitch was highlighted as an area of ongoing concern. It was noted that this remains a key focus for CF. It is important that clubs ensure that all members continue to respect referees, opposition players, and spectators. The Board is hopeful clubs will take a firm message back to players and parents that there is no tolerance for inappropriate behaviour in the game. The Board and Capital Football staff highlighted their wish to see every player and administrator enjoying their football at whatever the level, in whatever the team. Page 2 of 8
The under 20 World Cup is coming. Capital Football requested club members support the next generation of world stars by attending fixtures scheduled in our region. Financial Report Matt Snaddon, Capital Football, provided an overview of the 2014 financial results detailed in the Annual Report. Key highlights included: A surplus of $65,000 due to an increase in income of 12% from the previous year.. In 2014 only $10 per player was charged for artificial pitches following the Board decision to decrease the amount payable from $20 the previous two years. The outcome of the positive financial result is that there would be no increase in fees from Capital Football to clubs for the 2015/16 season, and clubs will also receive a rebate on extra ground payments made for 2014/15. A goalpost audit is being undertaken to better understand Capital Football s current stock. Whole of Football Cam Mitchell, Community Director of NZ Football was in attendance to provide an update on current NZF initiatives. Memorial Park/ASB Centre/Grounds An extra $15,000 per annum is required to break even at Memorial Park. There is a move to try and reduce costs at the ASB Centre where it is expensive to play and margins are very tight. Capital Football is negotiating reduced ground charges with Wellington City Council. Football Talent Centre For 2015, players who leave the talent centre are able to be replaced, meaning refunds to players are able to be covered if replacement players are found. This means that Capital Football is not carrying the cost of a player that is no longer involved with the talent centre. Financial Regulations A new regulation is being introduced for the 2015 season for un-financial clubs. Where a club is un-financial, senior teams will lose three points for every game they are un-financial. Clubs were encouraged to ensure regular dialogue and communication with Capital Football is maintained if there are any financial concerns. Payment dates Affiliation fee payment due dates for junior clubs are now in line with the senior club payment dates. In order to obtain the discount, juniors have to pay their fees in full by 30 April. Otherwise 50% will fall due on 30 April and 50% on 30 June. Page 3 of 8
Further amendments to the financial regulations were provided and clubs were advised to take time to read the amendments. The regulations are available on the Capital Football website. Football Development Des introduced the new Capital Football staff. Highlights that occurred during the 2014 season included: A positive increase in reaching KPI targets The Junior Framework continues to work well. Work on the Youth Framework is the next key focus. A comprehensive review of the Club/College structure is underway, with the review group meeting regularly. A survey was sent out during the season which received a significant number of responses and forums were held with interested parties which were very well attended. Further information will be circulated when available. Education of coaches will be a focus for the 2015 season. In 2014, 52 coaches attended informal coaching sessions. For this season, courses will be run at clubs rather than at Memorial Park. There will be the opportunity for clubs to liaise with Capital Football to arrange training in their areas. Referee coaching will also be held at club premises. Natalie is focussing on transitioning junior club and college female players into the senior women s game. Staff will focus on spending more time with clubs to assist them with development. Junior coordinators have been made aware of the availability of coordinator training, coaching clinics, Quality Club Mark, which will all assist in skill building for junior members. Operations Lisa provided an overview on senior competitions: Senior men CF is currently finalising a ground allocation policy which will be presented to the Board for approval. CF is aware that the U20 World Cup has impacted on the availability of some grounds this year. During the season, a review will be conducted of league structures within the men s, women s and junior game. This will be fed through the advisory groups and clubs were encouraged to participate as and when feedback is sought. Women The Women s Advisory Group (WAG) is currently reviewing and revising the women s four year plan and this will be presented to the Board and clubs for consultation. It was noted that plans for the women s leagues for the 2015 season Page 4 of 8
had been put on hold due to Central League and Premier teams being removed from the competition by clubs. Match Information Sheets will be provided to all CL, PL and Tier one teams this season. These will replace team cards. Juniors Ground availability continues to be an issue due to the number of teams in the competition. It was noted that Capital Football staff are continually working with all Councils in this area. GoalNet (Sporting Pulse) Reporting will be obtained through GoalNet for New Zealand Football. Clubs were advised that a large portion of the funding received to cover salaries for staff roles within each of the Federation comes from the information provided in GoalNet. Clubs were strongly encouraged to ensure that all player information is entered before the end of May. Misconduct Reports All sanctions recorded by match officials will now be included on the Match Information Sheet. Clubs will now only receive a letter with the misconduct code with invoicing. The codes are available on the Referee tab on the Capital Football website. CEO s report Richard Reid briefly spoke to his report. The Club/College review is progressing and it is intended that resolution is achieved before the 2016 season. Futsal is changing demographically with a steady increase in youth participation. This remains an area of focus for Capital Football. Richard thanked his staff for their hard work throughout the 2014 season. Motion: That the Football reports, as presented within the Annual Report be accepted. Moved: Troy Denton Seconded: Sola Freeman All in favour, carried. 6. Re-appointment of auditor The following motion was proposed: Motion: That Kendon s Chartered Accountants be reappointed as auditor for the 2015 financial accounts. Page 5 of 8
