A Celebration of Football

Continuing the development of football in Matamata during 2005

Matamata Swifts Association Football Club is the local guardian of the most significant sport on the planet. For this reason we have the responsibility of providing a worthwhile football experience for any person wishing it; competitive or social, senior, youth or junior.

With this in mind the club’s management committee has developed a plan to expand the game in Matamata in several vital areas, building on our efforts from 2004. Matamata AFC will also celebrate its 75th Jubilee in 2005, which will be an excellent chance for a season long celebration of football in Matamata.


OUR GOALS FOR THE 2005 SEASON ARE:

SENIOR FOOTBALL Men and women
Goals for 2005 To continue raising the profile and performance of our senior teams and increasing senior membership.
Senior football is the club’s shop window and as such it is important for our teams to play attractive and successful football in 2005. We aim to actively recruit talented players and support staff by presenting the club as an appealing place to play football and an attractive organisation to belong to.
• We will promote a value-for-money social membership scheme.
• Matamata AFC’s annual summer 5-a-side competition is also vital to the club’s overall health and wellbeing. We aim to ensure the maximum number of teams possible will be involved in 2005.

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Goal for 2005 To raise the profile of football in Matamata.
We see our sponsor relationships as an important component of our growth, for two reasons. First, and most obvious, is the funding sponsorship brings to the club. Secondly, these relationships bring more people in contact with the club, increasing the general interest in our sport because more people have a stake in our organisation.
• We aim to increase our sponsorship base in 2005.
• We will work with the media to increase the wider interest in our club. In practice this means providing regular press releases, along with match reports, to local and regional media outlets. The fact that we are turning 75 in 2005 will make the club particularly newsworthy.
• We will fully develop our website. In particular this means adding depth to the junior section of the website to make it as stimulating as the rest of the site.
• We will publish a regular club magazine which will be distributed to club members, sponsors and other stakeholders.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Goal for 2005 To build on our close relationship with Matamata College.
Matamata College is the provider of youth football in Matamata and, until recently, our two organisations have not had much of a relationship. We aim to change this.
• Matamata AFC will continue to sponsor all college football. We will work with the school to provide better equipment and improved coaching as well as increase the flow of people and communication between our organisations. Our committee will contain college representation.

JUNIOR FOOTBALL Players up to 12 years of age.
Goal for 2005 To continue the positive growth of junior football in Matamata.
Junior football is now the largest participation sport for children in New Zealand. This is reflected in the growth the junior section of Matamata AFC has experienced in recent years. To continue this growth we have established a junior committee to manage our junior football. This group will help develop a forward-looking junior player coaching and development philosophy.
• We will give the young people of our district every opportunity to learn, improve and succeed at the sport of football. We will foster a football culture that will encourage the children to continue with the sport, and physical activity in general, as they grow and develop.
• We will investigate other opportunities to expand our junior players’ involvement in the game, such as a summer 5-a-side soccer competition and links with junior academies.

FACILITIES
Goal for 2005 To invest in improving club facilities.
Good quality facilities add value to our club members’ everyday enjoyment of the game. In 2005 we aim to spruce up our clubrooms and the surrounding area as well as look to improve the turf management of our main playing areas.

COACHING
Goal for 2005 To develop a structure for overall player and coach development, with a special emphasis on junior and youth football.
Quality player and coaching education is a vital for improving the overall footballing experience.
• We will develop and publish an integrated coaching programme for the season.
• We will liaise with Force Three, Sport Waikato and other, private, coaching providers to help support our own initiatives.