They say football is a funny game, but the politics of football are far from funny if you care about the game. This is from FIFA all the way down to club level.
There have been some issues at local level here in Western Australia now for a number of years. Yet despite a number of concerned people asking questions of the relevant Government departments, who are meant to Police these issues, which are governed by Australian law, they are waved away and labelled “trouble-makers.”
One even received a letter from the then State Minister for Sport advising them that they heard that a meeting had been held between the parties concerned and that they were pleased that everything had been resolved. No meeting had been arranged and no meeting had taken place.
There are at the moment a number of questions that are perplexing.
Why would someone go to such lengths as to have the constitution changed so that they could stay on for an extra term as Chairman, a term that is four years, only to quit a year later?
Why would that person not quit at the AGM, or at least announce their decision to step down at that time? Why resign just 16 days after the AGM?
Why would an “Appointed Board Member” stay on beyond the two year term stipulated in the Constitution? An “Appointed Board Member is co-opted onto the Board rather than being elected by the Members.
Why would that person be happy to sit in an “Appointed Board Member” position for six years before putting themselves up for election as an “Elected Board Member?” Of course, once elected they can now stay on the board as an elected member for a further eight years.
However interestingly there is yet another twist in the tale this time around.
Having just been elected, and with the former Chairman stepping down, this newly Elected Member of the Board was then voted by their fellow Board Members to become the new Chair. Did this newly “Elected Board Member” know something no one else did? Was that why they suddenly nominated to be an elected Member?
With Mr Twigger’s surprise resignation 16 days after the AGM it means that the newly elected Chair like his predecessor is now entitled to request, as the previous Chair did, to stay on a for a third term. So they could to all intents and purposes remain Chair for 12 years, which would mean they had served on the Board for 18 years.
Although that will require the Constitution to be amended back to its original form. Something that has remarkably not been done in the past year. Section 10.12 still reads as per the approved amendment made on 30 March 2017 the day before the Annual General Meeting.
- Exception to article 10.11
- (a) Despite article 10.11, but subject always to articles 10.12(b) and 10.12(c), Liam Twigger is eligible to stand and be elected as a Director for a third consecutive four year term at the annual general meeting related to the financial year ended 31 October 2016;
- (b) If Liam Twigger is elected as a Director for a third consecutive four year term at the annual general meeting related to the financial year ended 31 October 2016 and he is elected as Chairman in accordance with article 10.3 following the annual general meeting related to the financial year ended 31 October 2016, then Liam Twigger is eligible to serve one further consecutive four year term provided always that he holds the position of Chairman at all times during that term. After the end that further term, Liam Twigger may not be elected again as a Director until the second subsequent annual general meeting;
- (c) If Liam Twigger is elected as a Director for a third consecutive four year term at the annual general meeting related to the financial year ended 31 October 2016 and he is:
- (i) not elected as Chairman in accordance with article 10.3 following the annual general meeting related to the financial year ended 31 October 2016 then Liam Twigger ceases to be eligible to serve the one further consecutive four year term and he must resign effective immediately; or
- (ii) elected as Chairman in accordance with article 10.3 following the annual general meeting related to the financial year ended 31 October 2016 and then subsequently ceases to hold the position of Chairman at any time during the third consecutive four year term, then he must resign effective immediately;
The recurring question has to be why do these people seek to stay on the Board beyond the terms originally set out in the Constitution? What is the motivation, as it is arguable as to whether the game has progressed in the past ten years? Yes, participation rates have increased but Football West has less than 20% of those participants registered with them. A fact that should raise another set of questions as to why this is the case. Is it the fees? Why are people playing the game happier away from the State bodies’ competitions?
Surely the free tickets to Socceroos and Matildas games given to Board members by the FFA cannot be the motivation? If so, that is a remarkably sad state of affairs, as most on the Board are in a position to be able to afford to purchase air fares and match tickets.
So is it the chance to rub shoulders with those high up in business on the East coast holding key positions in the FFA, or to get through the door and meet senior Politicians?
It would be good to know why we are seeing these individuals so desperate to cling on to their positions on the Board.
It was understandable that when Football West was created that the Board needed stability, and that was why the Four year terms of office were put in place. Former Chair, Kevin Campbell admitted before his term came to an end that the game may be better served if these were reduced in line with corporate boards, to two or three years terms. Yet still no changes have been made as consecutive members of the Board have claimed that the FFA ‘would not approve such changes.’
If businesses continue to work on five year plans, and the ideal period for a CEO to stay with a company is seven years, (Harvard Business School Recommendation) why would Board Members stay on longer than both of these respected time-frames? More importantly should Board members be allowed to stay on longer than their intended terms?
There is already a mechanism in place for the transition of Board members with a rotation policy to ensure continuity. So surely the time frames originally deemed to be in the best interests of the game and those playing it should be adhered to? After all they were arrived at with the aim of carrying the game forward and looking after its future. That was why the old regime was closed down and all the facets of the game brought under one roof and under one brand, to give the game unity, and more power when negotiating with Government bodies and sponsors.
Of course there are people with the power to Police the Constitution, to enforce what is written, and ensure that there is no abuse of power. Many of those who have had the courage to speak up have been silenced, and the clubs they are associated with threatened. So change becomes hard. Answers become even harder to find.
Maybe the best way to try and sum up the situation is in the words of Burmese politician, diplomat, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi who stated, “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”
Excellent article Ashley.
Whilst I would love to add to a number of points you made the standout sentence of the whole article was this:
“One even received a letter from the then State Minister for Sport advising them that they heard that a meeting had been held between the parties concerned and that they were pleased that everything had been resolved. No meeting had been arranged and no meeting had taken place”
You see, herein lies the ONLY reason why Football West has been able to do what they have done for decades now. There has never been any supervision or governance of them thereby meaning no accountability.
So on they go hiding information from their website and playing their pathetic positional games in the shadows all the while perpetually pointing to registration number in an already growing city as some laughable justification for what they do and a barometer of immense achievement.
At the end of the day, as sure as there is one of them reading this, the one thing they cannot hide or deny is the widespread discontent and lack of respect for what they do by the games stakeholders.
We know who they are, we just don’t have a modicum of respect for them.
The game literally runs itself.