It is sad to say that the templates released yesterday by Football West for the National Premier Leagues in Western Australia were nothing short of embarrassing, and showed quite simply how out of touch the game’s administration is from the coalface of running a club.
The document advocated the following time commitment from the various club officers: President – 3-4 hours per week, Secretary – 2-3 hours per week, Treasurer – up to 2 hours per week, Media/Marketing Officer – up to 2 hours per week.
The NPL is supposed to be the new dawn of football yet these suggested commitments would be well below the hours these officials give their clubs currently.
The media/marketing officer is the most obvious to analyse. A first team game lasts 90 minutes, and as they are expected to tweet during the game, as well as update the club’s Facebook page and no doubt write a match report their two hours will soon be eaten up.
On top of this they are expected to ‘keep club supporters and other stakeholders informed, prepare the weekly/fortnightly/monthly newsletter and/or e-newsletter for club members and supporters.’ As they say in the adverts, but there is more, ‘in consultation with the Member Federation, provide the Council with positive club stories for monthly/quarterly newsletters and/or e-newsletter. In consultation with the Member Federation, provide local newspapers with a minimum of four positive club stories per year.’
We have yet to hear if the NPL has managed to broker a deal with local newspapers that will guarantee that these minimum of four stories will be published. This will be no easy task as very few editors will relinquish having editorial control. If a club does not achieve that minimum requirement, will they face a penalty?
Then there is the issue of clubs in the same local newspaper catchment area, presumably they are going to have to fight for coverage, which will mean a lot more work than the recommended two hours a week.
We will not analyse the expected duties to be carried out by the other officers in 2-4 hours a week, as it is abundantly clear to anyone who has ever been involved in a club that these figures have been hustled up by someone who has never actually worked at a club. Many will say they are embarrassing, in truth they are insulting. To be so totally unaware of the amount of time it takes to carry out such a role when you are supposed to be administering the game is offensive.
The over-riding question is on what did they base these figures, surely it can’t have been their own administration?
I agree wit hthat statement .. Just Thinking
President – 3-4 hours per week, Secretary – 2-3 hours per week, Treasurer – up to 2 hours per week,
That means they cannot help in the bar nor the canteen on the gate at home games or training nights —
I think we should have deputy or 2 for every position otherwise a club cannot fulfill the crap requirements FW spew out !
Roll on the Annual Meeting in Dec. I hear there may be legal person(s) from outside of FW attending – with Questions !!
Thank you for your comments, the common consensus is that these timeframes are way off the mark. It is sad that the administration is not aware of how much work all the volunteers at the clubs do. To have sent out something such as this must be a real slap in the face.
I know the President of a club in the SW and he is asking the question to his associations that his club plays in, if they can affiliate without affiliating to FW and FFA
(sorry, probably one to many affiliations in there, but hopefully you get my drift)
Those time frames are laughable. I reckon that must be the amount of time the board spend on football!
What a joke. Chris Correia does a hell of a lot more hours than this and he could tell ten how long a newsletter takes to put together. Bet they never even spoke to him and asked for his input.
As you say insulting – yet the clubs will all still sign up like lemmings.