The management committee of Matamata Swifts Association Football Club has made the decision to resign the club's position in the Northern Region Football League (NRFL).

The club has experienced several major changes over the last couple of months. One of the outcomes of this is that the depth of the club's senior men's player base is now not what is required to justify the on-going expense of competing in the NRFL.

"We have not taken this decision lightly but it is clear this is the correct course of action for our club," explains Swifts secretary, Julie Clothier. "NRFL football is not a sustainable proposition for our club for the immediate future."

The decision to pull out of the NRFL was a considered one. "We weighed up all the options and we determined this to be the best track for us to head down," says Clothier. "The decision was made following consultation with key personnel and players within the local football community. It was important they had a voice in this process."

Matamata is quick to praise the Auckland Football Federation. "We'd like to thank the AFF for accepting us into the NRFL back in 2010, and our local Federation for supporting us. It's a great competition and there is still some sadness that we can't carry on," says Clothier.

The amount of travel involved in completing an NRFL season is the other main for this decision. "It's no secret we've lost a lot of players from last year's squad and that, along with several others being unable to commit to the amount of travel involved with NRFL football, makes it clear to us that the NRFL is now not a viable option for the club," explains Clothier. "The travel has been huge wearing factor for us over the three years we've been involved in the NRFL and we won't miss that."

The travel factor means, ironically, the Swifts will likely field a stronger team in the local Waikato Bay of Plenty Federation League than they would have been able to in the NRFL.

Matamata now looks forward to returning to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Federation League Division 1. "We're excited to be renewing a number of local rivalries that have laid dormant for the three years we've been in the NRFL," says Clothier. "The WaiBOP Fed League is a competitive competition with well organised clubs, so our 1st team will still be playing some decent games. It's important we have that as part of our local football development process."

On a positive note, the Swifts will now be able to invest more focus, energy and money in the development of youth within the community. "That will now become even more important to us," says Clothier. "We have plans to ramp up our junior development programmes, as well as work much closer with local schools to expand the game in our community."

For more information you can contact:
Julie Clothier (Secretary – Matamata Swifts AFC): 027 540 2852.