The Chosen Ones? We Now Have The Terms Of Reference
A couple of weeks ago I wrote The Chosen Ones, examining Football Tasmania's newly announced Competitions Working Group and asking a fairly simple question:
How were the club representatives chosen?
If you missed that piece, you can read it here:
The Chosen Ones:
https://www.victoriamortonfootball.com.au/blog/the-chosen-ones
Since then, Football Tasmania CEO Tony Pignata has distributed the Working Group's Terms of Reference.
Most importantly, they provide far more detail than the original announcement.
And that detail changes the conversation.
New Information
One thing the Terms of Reference have clarified is that the distribution of information was broader than I originally understood.
I received the document directly through my CRJFA email address despite junior football sitting outside the scope of the Working Group.
That is worth noting because it suggests Football Tasmania recognises that associations and stakeholders beyond the NPL and WSL have an interest in where this process may eventually lead.
What Changed?
One of the more interesting aspects of this story is that the Terms of Reference appear significantly broader than the original announcement.
The initial email largely framed the Working Group around the NPL, WSL, senior football and youth football.
Many people would reasonably have assumed this was primarily an NPL and WSL discussion group.
The Terms of Reference tell a different story.
The Working Group may now consider:
NPL
WSL
Youth Competitions
Northern Championship and Northern League structures
Southern Championship and Southern League structures
Competition pathways and player development
Club sustainability and growth
Facilities and infrastructure
Governance and administration
Strategic planning
That is a much broader remit than many would have understood from the original announcement.
And that matters.
Because the broader the scope becomes, the more important representation becomes.
What Has Been Clarified?
The Terms of Reference answer several questions that were not addressed in the original communication.
Firstly, the Working Group is advisory.
It makes recommendations to Football Tasmania.
Football Tasmania makes the final decisions.
Secondly, the document outlines consultation processes, reporting arrangements, meeting procedures and review mechanisms.
That additional detail is welcome.
Thirdly, the Terms of Reference answer the question of how membership is determined.
The document states:
"Membership of the Working Group is determined by Football Tasmania and may be amended by Football Tasmania as required."
That is a significant clarification.
There was no election process outlined.
No nomination process.
No club vote.
Football Tasmania selected the membership.
That is entirely within Football Tasmania's rights.
But it is useful for everybody to understand how the group was formed.
Interestingly, the same clause also means the membership is not necessarily fixed.
If Football Tasmania determines additional perspectives are required, the Terms of Reference provide a mechanism for the group to be expanded or amended.
That may become important as discussions progress.
Why Representation Is Still Being Discussed
The release of the Terms of Reference answers some questions.
It also creates new ones.
If the Working Group was only discussing the NPL and WSL, the current composition might attract less attention.
But if it is considering the future direction of football competitions across Tasmania, questions around representation become more significant.
Among the four club representatives are four NPL clubs.
There are no female club representatives.
There are no representatives from standalone Championship clubs.
That does not mean the individuals selected are not capable contributors.
Far from it.
The question is not about the people.
The question is whether the structure captures enough different perspectives.
For a Working Group considering the future of both men's and women's football, the absence of a female club representative remains notable.
Football Tasmania has included female staff members within the Working Group and that should be acknowledged.
However, organisational representation and club representation are not necessarily the same thing.
The lived experience of building women's football inside clubs, retaining players, recruiting coaches and volunteers, fighting for facilities and creating pathways is a perspective that some may argue is missing from the club representation itself.
Similarly, if Southern Championship and Northern Championship structures are now within scope, it is understandable that some people have questioned why no standalone Championship club sits among the club representatives.
The challenges facing those clubs can be very different from those faced by NPL clubs.
These are legitimate governance questions rather than criticisms of any individual involved.
Junior Football Sits Outside The Scope
The Terms of Reference explicitly exclude junior football.
Football Tasmania's reasoning is straightforward.
Junior football is not administered directly by Football Tasmania.
It is administered by the regional associations.
As President of the CRJFA, I am comfortable with that position.
Junior football already has its own governance structures and representative mechanisms.
However, there is an interesting contradiction.
Whilst junior football sits outside the formal scope of the Working Group, Football Tasmania distributed the document directly to the regional associations.
I know that because I received it.
That suggests Football Tasmania recognises that associations have a legitimate interest in discussions around pathways, youth football and the broader football ecosystem.
And rightly so.
Because decisions made at senior and youth levels inevitably flow into junior football.
The Real Test
Ultimately, I am not convinced the success of this Working Group will be determined by who sits around the table.
It will be determined by what happens next.
The Terms of Reference repeatedly refer to consultation, engagement and feedback.
They specifically mention:
Club meetings
Surveys and questionnaires
Discussion papers
Information sessions
Direct stakeholder engagement
That creates an expectation.
Football people will reasonably expect opportunities to see proposals, provide feedback and influence outcomes before recommendations are finalised.
In my view, one simple step would help enormously.
Publish draft recommendations before they are finalised.
Let clubs discuss them.
Let stakeholders comment.
Let people identify unintended consequences before decisions are made.
If that happens, much of the current debate about representation may become less important.
Because clubs will know they still have a voice.
The first debate was about who got into the room.
The next debate may be whether the rest of football gets to see what comes out of it before the decisions are made.