Moved: Troy Denton Seconded: Chris James All in favour, carried. 7. Board member election Paul, on behalf of the Board and football community, publicly thanked and farewelled Phil Barry and David Taylor who were both leaving the Board at the end of the AGM. Phil is moving onto the NZF Board and was thanked for his contribution to the Finance Committee in particular. David was thanked for his role as the wise owl to the Board and for his energy and challenging thinking provided at Board meetings. Chris Canton, the previous Chair of the Board, stepped down at the end of 2014. He was thanked for his leadership during his time as Chair. Nominations were called for a mix of elected, co-opted and appointed positions. It was noted that the elected positions currently held by Paul Houliston and Jess Thomas were due for renewal. Both have shown their willingness to stand again. It was noted that Jess Thomas will be standing for an appointed position. The appointment process already in place will be followed. There were therefore three nominations for three elected vacancies. Given this, no election process was required. The following were accepted as elected Board members: Paul Houliston, Chris James and Peter Thomas. Paul invited new Board members present to introduce themselves: Mike Moore noted that he played football for Island Bay in the early 1980s. He currently works in the area of governance and financial and organisational performance. Peter Thomas advised he is a member of the Upper Hutt Club and has been playing football since four years of age. Peter has been involved in coaching and as an administrator in the Upper Hutt club since 2007. Peter is happy to champion issues on behalf of clubs. Chris James noted he is a member of Greytown FC. He has been playing football from an early age also and is still playing, and coaching youth and junior level football. Chris is currently the President of both the junior and senior Greytown clubs as the area struggles to get volunteers. Chris was instrumental in driving the Quality Club Mark for Greytown Football Club. All were congratulated from the floor on their election to the Capital Football Board. 8. Remits There was one remit presented by Bill Pilu (Eastbourne), regarding Capital Football Regulation 13(13). The remit was put forward concerning the proposed league Page 6 of 8
composition whereby Capital 3 teams from Horowhenua and Wairarapa are able to re-enter the CF competition at Capital 3 level however local Wellington teams have to start from the bottom division. The timing of the announcement of a team that wants to re-enter the competition is also problematic. The Chair opened the floor for comment. Wairarapa struggles to retain youth players and considers the regulation should be reviewed. Naenae supports Eastbourne and suggested a reduction to only one team being allowed to re-enter a year. If there is more than one team, then there should be a playoff to decide who should play in Capital 3. Craig (Chair of MAG) agreed the regulation needs to be reviewed. It was not considered to be ideal to have a two team relegation policy as this can lead to up to five teams in a 10 team league changing in any given year. Mike (Brooklyn) suggested running a 12 team league for that season or having a mid- season playoff. Paul confirmed that the Board would consider this regulation and would await the recommendation from the MAG before making a decision. 9. Election of Life Member There were no nominations received for Life Membership of Capital Football. 10. General Business Cam Mitchell, Community Football Director NZF, provided an update on behalf of NZF. Cam highlighted key points in the partnership agreement between NZF and the Federations as well as the Strategic Plan. A new Strategic Plan is to be developed this year with input to be sought from Federations. Cam noted his concern that player numbers recorded are not necessarily reflecting the number of people playing football. There are currently 209,000 people involved with football and 19,000 registered Futsal players in New Zealand. Football is the leading community sport in our country. He noted that the broader benefits of football need to be recognised. Football needs more funding and finding new sources of revenue is important, as there is a wish to ensure that football is not just a user-pays sport. Strategic partners will be a key part of this going forward. The Beyond Football Strategy was launched late last year. NZF also has a High Performance Strategy that clearly defines the pathway for players. Ian Rogers: U20 World Cup LOC General Manager Page 7 of 8
Ian provided an overview of the fixtures to be played in Wellington. He confirmed that the U20 marketing team are happy to visit clubs to promote the campaign. 11. Meeting Close The Capital Football Board and Capital Football staff wished all clubs a great season. There being no further business the Annual General Meeting of Capital Football held on 30 March 2015 closed at 9.05pm. Page 8 of 8