EXECUTIVE BOARD UPDATE- September 2024

As we move towards the end of another massive year, it’s a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and outline what's next for our Club.

In 2024, we have continued to grow in membership numbers, in particular in women and girls, have expanded across all skill centres, academy and holiday programmes, had further success with the Women’s Premier side making the Kate Sheppard Cup final and National League again, and haveachieved a major milestone with our Men’s Premier side qualifying for National League for the first time. With Springs teams also in the Boys and Girls National leagues that started earlier this month, there is still plenty of football ahead for the Club.

Off the field, the Club developed its first ever Women & Girls Plan and adopted a new constitution a ta Special General Meeting held on 28 July – both major steps forward. Find out more about the Women & Girls Plan here and the constitution and its implications here.
The Executive Board has also been leading the development of a Club strategy, using the member feedback provided earlier this year and working with our Committees, Heads of Football, and the Women & Girls Working Group. The strategy is an aspirational plan that provides direction for the Club over the next five years. It sets the priorities for the Club, guides the allocation of resources and enables the Executive Board to track progress on these priorities.

Further details, including the strategy document will be shared in the coming weeks.

Earlier this year, the Executive Board commissioned an independent review of our overall governance and operations. The review highlighted many of the Club’s strengths including our high-quality turf and facilities, growing membership, well run in-house junior football competitions, theongoing success with our performance teams, and our loyal and passionate volunteers. Weaknesses  were also identified including some of our financial processes, the increasing strain on our volunteer base and existing staff from ongoing growth, the challenges of managing a long list of stakeholders,and the need for greater focus on generating revenue to ensure the Club is financially sustainable into the future.

In response to the review and its recommendations, we’re excited to announce the creation of a General Manager position to lead the operational management of the Club and help achieve ourstrategic goals and vision. The position will be advertised in early October with an appointment planned prior to the end of the year, ready to kick-start the 2025 season. Look out for the job posting via club comms, and please share with any potential candidates in your networks.

The Executive Board thanks members for your continued support and looks forward to sharing more news on our progress in the months ahead.

Grant Ramsay, Executive Chair, on behalf of the WSAFC Executive Board