CENTRAL COAST FOOTBALL

2022 saw Central Coast Football (CCF) endure another unprecedented season (for the third year running) as widespread wet weather saw clubs and teams sidelined for weeks at a time due to unplayable, waterlogged conditions.

None the less, clubs, coaches, team managers, volunteers and referees all worked through the endless reschedules and fixture changes to deliver a completed season and an amazing finals series for the first time since 2020.

The commencement of the season saw Central Coast Football apply discounts and process refunds to players amounting to over $590,000 from the 2021 cancelled competitions.

These refunds were made possible by scaling back costs and saving expenses due to the COVID-19 shortened season with savings on referee fees, reduction in fees payable to Central Coast Council and savings on player insurance.

Throughout the season, football participants lost hundreds of hours of playing and training due to the severe weather events and subsequent field closures. Winter rainfall for Greater Sydney was around 2.5 times the average, making the logistics of running the competition extremely complex for the administrators and over 2000 club volunteers.

A mid-season change to Average Points system when calculating competition ladders allowed CCF and clubs to create opportunity for as many football games to be played as possible, whilst maintaining competition integrity. The MyCompApp system again proved valuable in providing timely and accessible notifications to all stakeholders on a daily and sometimes hourly basis in the heavily affected season.

To mitigate the effect that wet weather has on fields, CCF have taken steps to address the strain on council grounds, with the 2022 offseason seeing over $260,000 in field drainage works undertaken at nine key football venues across the region.

This combined investment from the Association and clubs shows the commitment football is willing to make towards Council grounds to create better community facilities and enable greater participation for our code.

On behalf of the football community, CCF thanks its members for their time, effort, and enthusiasm, as well as their ongoing resilience and dedication to both club and community.

CCF would like to acknowledge the work of the Referee Council throughout the 2022 season, including Des Patch, Mark Roberts, Troy Ward and Warwick Barwell. Refereeing is a key priority area for CCF moving into the future, and the team’s guidance and support this year was appreciated by Clubs and players alike.

Finally, a thank you goes to the dedicated CCF staff for their work in 2022, grappling with yet another disrupted season. To Darren Sprod, Lindy Peters, Luke Dunkerley, Kristy

Robertson, Adam Blunden, Matt Page and Stacey Campbell, CCF thanks you for the approach you have taken to your work this year, showing an immense passion for the game and outstanding teamwork under challenging circumstances.

The challenges of 2022 showed that football is more than a game for the coast community. The passion, the family, and the sense of belonging that is achieved through participating in the beautiful game delivers immense value to all involved.