Waitakere United Match Day Programme, March 29^th 2008

By Andrew Dewhurst

The bloodletting must stop, it is time to concentrate on how to put things right.

The recent resignation of NZF CEO Graham Seatter will be welcomed by the Federations who demanded action after the recent financial announcement by the national body.

Seatter’s departure is one of a number from Head Office, a large percentage of which are surely linked to the four years of consecutive losses on the balance sheet.

But now the game must move on and solutions must be found. NZF Chairman John Morris has given long and distinguished service to the game and regardless of whether he continues in the role or not, he must be supported now in making the right decisions to take the game forward again.

A new CEO must be found, either by way of advertising or by head hunting if the board feels they have the right person in their sights. But the board must first be sure they have in place the right strategy to lead the game over the next three years and ensure the personnel employed to carry out that work are best qualified to do so.

There is ground to make up with the Federations (not all of which are blameless or without their own faults through this process) and ground to make up with the general public by way of the media and their reporting of the decision making process and appointment of key staff.

And the media are watching closely given recent events. Without quite ‘preying’ on every move, they are certainly taking a keen interest in the operational and strategic shift initiated by the board and will pounce if they sense a mistake looming.

There is much that is good and much that needs protecting in the game. The Federations seem to be on an upward path towards financially sustainability and sound management principles, the NZFC while left to its own devices in recent times is still a league of great potential, the National Youth League ditto and of course we have the upcoming hosting of the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup, that is not to mention the great work of the Phoenix and the prospect of national teams at FIFA World Cup tournaments.

The incoming Board and CEO must be encouraged to make the right strategic planning decisions but then be allowed to follow that path and make the hard calls along the way.

All of which must of course be for what FIFA used to have as their motto ‘for the good of the game.’ That after all is surely what we are all concerned about in the end.