NEWS
Page 10 12 January 2022
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Football Australia deregisters Central Coast Football Central Coast Football has been de-registered by both Football Australia and Football NSW after failing to reach agreement with the two associations on fees and insurance. It is understood that Central Coast Football has secured its own insurances for the upcoming season in a move that will see all 24 football clubs and 15,000 active members on the Central Coast effectively become their own football association. Correspondence was received on December 31, 2021 from Football Australia’s CEO James Johnson advising that CCF would be deregistered from organised football in Australia and cease to be a member of Football NSW. The situation is not without precedent as footballers and clubs in Northern NSW have been unaffiliated with Football NSW for many years after disagreements decades ago. Northern NSW Football is now a respected
Gosford Dragons in action at Pluim Park. Archive 2016
association affiliated with Football Australia. What’s it all about? From correspondence CCN has viewed it appears the disagreement started last year in relation to three points of contention.
The first was in relation to the overall high cost of insurance cover, the second had to do with extending the insurance cover to non-completion games, such as Soccer 5s and trial matches. The third was about refunding some of last year’s registration
fees due to COVID and matches not played. In a statement to local clubs and players CCF management said: “Football Australia and Football NSW are not agreeable with our position, and we have met with CEOs and senior executives from both bodies
several times. “A temporary concession was granted from FA on point 1 (albeit with significant unacceptable conditions and FNSW indicated their preparedness to negotiate on point 2 (but provided nothing concrete albeit the 2022
season was imminent), however point 3 was totally unacceptable to both FA and FNSW. FA sought advice from FIFA who directed that CCF must not be allowed to ‘fracture the football family’ and should our position not change we should not be allowed to participate in ‘organised football’. As a result CCF is now no longer affiliated with either Football Australia and Football NSW. Local players need not despair, the local football season between the local clubs will go ahead as normal. CCF has secured the necessary insurances and maintains the organisational capacity to run the season. Registrations for the 2022 season open this week and can be done through the usual online channels accessible through the Central Coast Football website. David Abrahams
Reid calls for better supply of rapid tests COVID-19 concerns dominated the Central Coast over the Christmas-New Year holiday period, with residents queueing for many hours at testing clinics and a drastic shortage of homeadministered Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). As many residents reported queueing for five hours or more at testing clinics, some only to be turned away after the lengthy wait, the Federal Government announced changes on January 6 to encourage more use of RATs in an attempt to free up clinic queues. It announced up to 10 Rapid Antigen Tests would be provided over three months to various concession card holders at
pharmacies and said only those with symptoms or who are close contacts should line up for a clinic test. Those who test positive on a RAT no longer need to confirm with a clinic test and residents have been made more responsible for their own isolation periods. The only problem was that even as we went to press, a huge shortage of RATs on the Coast has left many stranded with no means of self-testing. Labor Candidate for the seat of Robertson, Dr. Gordon Reid, last week called on the Federal Government to ensure the Coast community has access to free RATs as a matter of urgency. “The Australian Medical Association, our medical
professionals and our health workers have been calling for increased testing capacity and availability for months,” Reid said. “Once again, this government is not prepared.” Reid said with RATs in short supply, he had heard reports of residents parking their cars at Central Coast clinics overnight in
an attempt to secure a PCR test. “People are wanting to do the right thing and are genuinely trying,” he said. “However, with the inability to access or afford RATs, the inconceivable wait times for PCR tests and the unexpected closure of PCR testing sites, our community is feeling abandoned and vulnerable.”
Up to 10 Rapid Antigen Tests will be provided free at pharmacies over three months (a maximum of five in a month) to people holding the following cards: • Pension Concession Card • Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold, White or Orange Card • Health Care Card • Low Income Health Card
Reid said small businesses are short-staffed with enforced isolation absences and medical and testing staff are under severe strain. Meanwhile the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is calling for more RAT stocks for general practices and high risk locations such as aged care facilities. “We must do everything possible to ensure that anyone can access a Rapid Antigen Test when they need one,” RACGP President, Dr Karen Price, said. Catholic Health Australia (CHA) says RAT tests should be free for all Australians. CHA Chief Executive Pat Garcia said subsidising RATs only for those already receiving government payments is flawed.
“Fully funding COVID-19 testing, as governments have done since the start of the pandemic, is a very cost-effective way to help manage the enormous public health challenge COVID-19 presents,” Garcia said. “It is untenable to ask Australians to exercise personal responsibility for managing the risk of COVID-19 without ensuring they have the tools to do so.” The call has been seconded by the National Council of the St Vincent de Paul Society. National President, Claire Victory, said access to supply and cost are major issues for the Society with vulnerable people at increased risk of contracting COVID. Terry Collins
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