South West Regional Football Council
     South West Phoenix
     Development Teams

For the third time in a row, following the introduction of the concept in 2006, the team which finished bottom in Division One, has not been relegated to Sunday amatuers. It leaves clubs playing a guessing game through the season, and though they fight for their lives not to finish bottom, the knowledge of having no repurcussions of finishing last would be better for that club, and therefore better for the game itself. Ashfield finished bottom in 2008, but after meeting upon meeting, were told they would continue to play semi professional soccer. Surely soccer has become more professional than a team finishing last having to wait weeks after the season has finished to find out if it has a future in the league? Perhaps soccer has not come far enough yet.

Firstly, being relegated from Saturday Division One to Sunday amatuers is seemingly too large a penalty to pay for a bad season. A relegated club faces loss of players, loss of sponsors and a likely loss of a youth system. Our own club, South West Phoenix was 4th in 2004, 4th in 2005, last in 2006, 3rd in 2007 and 2nd in 2008. Potentially, Phoenix could have ceased to exist due to their last place in 2006, despite four good years either side of it. That would have been devestating for Phoenix and for WA soccer, especially given Phoenix's "extreme" youth policy which began in 2006 and is the foundation of its success of the last two years. Perhaps it would be wiser for clubs to have to meet certain criteria to avoid being relegated or thrown out of the competition.

While Phoenix struggled in 2006 with a very young club, Ashfield chose not to field a youth side at all, foreiting every match, but bought up in the senior squad and finished Runners Up in the league. They were not contributing to the game or the developement of young players, yet despite being the opposite of Phoenix in terms of development, were safe while Phoenix were in danger of extinction. Perhaps clubs who shun youth development pay the penalty in future years, with Ashfield finishing bottom in 2008 and still with a poor youth team. 2008 was seemingly a year for the "development" clubs, with Canning City and South West Phoenix taking years to build and evolve, with loyal, hard working players for both clubs who had come through Youth, Reserves and League over a number of years. Loyalty works both ways, and clubs who are loyal to their players will generally have that loyalty returned to them.

Soccers governing body needs to decide on a solid league format. Currently there are 24 teams in the semi professional leagues played on Saturday. Rather than teams finishing last and waiting to see if Sundays winner "wants""to move to Saturday, why not get expressions of interest of amatuer teams who do want to play Saturday soccer. Instead of two twelve team leagues, make three ten team leagues, with six teams-if possible-coming up from amatuers to form part of a third division, along with four sides from Division One. This way clubs can keep their semi professional status even if it is in a new "Division Two", but at least they don't risk being wiped from the face of the game. Reducing the Premier League from twelve to ten teams would be the biggest administrative headache. Division One teams need an incentive, so promotion for winning  Division One would have to be a must, but that would mean three down from Premier League in the given season, and that would leave some very tense and unhappy Presidents.

Either way, the relegation from Division One situation needs to be reviewed. In the last three years, it hasn't been envoked and having rules that may not be used one year, then used the next, make a mockery of any competition. Lets hope that clubs know where they stand from Round One, and the exact repurcussions of their final league standing.   

You may have noticed an article in some of Saturday’s papers which said that the Hyundai A-League and football in general is “in crisis”.

The writer (Rebecca Wilson) said the alleged “crisis” was the reason for the result between Adelaide United and Gamba Osaka in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League and that Adelaide was “humiliated”.

I thought it might be helpful to write to let you know just how wrong this view is.

For a start, I've always thought that a team which makes it to a final of a competition has actually performed very well.

Whether it be the NRL or AFL Grand Finals, the finals of the cricket One Day Internationals or finals of the Super 14s, it is generally accepted that the two teams competing have excelled to get that far.

Let's put Adelaide United's achievement in making it to the final of the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Champions League against Gamba Osaka into perspective. 

To get to the final, Adelaide had to:

(a)  finish as either minor premiers or champions of the Hyundai A-League to earn the right to represent Australia in the first place

(b)  come through a group stage playing six home and away matches against teams from Korea, China and Vietnam

(c)  navigate through the quarter finals and semi finals, playing a further four home and away matches, against one of the most successful teams in J-League history, Kashima Antlers, and Bunyodkor from Uzbekistan, and

(d)  meet another top team from the Japanese league which is widely considered the top national league in the Asian confederation.

