Growing up in England there is only one sport, so I was introduced to football as soon as I could walk and it’s been a strong passion of mine ever since. 

It was always a dream to one day work in football, so following the completion of my finance and management degree at Canterbury University, and spending 5 years on the football committee with Universities FC, it all tied together nicely when this opportunity came up late last year.

Seeing the passion everyone brings to football has been a real highlight to me in the first few months in the role, from the volunteers at clubs to the full-time staff, it really feels people are here for the love of the sport. 

Coming into the role and following in the shoes of Jamie Cross who - with his vast experience in football - had implemented some great processes, I was still astounded by how much work is actually required before the first whistle of the season sounds.

As competitions manager, my role also includes checking out the grounds, making sure the grounds are booked with the Christchurch City Council and, especially at the moment, making sure they are line marked and ready to go. The short timeframe between coming into the role and getting the season up and running has been a challenge, but I am loving it.

Central to everything we do at Mainland Football is ensuring that people are out there enjoying themselves on the weekend, that’s what’s all about.  So, with the few changes the Federation has implemented for the coming season, my expectation is for the season to run as smoothly as it possibly can. 

Player numbers are looking really good too. Initiatives like the recently run Girls & Women’s Week are so important to our pre-season recruitment as it gives some within our target groups - who currently play other sports - a chance to have a go at football. We want to introduce them to football and say “hey look, we know you like your netball and a few other sports, but football is a great game too, so come along and play that.”

We have a 22-week period to get through all rounds of competition, so when you factor in a couple of rain days, we are looking at about a 26- week season.

A successful winter season of football for me will be getting to the end of the last game and having all the men, women, boys and girls who participated in our competitions having loved playing and wanting to come back to play again in 2020. 

Therefore, we want our retention numbers to be as high as we can possibly get, the weather playing nice - so we don’t get too many rain days - and everyone having a really good season. 

On behalf of myself and all the team here at Mainland, I wish everyone lacing up the boots, the club volunteers, the coaches, the referees, and the mums and dads getting the children to the grounds, all the very best. By getting out there on the field competing and participating, you are already a winner.

 Enjoy your season!  

Article added: Friday 05 April 2019