New dawn for GV soccer

 

November 13 2014

Shepparton News

Goulburn North East Football Association clubs have agreed in principle to dissolve the body and hand its competition management and administration to Football Federation Victoria.

The clubs met with association president Frank Trimboli and FFV chief operations manager Tim Frampton at the Carrington on Tuesday to discuss the league’s future .

There were three options tabled — continuing under the GNEFA banner, a possible merger with another competition and finally the option of dissolving GNEFA and handing competition management to FFV.

The meeting lasted two hours and the preferred outcome was handing league administration and management to FFV.

Club presidents from Shepparton, Shepparton South, Shepparton United, Tatura and Kyabram were all present as well as a representative from Numurkah.

Cobram Soccer Club president John Ventre was also there, as the Tigers have not formally dissolved to merge with Cobram Victory and form Cobram Roar yet.

Roar has applied to play in Albury Wodonga Football Association next season, but could still play in the new FFV-administered competition next season if AWFA knocks back its bid.

Shepparton South president Gino Cirillo said the outcome was an exciting one for soccer.

‘‘That was the most positive meeting we’ve had,’’ Cirillo said.

‘‘I think there are exciting times to come.’’

Cirillo said there was still enough local interest to merit a Goulburn Valley soccer competition and believed an FFV-administered competition was the best way for such a competition to go forward.

The move will have GNEFA go the same way as the defunct Geelong Regional Football Committee, which handed its administration to FFV three years ago.

Lara Soccer Club president Tony Horrocks said it had been a positive move for local competition in Geelong.

‘‘It’s certainly added a level of professionalism to the running of the league,’’ Horrocks said.

‘‘Everything they’ve said was going to happen has happened and we haven’t looked back, really.

‘‘There was a bit of concern that we would lose complete control of the league but we have the Geelong Regional Football Association which has a delegate from each club which still can make calls about the local game and talks to FFV about the local requirements.’’

Frampton will prepare a package detailing what FFV will provide and the costs incurred.

GNEFA will then give all clubs 21 days’ notice of its intention to dissolve and formally complete the process at its annual meeting, should no-one oppose, next month.

Under the Geelong model, FFV will create a new competition and pay a part-time local competition administrator to work on the competition, look after all fixtures and handle all discipline issues.

A local regional committee will be formed by a delegate from each club and advise the FFV on regional issues.

Outgoing GNEFA president Frank Trimboli, who called for the FFV to step in back in September, said the outcome was the only viable solution.

‘‘For the competition to survive, it has to be run by the state body,’’ Trimboli said.

‘‘I think it’s good for the sustainability for the competition, and council might assist more than it has if the state body is involved — so there will be a lot of benefits, even if we lose some of our personal touch.’’