Since 2006, we have been actively addressing the shortcomings of the sport with a long term plan for Australia to improve its technical skills and to achieve sustained success internationally. 

Last year, Football Federation Australia (FFA) released the first ever national strategic framework for the development of the sport in this country. 

It is a long term plan for Australia to achieve sustained success at international level within the historical context of a lack of investment in the critical area of football development over many decades. 

The national football development plan sets out a comprehensive program for improving and upgrading the game at every level and for all participants, whether they be players, coaches, referees, volunteers or other administrators.  The plan addresses development at two distinct levels:

Since then, we have delivered a number of the initiatives outlined in the national football development plan all of which have the aim of improving the skill levels and technical proficiency of players.  These include:

Small sided football is critical to our strategy as it gives children more touches of the ball, leading to improved skill levels.  After just one year, 70,000 children are playing small sided football and this number will increase further over the next two years.

It's one thing to produce good players, but we also need to produce good coaches.

While it's terrific to see the 'mums and dads' at weekend games helping out their children’s teams, we also want to ensure those mums and dads have the skills they need also to help children appropriately as they guide them in the early years.

To date, we have:

In time for the 2009 winter football season, we will have a new online course available for accredited coaches to supplement and complement certificate courses.

The article also suggested that the best players go overseas.

This is a reality which has been ever-present in football for 25 years and reflects the fact that football is the truly global game.

It is almost a rite of passage for talented young Australian players to try their luck in the bigger and richer leagues around the world, just as it is for young footballers from elsewhere such as South America.

It is a reality which other sports are only now just starting to experience as the epicentre of some of the other sports shifts. 

But with our large participant base, our nine national teams for men and women, and regular competitive opportunities through the Asian Football Confederation, the Hyundai A-League (along with the National Youth League and the Westfield W-League) will grow into a more and more significant competition and source of playing talent for national teams as the competition matures and evolves.

At the end of season 3 of the Hyundai A-League, average crowds were 15,350, club memberships increased by almost 100% on season 1 and FOX Sports continued to report increasing viewer numbers.

Even though there has been a small reduction in crowds to date in this season, we are light years ahead of the old national soccer league.

Expansion will not only give us the best geographical footprint of any national sporting competition in the country, but more teams will help make the competition even more vibrant and attractive. 

We are expanding to ten teams next season, with the addition of the Gold Coast and North Queensland Fury, and to twelve the season after. 

Even further growth of the Hyundai A-League will come from creating local heroes that young players can touch and see week-in, week-out and we are taking positive steps to ensure that we have enough quality players available.

Importantly, an expanded Hyundai A-League will also give clubs an extended season with more games which – as every coach and armchair expert knows – leads to improved skill levels, technical proficiency and match preparedness. 

So, far from being "in crisis" we are rebuilding from the grassroots up. 

Thank you for your commitment to football.

We hope to see you at a Hyundai A-League, National Youth League, Westfield W-League and Qantas Socceroos match in the very near future.

Cheers

Ben Buckley

Chief Executive Officer

Chairman's Perspective :

Over the last couple of months I have heard various rumors and mis-information regarding the South West Phoenix that have been disseminated amongst our Footballing community. Many of these have no truth or are a misrepresentation of the facts. I will identify the ones I am aware of and provide the truth and facts of the matter, or alternatively I can be contacted on 0423003359 if these rumors are not answered to your satisfaction. 

1.    Dual Registration : South West Phoenix have made an application to Football West on the 10th of October 2008 for dual registration for South West Phoenix Players to enable them to play for their local clubs should the players wish to do so. 

2.    Player Participation : It has been stated in various quarters that Phoenix are a closed shop and that we are elitist. South West Phoenix is the regional pathway for those who wish to play at a higher level than that available within the region. We will accept any player who either lives within the region or was developed from within the region regardless of their geographical location. We do have a couple of precursors - firstly the player has to have the ability to compete at the required level as determined by the respective coaches and secondly the player must be willing to make the necessary commitment to attend training sessions (inclusive of pre-season) and match days. In addition we do have a focus on Youth but this only forms a part of the considerations. This season, depending on numbers, we may well need to hold trials for the U23's and the U18's. From a Juniors perspective I believe that the respective coaches will hold trials for all the various age groups. We do acknowledge there maybe players playing in the South West that are worthy of inclusion in the Phoenix Teams however they have not made themselves available.  As such any player in the South West who wishes to be a part of the South West Phoenix regardless of their geographical location are invited to contact me on 0423003359 and I can put them in touch with our Head Coach.  

