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FOOTBALL Federation Australia should immediately implement the findings of an independent national public inquiry into the game by Football Australia for the benefit of all stakeholders, says FA founding member Clive Palmer.

FA Independent Commissioner Gary Collis presented the findings of his public inquiry in Brisbane today, which include recommendations for the corporate structure of the FFA to be broken down.

“The findings of this inquiry should be used as a catalyst for change as they reflect the views of the Australian football community,” he said.

Mr Collis compiled his findings and recommendations after an extensive tour of the country to attend hearings in Brisbane, Townsville, Newcastle, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, where he heard submissions from a wide cross-section of the football community keen to express their views.

The 48-page document will be distributed to a broad range of organisations, including FFA, media outlets, football associations and key stakeholders, as well as members of parliament at both state and federal levels.

Terms of reference covered the failure of the Olyroos to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics, the high cost of junior participation, the degree of encouragement provided to women to participate in the game, the structure, governance and sustainability of the A-League in its current form, as well as any other matters of importance to the game.

Mr Palmer thanked Mr Collis for his diligent work and said the inquiry’s findings should herald a new era of accountability and transparency in the game that could only benefit football’s future.

“Our aim has been to press for transparency in the game and bring heightened awareness to the issues that the football community considers to be vital to the game’s wellbeing and progress,” he said.

“The FFA has already adopted many recommendations I had made over a long period of time while I was with Gold Coast United.

“The inquiry and its findings show a significant level of disenchantment at grassroots level and beyond. These are the views of football community and the issues raised should now be taken seriously, and acted upon, by the governing bodies at national and state levels.

“I understand that FFA is beginning a process of listening to the views of A-League club owners who invest millions of dollars into the sport and this principle should also be extended to the wider football community.

“I am no longer a shareholder of an A-League club but I still have concerns for the players and the fans of the game.”

Mr Collis thanked everyone who gave submissions, either at the hearings around the country or by phone, for their honesty and insight when expressing their views or concerns.

“Every contributor had something to offer and I commend both the passion and integrity of all the individuals or groups I met or spoke with,” he said.

“What is clear is that many people who love the game, and are involved in the game, lack confidence in the current administration at FFA and their concerns should be addressed.”

SOME media snippets from mid to late April and early May. Click the links to go to the story.

Palmer’s Football Australia officials in Newcastle (Newcastle Herald – 12 April)

Fink: Palmer has right to sponsor Adelaide (ESPNstar – 20 April)

AFC makes new rules after Adelaide United’s failed sponsorship rebellion (Adelaide Now – 20 April)

As NRL memberships surge next challenge is ensuring enough seats for bums (Sportsbizinsider – 21 April)

Hearings ‘hampered by fear’ (Hobart Mercury – 21 April)

Watchdog bears its teeth over FFA awards gaffe (Adelaide Now – 23 April)

Red-faced FFA vows to probe medal fiasco (The Australian – 24 April)

Medal mix-up just part of A-League’s year of shambles and shemozzles (Sydney Morning Herald 24 April)

Tony Sage labels the mix-up over the Marston Medal presentation as ‘amateurish’ (The Australian – 24 April)

Fink: Time for FFA to explain Bid Book (ESPNstar – 27 April)

Owners must make united stand for the good of the game (Sydney Morning Herald – 29 April)

Jets fans deserve better treatment (Newcastle Herald – 2 May)

Moore calls for discussion on code (Central Telegraph – 2 May)

The rights stuff: How Lowy-Tinkler deal put FFA back on course for a league broadcast bonanza (Sportsbizinsider – 3 May)

Sky Blues told to wait for Arnold (Sydney Morning Herald – 3 May)

After visiting  Brisbane, Townsville, Newcastle, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth, Collis will now begin compiling his findings into a final report after what he described as an ‘informative but startling’ series of hearings.

According to Collis, one of the most prominent topics in submissions during the course of the inquiry has been the cost of junior football and the feeling among many parents that junior funds are wrongly used to support senior activity.

“There is a strong feeling that FFA and the state federations view junior football across the country as a cash cow or a well of money that they can dip into when they need to,” Collis said.

“To many parents there is certainly no sense of tangible value in return for what they have to pay in order for their children to play football.

“A sense of disconnect exists between juniors and the state governing bodies and FFA. That disconnect also extends to the A-League according to what I’ve been told in submissions.

“FFA’s mantra of community engagement being critical to success should apply to them also because there are a lot of people out there who don’t feel part of the ‘football family’.

“This is highlighted by the fact that I’ve heard the same terms and phrases used frequently in many submissions including ‘undemocratic’, ‘lack of transparency’ and ‘no accountability’.

“The last few weeks have been disturbing in terms of what we’ve heard from the football community and their perception of their relationship with the state federations and FFA.”

