NORTHERN NSW Football chief David Eland said the sport still offered “outstanding value” despite slight increases to his organisation’s part of registration fees.
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Registrations for NNSWF competitions open on Thursday and the federation is celebrating 10 years of major sponsorship from Newcastle Permanent and a new three-year partnership. NNSWF said Newcastle Permanent had invested $2.5 million and more than 9000 free footballs to entry level players.
However, Eland said a range of factors, including the new facilities funding scheme, had led to a rise in fees of $2 (entry level) to $6 (seniors) per player.
“We haven’t increased our entry level rego fee for three years and any other for two years, but like any organisation, our costs keep going up, so the board deemed it appropriate to increase fees ever so slightly,” Eland said.
Despite the rise, he said the game “is not expensive”.
“It does cost more than some other sports but when you compare it to many other recreational pursuits, when you look at how long the season is, the number of training sessions and games, it’s still outstanding value,” he said. “And the government’s active kids rebate is certainly going to make it more affordable for families this year with $100 per school-aged child.”
Eland said every player from Mini-Roos to NPL will contribute to the facilities fund, raising about $250,000. NNSWF will also inject $100,000 from its coffers to the scheme.
He hoped the success of the finals-bound Jets in the A-League and W-League would help increase participation in the game.
“Our national teams are smashing it on the international stage and our local A-League and W-League teams are currently very competitive which stirs a real sense of pride and passion for the game,” he said
“Combine this with the announcement that Newcastle Permanent will continue their support for another three years and football in NSW is well positioned for a successful 2018 season.”
