Director Report Greg Buechner

2020, what a year o f challenges. Nobody could have foreseen the up heaval in our d aily lives d ue to Co vid-19. The p atience and support fro m the clubs when the situation was unkno wn to the many online meetings in finalising the season was unb elievable. I can o nly co mmend the clubs for the implementation of their Co vid safety p lans and the co mmunication to their players, coaches, managers and parents to support these p rograms to ensure the safety for all.

I wo uld like to take the opportunity to thank the Board and the NFA staff for their support and willing ness to work together towards making a viable competition in 2020.

I wo uld like to start first b y acknowledging under d ifficult circumstances the great work and enthusiasm provided b y the NFA staff members James, Frank, Alicia, Eric and our newest memb er Brayden. Thank you all for your support and guidance and the tireless work you p ut in to ensure the shortened season went ahead. To Sue and Laurie a special thank you f o r the support you p rovide to assist the management committee of NFC. A big thank you to Lind a, this year has b een unique and the work you have achieved und er changing situatio ns at the beginning of the year has b een nothing short of amazing. I think that the seaso n was successful through your successful interaction with the clubs.

I wo uld like to thank the clubs for the continual hospitality and extending a warm welcome d uring the club visits. This year’s visits were severely hampered by the Covid-19 p andemic ho wever, this process continues to develop relationships between the Board and the Club Co mmittees and generates wo rthwhile healthy d iscussion. These visits highlight the p assion and commitment for the game from the club ad ministrators, parents, and the p layers.

The reintro d uction of the Co ach and Manager Ro adshow Presentation were well received, ho wever, the f inal presentation in Penrith was cancelled due to the pandemic. The intro d uction of the electronic team sheet was a success and I b elieve from d iscussion at the f ield s that there were mo re positives than negatives in the implementation.

With the Bo ard s goal of promoting football as a year ro und sport the continual growth of the NFA Summer 6 a sid e Football Competition continues to be a major success. Although wo rk has b een carried out on the Jamison Park fields, the availability in the future of two synthetic fields for the Association is a hug e p lus.

The Nep ean Drag ons have b een a sub-committee of the Association that provides football services to children and ad ults in o ur community with special needs. This year 2020 has b een a memo rab le o ne for the Nep ean Football Dragons as they have become affiliated to NFA as an ind ep endent club. They also found a new ho me at The Blue Hills Oval in

Glenmo re Park, a superb facility for their needs. Well d one to the committee to achieve this g o al, the future is bright.

The NRG co ntinues to develop and p rovide a p athway for the d evelopment of the young ref erees. Assessments are continuing to assist ref erees and improve their technical kno wled ge and d ecision making o n the field of play. As a referee, I have continued to imp ro ve my approach and technical knowledge thro ugh the assessment p rocess at NRG. Altho ugh referee numbers did not increase in 2020 I have witnessed the o utcome of the hard wo rk the NRG Co mmittee has performed to educate the current gro up and I am sure are p lanning for a successful 2021 Winter Season. Great job.

Enjo y the summer months and I lo ok forward to seeing you around the fields in 2021.

Greg Buechner

NFA Bo ard Member