Welsh settles concerns over future of junior football in the North West
There are growing concerns over the future of junior football in the north west of the state after an emergency meeting was setup to look at possible actions to improve the status of play in the North West of the state.
Last Friday around 50 people attended a public football forum to raise concerns to Football Federation Tasmania CEO Richard Welsh about the state of play for junior competitions in and around the North West.
It is understood that currently while some clubs are doing work to ensure that pathways exist for players and opportunities are created other clubs stand by and watch numbers decline.
The future of the Ulverstone SC is a great concern for the North West with as little as 25 players registered accross three age groups 14's, 16's & 18's.
Football Federation Tasmania CEO Richard Welsh stressed that "Growth in all aspects of the game is important, particulary the juniors. While the interest in the game is at an all time high, we do ned to take a good look at how our game is delivered around the state. ther is a lot of competition for a young person's time these days and we need to ensure that the Football product is appealing at local level."
Welsh who has made no secret that his main ambition this year is raising the participation rates at grass roots level stated "It is important that whatever changes we make are strategically correct and not just a bandaid approach. We held a public football forum on Friday in Devonport which was well supported with around 50 stakeholders present. I see this as the first of many ways to engage with the key people on the coast as we pave a new path for Junior football. The key takeaway message that I got from the night was that people acknowledge the current structure is not the best option and so now FFT wiill work with the clubs and associations on the coast to get the structure right and head in the direction that allows for the growth of the game."
OTKTB was also able to get some figures on recent registration numbers in the area.
Devonport Juniors rose from 1180 in 2012 to 1212 in 2013.
While Ulverston Juniors rose from 349 in 2012 to 405 in 2013.