CLUB NEWS

Good afternoon parents and players,  

Please read carefully information provided below by Football South Coast in relation the competition summary update as of 27th May 2022. The links provided will give you further information based on each competition, starting with the FSC Competition Summary. 

As a committee, we fully understand everyone's frustration at the current wet weather and ground closures. We are also super keen to kick off our season at Terry Reserve, but please know we are working very hard behind the scenes with Shellharbour City Council and FSC to have as many games played as possible in the interim. We thank you for your continued support and patience during these unprecedented times.  

Note: When downloading the Excel spreadsheets, please ensure you use the tabs at the bottom of each sheet to provide you with the revised rounds.  

FSC Competition Summary Update - 27th May 2022: 

Revised Community League: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K2LeXZA_O3Gwaf7O_aJD-cizlzevLHEvvY2Y28-y9os/edit?usp=sharing  

Revised Junior Competition: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14sFJ9SjJCFwbbz5CD9qk7IuMcRrPQ4SoU4fxIW4Aw1A/edit?usp=sharing 

Revised Women's Competition: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Kr2abwGv5-L77YnELk0JF3prL04BGsXdjYyAUeR8UC8/edit?usp=sharing 

Furthermore, FSC have provided the following statement:  

Dear Member Clubs As per our last correspondence we indicated that 28 May would be the assumed resumption date.  Unfortunately the continued wet weather has meant there are still a number of grounds that are not operational and/or unavailable. On Thursday 26 May,  we had a conference call with FNSW and all other associations - the pain of the weather is being felt across the state and we are certainly not alone.  

The State Cup is likely to be cancelled and a lot of associations stated: 

• the focus was on the number of games and many would cancel final series. 

• There was an increasing number of insurance claims  as a result of injuries caused by spectators slipping on fields and walk ways, etc - this may have an impact on fees in the future. 

As a result of recent discussion with Councils and other key stakeholders, we have attached the following: 

• A summary document with the way forward for the remainder of the season 

• Competition grids for Community League, Women and Juniors indicating the proposed scheduling 

Refund Information and Fee Breakdown  

Here are some key points to be considered in relation to refund requests by players:  

* Player Registration Fees comprise of fees from a number of organisations.  This includes; Football Australia, Football NSW, Football South Coast and the local Club component.  These together make up the total player registration fee.    

* As an example an Under 13 player within the Junior competition will pay fees as follows; $14 to Football Australia (FA) via a National Registration Fee (NRF); $23 to Football NSW (FNSW), $35 to FSC and the club retains their portion of $90.  In this example the total registration fee paid by the player is $162 and for many junior players the Active Kids Voucher subsidises $100 of this fee. 

   

* Refunds cannot be obtained on the $100 Active Kids Voucher. 

* Each organisation will have their own policies in relation to potential refunds and credits.  FSC's policy can be found in the FSC Registration Regulations.  

* Many other associations include referee fees and ground hire in their fees - this is not the case for FSC.  This is paid for by Member Clubs.  Therefore there are associations who may cancel rounds and will not incur ground hire fees and referee fees and as a result they may be able to provide refunds or fee reduction the following year.  

* In 2020 and 2021, $190,000 was rebated by FNSW and FA and was passed to clubs, however there is unlikely to be any refunds / rebates for 2022 as recently advised by FNSW 

* In relation to FSC Fees specifically we note the following: 

o FSC fees are one of the lowest in the state this is because player fees are subsidised by the many other programs run by FSC (ie School Holiday Clinics, Summer Football, 5 A Side, etc).  These programs have also been impacted by the weather and have therefore impacted on the ability to provide any reduction on fees; 

 o On average across all clubs FSC collects 17% of player fees, 22% is collected by FNSW and FA and the remainder, approximately 60% is collected by our clubs; and 

o Our FSC necessary expenses will continue to apply regardless of the impacts of the weather this includes rent, electricity, staff costs, insurance and other overheads.  In fact some parts of our business are extremely busy (eg management of Ian McLennan Park).  In every other aspect FSC staff are working extremely hard behind the scenes to reschedule games, amend draws and provide timely updates to all of our stakeholders. 

In addition, please note FA, FNSW and FSC components cannot be refunded for players whose deregistration was finalised after 30 April. The Club component or part thereof can be refunded after this date as per your own policy.  

We thank you for your continued patience and understanding.  We will also look to provide relevant information to our registered players with some clarification on the season plan and fee breakdowns. 

Yours in football, 

Football South Coast