Collis said the subject of junior development was poignantly addressed by one contributor whose statement linked the issue with Australia’s failed World Cup bid.

“One gentlemen’s submission resonated with me in particular. He commented that the near fifty million dollars spent by FFA trying to host the World Cup would have been better spent trying to actually win the World Cup by investing it into junior development,” he said.

The final report will be delivered by the end of May.

The high cost of junior football, especially at elite level, was of major concern, as was the considerable expense involved for coaches to further their expertise and qualifications by undertaking accredited coaching courses.

“It was interesting to speak with some coaches and in particular a former player who is trying to get into coaching but is finding the cost of gaining the correct qualifications prohibitively expensive,” said Collis.

“The other hot topic surrounded the costs involved for youngsters to progress into elite programs. The general feeling was that the better the youngster is the more expensive it becomes for him or her to move up through the various levels of development.

“This is a financial outlay that many working class families cannot afford, so in a way the system discriminates against those who are not as financially secure as others.

“In the media recently there has been a lot of debate about the current state of the A-League and that was certainly reflected in many of the submissions we received.

“The hearings in Sydney went very well, particularly on the second day when we had a lot of contributors and didn’t get finished until well after eight o’clock in the evening.

“There were quite a few groups who came along and I met with representatives from four federation clubs and two individuals who are connected to the media, but also involved in the game as well.

“We go to Adelaide next week and indications are that we will be very busy there so we’re looking forward to hearing what people have to say about the game.”

The FA Public Inquiry will complete its submission and hearing process next week with two days in Adelaide and one in Perth.

……………………………………………………………………………..

ADELAIDE (at the Hilton Adelaide, 233 Victoria Square)

Monday 23 April: Afternoon 2pm – 4pm. Evening 6pm – 8pm

Tuesday 24 April: Afternoon 12pm – 2pm. Evening 5pm – 8pm

……………………………………………………………………………..

PERTH (at the Duxton Hotel, 1 St George’s Terrace)

Thursday 26 April: Evening 4pm – 8pm

The hearing will be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor and kicks off at 12.00pm (which is one hour later than the original scheduled time) and runs until 3.00pm.

Inquiry Commissioner Gary Collis said football supporters in the region should take the opportunity to have their say on the game, good or bad.

“This inquiry is a chance for anyone who has an interest in football to air their views on the game,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if their view is positive or critical, we want to hear it. We’re there to provide a forum to football people so they can say what is good and not so good about our game.

“It’s important that the views of Tasmanians are included in the final report,” he added.

Schuhkraft: No transparency at FFA (Sportal Australia – 4 April)

Gold Coast A-League bid left shattered (Wide World of Sports – 4 April)

United joins Gold Coast sporting graveyard (Brisbane Times – 4 April)

Western Sydney A-League team unveiled (SBS The World Game – 4 April)

Why Western Sydney is FFA’s field of dreams (sportsbizinsider.com.au – 4 April)

We can cope: codes fire back as suburbs become even more crowded (Brisbane Times – 5 April)

Gold Coast A-League bid left shattered (The Roar – 5 April)

Fraser unimpressed by A-League announcement (ABC Newcastle – 5 April)

Western Sydney rush job a folly (ESPNstar – 5 April)

FA’s Public Inquiry into the current state of Australian football will incorporate new user-friendly times from next week as Commissioner Gary Collis heads to Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth.

Scheduled afternoon hearings in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and will remain, but morning sessions have been cancelled and replaced by early evening sessions to provide greater public access.

The Perth hearing originally set down for 25 April has been cancelled due to ANZAC Day services and replaced with an extended afternoon/evening session on 26 April (4.00pm – 8.00pm).

Feedback from the football public was the catalyst for the move, with Collis taking many calls from contributors who couldn’t make it to a daytime hearing due to work or other commitments.

Collis added that another option was also available to anyone who wished to air their views but were unable to do so inside the formal hearing environment.

“The message to those who are still concerned about coming along to one of the hearings is simple – give the Secretary, Steve Fitzsimmons, a call on 0478 725 707 and we will meet you outside of the hearing times if necessary or you can request a telephone hearing,” he said.

THE terms of reference for FA’s National Public Inquiry into the state of the game in Australia have been expanded to include matters concerning the A-League after the news yesterday that the Hunter Sports Group has withdrawn its support for Newcastle Jets.

FA CEO Archie Fraser said it was a logical step to expand the scope of the inquiry following the dramatic news on Tuesday that rocked the very foundations of the game and had supporters up in arms.

“Given the events of yesterday and the numerous requests we’ve received to include the A-League in the inquiry, the FA Board has made the decision extend the terms of reference,” Fraser said.

“The Commissioner, Gary Collis, has been informed and we are expecting some significant feedback in the coming days.

“We were all surprised and concerned when we heard the news from Newcastle and the potential ramifications for the league as a whole.