3.    Westrac Facility  : Some six months prior to the State Government election being called I requested a meeting to be held between the various Soccer Association to determine what form and where abouts a regional facility should take. In fact I requested for this meeting on more than one occasion. As time went on and with no meeting scheduled or no interest being shown in attending a meeting, plus the fact that I knew a State Election was close to being called, it was decided that SW Phoenix would progress this matter ourselves. To this end we had architect drawings undertaken to reflect the requirements of an "A" Class facility and had these costed. Also, letters of support were provided and I made representations to both sides of Parliament and the City of Bunbury. Based on these actions both the Liberal Party and the Labour Party supported our application for funding and have committed $500,000 towards the redevelopment of the Westrac Stadium with the City to also contribute along with SW Phoenix. It should be noted that the Lease is to be held by the SW Phoenix with 5 + 5 year lease being offered. Phoenix have not sought any financial contribution from any association or club to assist with the costs associated with the redevelopment or the operational costs of the building. It should also be noted that Phoenix have already spent a considerable amount of money on the facility such as the refurbishment of the kitchen, paving and the renewal of the fence.  It is imperative for Phoenix to have a facility that meets the requirements of an "A" Class facility by 2012 or we may be excluded from Football West competition. I have looked at a multitude of options that have previously been identified and new options such as Dalyellup and Australind, however, the funding is tied to the Hay Park precinct. It should also be noted that the State Government will not put anymore money into this as stated by the new Sport and Recreation minister just last week. In addition, facilities such as Mandurah and Rockingham are costed at approximately $4 million, which is way out of our budget.  Once the facility is redeveloped Phoenix will be open to any request from a Footballing club or association to use the facility or a portion of the facility on a user pay basis , dependent on issues such as (not inclusive)  prior bookings and the state of the playing surface.  

4.    Phoenix Inclusivity It is rumored that Phoenix is a closed shop! Wrong. The club is run by an executive elected by financial members. We have four members meeting per year and at each AGM one half of the board comes up for re-election. As such, all that is needed is for a person to make a membership application and that this application is accepted by the members. Following this, each person can have a say in whats going on, either at a members meeting, or by nominating for a board position or voting for your preferred candidate. 

5.    Zone 10 Phoenix are an independent not for profit club who plays in the FW State League and we are exclusively governed by the FW State League regulations. As such all requirements are dictated by FW in Perth. We are one of 24 clubs in the State League and these others clubs are our direct competitors. I have advised that SW Phoenix will be prepared to sit ex officio on a Zone 10 committee if requested but we need to remain independent due to the nature of the competition that we operate in. We have no intention of playing in the SW competition, except, we are toying with the idea of having a veterans team, purely for the social aspect.  

South West Phoenix received a number of quality applications for the below mentioned coaching positions, all applicants were interviewed by the Head Coach and the Chairman and the following recommendations from the Head Coach were accepted by the Board. It must be said that all applicants presented extremely well and the ultimate choice was not easy. The Committee would like to thank all applicants for taking the time to apply and making themselves available for interview for these positions.  

Head Coach - Micky Cairns

Under 23's    - Trent Hathaway

Under 18's    - Nigel Wilcox

Sponsorship SWP are looking for sponsorship for the 2009 season and beyond. We have had three sponsors decide not to re-commit due to the effects of the "Financial Crisis". If anybody can sponsor us or if anybody knows of an individual or company that can sponsor us please contact John McCleary on either 0423003359 or jlm@wn.com.au.  We have a number of major capital projects that need to be finalised prior to the season commencing these include repairs to the bus (approx $7000), Football West Affiliation Fees ($approx $5000), equipment  purchases and the lease obligations of the Westrac Building. As such we need our finances to be strong now as this is when we incur most of our expenditure.  

