Growing the Game

Matamata Swifts Association Football Club is the local guardian of the biggest game on the planet. For this reason we have the responsibility of providing a worthwhile football experience for any person wishing it. With this in mind the club’s management committee has developed a plan to grow the game in Matamata in several vital areas.

Our goals for the 2004 season are:

SENIOR FOOTBALL (Men and women)
Goals for 2004 To raise the profile and performance of our senior teams and increase 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 2004. We aim to actively recruit talented players as well as promoting our extremely reasonable 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 people possible will be involved in 2004. We aim to increase our sponsorship base in 2004. 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. We will use 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. We will also promote our website to a wider, global, audience.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Goal for 2004 To build a 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 has agreed 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 2004 To continue the positive growth of junior football in Matamata.
Junior football is now the largest participant 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 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 2004 To invest in improved club facilities.
Good quality facilities add value to our club members’ everyday enjoyment of the game. In 2004 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 2004 To develop a structure for overall player and coach development, with 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. We will also investigate the appointment of a Director of Coaching, a position that will likely require remuneration.