“Judging by the commentary on social media sites where fans have aired their views on the Newcastle situation, those concerns are shared by a great many football supporters.

“The FA Public Inquiry now has the scope for them to express their views on the matter and have their say on what is clearly a very disturbing development that does not reflect well on the sport.”

After kicking off in Brisbane yesterday the FA Public Inquiry was in Townsville today before heading to Newcastle tomorrow morning (Thursday 12 April).

The Newcastle Inquiry hearing will be held at the Crowne Plaza (Wharf Road, Newcastle) from 9.00am – 12.00pm. Commissioner Gary Collis will be available to media at the conclusion of the hearing.

The new terms of reference are as follows:

- The bid and subsequent failure by the Australian Olympic football team (more commonly known as the Olyroos) to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.

- The high cost of junior football and what can be done to alleviate such costs to encourage greater participation in football in Australia. The Commission will deliberate on:

… The equity of applying such a fee and the affordability of it for the families of such children; and

… whether the application of the fee is compatible with the stated objective of FFA to promote the game of football through youth and development programs.

- The degree of encouragement to women to participate in football in Australia. Consideration will be given to the financial support provided by FFA in respect of this and whether FFA provides equitable resources and opportunities to women in a non- discriminatory way that is compatible with FFA`s stated objective to provide a sport environment free of discrimination.

- The structure, governance and sustainability of the A-League in its current form.

- Any other matter of importance or significance to the game of football.

The inquiry kicked off in Brisbane on Tuesday 10 April with Collis encouraged by the quality of the submissions from contributors.

“There have been some very extensive submissions and a lot of the issues raised were around the accountability of football in Queensland, both on and off the pitch. The submissions were very open, very honest and very productive,” he said.

“I’ve been quite surprised at the level of concern expressed in the submissions and the news yesterday that Newcastle Jets have handed back their A-League licence only highlights the fragmentation in the game at the moment.

“Given the events of the last 24 hours I think the FFA should take the final report from this inquiry very seriously. Now is not a time for them to put their heads in the sand,” Collis added.

ONE of the leading members of the business consortium bidding to save Gold Coast United, local businessman and mayoral candidate Tom Tate, has expressed his disappointment that his syndicate has been overlooked by FFA in favour of a new A-League team in Western Sydney.

With the fourth NSW A-League franchise to be announced today, leaving just one in Queensland, Tate said he feels ‘strung along’ by the sport’s governing body.

“We were transparent about our model and we put it together in just two weeks. Do I feel like we’ve been strung along? A bit like that, yes,” Tate said.

“I would have thought if they were considering our bid seriously then Western Sydney would have been put on hold. Western Sydney can’t just be born overnight, so it’s obvious to me that our bid wasn’t taken seriously. They never came back to us and said ‘we like your offer, but can you expand on this point or that point’.

“Our motive to save the club was pure. It was simply to keep professional football on the Gold Coast. We were never told what hurdles we needed to jump over in order to get the licence.

“I feel that the commitment from FFA for professional football to remain on the Gold Coast was not there.

“It appears to me that this is not solely about the game itself, it’s about egos that exist at the highest levels of FFA and that’s why we couldn’t save Gold Coast United,” he said.

Spokesman for the supporters’ arm of the consortium, Nathan Mulhearn, added his dismay, saying he was equally disappointed with the process.

“We’re not shocked at the outcome, but we’re shocked at the lack of decency shown to us. They didn’t even let us know and kept stringing us along. We finally got a phone call from FFA this morning to tell us they would be announcing Western Sydney today,” Mulhearn said.

“You think when you’re involved in these situations, rather than looking in from the outside, that things would be done a little bit differently to what you imagine. FFA clearly haven’t learned from their mistakes (with North Queensland Fury) and you have to ask, are they going to?

“Western Sydney should be the twelfth or fourteenth team, not the tenth. When are we likely to get twelve or fourteen teams and where are they going to come from now?

“I’ve spoken to some Gold Coast United supporters this morning and read feedback on social media and the overwhelming view is that the A-League, as of today, is dead to them now. They’re not going to go to any other games and I think our only interest in the league will be a passing interest in some players who used to play for Gold Coast United.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Foxtel subscriptions were cancelled as well.”

It is now inevitable that Gold Coast United will join North Queensland Fury in the Queensland football graveyard, leaving only Brisbane Roar as the state’s single representative in the national competition.

The sorry situation left a saddened Mulhearn lamenting FFA’s 2011/12 season tagline of ‘We Are Football’.

“Obviously we’re not are we? The Gold Coast mustn’t be part of that mantra. Perhaps our slogan should be ‘we were football, but we’re not anymore, apparently’.

“The whole ‘we are football’ thing must only apply if you’re part of the A-League. We’re now clearly in the same basket as clubs like Sydney Olympic, South Melbourne and Marconi,” he said.