Membership Membership application forms for season 2009 are available from John McCleary, please telephone on 0423003359 or email on jlm@wn.com.au and John will send you the necessary forms. We need the support of the entire South West Footballing Community so that we can provide development pathways for the youth within our region and truly become a powerhouse of our sport within WA. We are competing against clubs who have memberships well in advance of 1000.  

Volunteer Participation - Season 2009 For Phoenix to realise its full potential we need assistance from as many volunteers as we can get to help this club reach it full potential and operate as a Semi-Professional Club. Volunteers do not have to be involved with the club or have children or relatives play for the club, however people in these circumstances would also be most welcomed. Any club is only as good as their volunteers and we at Phoenix truly value the contribution made. In fact all those involved off the field from the President down are volunteers, but these people need more help to fully maximise the clubs potential.

Tasks Required 

Match Day Program Coordinator- We somebody to compile the home game match day program. We have a computer program that provides the template, all it needs each fortnight is an input of the visiting teams playing squads. They are photocopied at John Castrilli's office stapled and left at the canteen. This provides a great avenue to promote our sponsors and for spectators to identify particular players. 

Relief Bus Driver - To occasional drive the bus to Perth and back to give the normal driver a break during the season.  

Monthly News Letter - Need someone to compile and sent out newspaper (electronically) to sponsors and other interested parties. 

Match Day Referees Attendants Manager - This person will ensure that there are sufficient numbers of people to escort the referees to the ground and back according to Football West Requirements.  

Score Board Attendant - Will ensure that the score board reflects the score in each of the games. 

Team Managers - The League, U23's and 18's require a team manager is required to assist coaches with getting the team ready for match day, such as team sheets, water bottles.  

Gate Attendant - Ensure that non-members pay admission. 

Membership Officer - Seek new membership, address any problems with members, look for new ways to promote Phoenix, seek renewal of membership, keep a database of members up to date 

Grants Officer - A person who just makes applications to Government Bodies for funding and acquits the grant (Five applications per year) 

Sponsor Coordinator - arranges sponsors game days and is the sponsors host for the day. 

Special Game Coordinator - Seeks for clubs such as Glory to come down to Bunbury and play, state games, overseas clubs Phoenix may look at reimbursing volunteers for their services and or costs, depending on the job undertaken. In addition all designated volunteers may be issued with a social membership - providing free entry and a discount on canteen and bar prices.

If you can assist with any of these jobs it would be much appreciated. Please ring John McCleary on 0423003359, or email at jlm@wn.com.au

South West Phoenix will be holding their AGM in January, with a date to be finalised. Positions for opening are Treasurer, Registrar, and President. All financial members are entitled to vote and have their say in who runs the club. All public are welcome to attend but only financial members are eligible to vote.

The date for the AGM will be posted on this website.

Gosnells : 3-A.Russo, 1-Y.Tadesse ; Queens Park : 3-Mark Hill, 1-Y.Tadesse ; Bayswater : 2-A.Russo ; Wanneroo : 3-D.Stevens, 1-B.Young ;  Dianella : 2-D.Stevens, ; Ashfield : 3-D.Stevens, 2-A.Russo, 1-B.Young; Canning City : 3-A.Russo, 2-D.Stevens,1-S.Farmer ; Balcatta : 2-L.Walker ; Rockingham : 2-J.Mort ; Morley : 3-B.Young ; Gosnells : 3-K.Quinn, 2-Y.Tadesse ; Queens Park : 3-M.Spurling, 2-K.Quinn, 1-G.Byrne ; Bayswater : 2-J.Mort ; Wanneroo : 3-D.Stevens, 2-A.Russo ; Ashfield : 3-M.Spurling, 2-G.Byrne, 1-M.Amoah ; Balcatta : 1-J.Mort ; Canning City : 3-G.Byrne, 2-L.Walker ; Forrestfield : 2-G.Byrne ; Morley : 3-M.Spurling, 2-G.Millington, 1-K.Quinn

There were a few strange votes amongst this lot too, or lack thereof. No player polled in the Round 20 win over Rockingham, while Mark Hill's 3 votes in Round 2 seem out of place. Lee Walker did well to collect four votes from playing in goals, playing key roles in a couple of games in which Phoenix had their backs to the wall. Both Stevens and Russo polled in five matches, but only one of those came after Round Seven for both players.  

Gosnells : 3-J.McCleary, 1-C.Gaynor ; Queens Park : 3-J.McCleary, 2-A.Bucchino ;  Bayswater : 3-L.Stewart, 2-A.Bucchino ; Wanneroo : 3-J.Whiteaker, 1-A.Young ; Dianella : 1-R.Pryce ; Ashfield : 2-L.Stewart, 1-J.McCleary ; Canning City : 2-A.Young, 1--C.Gaynor ; Balcatta : 3-C.Gaynor ; Rockingham : 2-B.Hough ; Forrestfield : 1-C.Fisher ; Morley : 3-B.Hough, 1-L.Stewart ; Gosnells : 3-L.Stewart, 2-G.Murray ; Queens Park : 3-J.McCleary, 2-L.Stewart ; Bayswater : 2-C.Fisher ; Wanneroo : 3-L.Stewart, 2-J.Whiteaker ; Dianella : 3-L.Stewart, 2-C.Fisher, 1-C.Gaynor ; Ashfield : 2-A.Young, 1-L.Stewart ; Balcatta : 3-A.Young, 2-A.Russo, 1-J.Whiteaker ; Canning City ; 1-J.McCleary ; Rockingham : 3-B.Hough ; Morley : 3-L.Stewart, 2-C.Fisher.

As mentioned earlier, Stewart polled more votes than any other player in the Under 23 division. He came home with a wet sail, picking up most of his votes in the second half of the season.

Following are all the votes Phoenix players compiled through the season. The opposition and score are listed first, followed by who compiled the votes. Some games there were no votes for Phoenix players, so these were missed off.

Gosnells(4-1) 3-G.Hayes, 2-R.Risdon ; Queens Park(3-0) 3-D.Murphy, 2-G.Johnston, 1-S.Suttie ; Wanneroo(1-2) 3-G.Mayers, S.Suttie 1 ; Dianella(9-2) 3-R.Binnie, 2-S.Suttie, 1-G.Hayes ; Ashfield(2-0) 3-R.Risdon, 1-S.Suttie ; Canning City(1-1) 2-G.Mayers, 1-R.Binnie ; Balcatta(3-2) 3-S.Suttie, 2-R.Binnie ; Rockingham(4-2) 3-S.Suttie, 1-R.Binnie ; Forrestfield(2-1) 3-A.Cowley, 1-G.Mayers ; Morley(3-0) 3-R.Binnie, 2-P.Quinn ; Gosnells(4-2) 3-P.Quinn, 2-R.Binnie ; Queens Park(2-1) 3-G.Mayers, 2-K.Kavanagh ; Bayswater(2-1) 3-G.Hayes, 1-S.Suttie ; Wanneroo(3-4) 2-P.Quinn ; Dianella(0-2) 2-G.Mayers ; Ashfield(6-0) 3-S.Suttie, 2-D.Murphy, 1-G.Hayes ; Balcatta(3-0) 3-R.Binnie, 1-S.Suttie ; Canning City(0-3) 3-R.Binnie, 1-S.Suttie ; Rockingham(0-0) 3-D.Murphy, 1-J.Bergin ; Forrestfield(1-0) 2-G.Hayes, 1-D.Murphy ; Morley(1-1) 3-K.Kavanagh, 2-G.Hayes, 1-D.Stevens

That's all the league votes as given by referee's. There are some bizarre votes amongst the lot, such as both Murphy and Quinn failing to get votes in the win at Bayswater and Binnie and Suttie getting votes in the loss to Canning, but overall the votes are well spread with twelve players polling votes through the year, and Dylan Stevens getting his first vote in his debut match in Round 22.

Under 23's and Youth to follow soon.

The Fairest and Best votes for Football West Division One have been publicly released following the wind up. As mentioned in prior articles, Phoenix were lead by Binnie on 18, Suttie on 17 and Captain Greg Hayes came in third on twelve votes. In the Under 23's, Lee Stewart compiled 21 votes, which was the best in the League. He was followed by James McCleary on 11, Aidan Young on 8 and Brendan Hough also on 8. In Youth, Dylan Stevens led the way with 13 votes, followed by Antony Russo on 12, Matt Spurling on 9 and Grady Byrne on 8.

Full votes and analysis will follow on this site in coming days.