‘Belief in the game and our people’
High profile SBS television personality and former Socceroo, Craig Foster, confirmed today that he is a nominee for the Board of Football Federation Australia (FFA).
“It is a privilege to have been asked to serve the game. It is time to believe in our game and the great people we have within football,” Foster said.
“We have so many amazing contributors, and the accumulated knowledge and experience, alongside the renowned passion for football that is a part of all of our DNA, are a powerful mix to drive the game forward.
“All who love the game have a right to be a part of the journey to which so many have contributed – fans, players, volunteers, referees, coaches and administrators. No one should be left behind, or left out. In particular, our fans are crying out to be given a voice and to participate in the game they love.”
A former Chief Executive and Chairman of Professional Footballers’ Australia, Foster has been a vocal supporter of the right to equal access to play, for women’s and Indigenous football, and for the game to tell the powerful story of its contribution to the multicultural Australia we see today.
“It’s also time to have a conversation around nation building that can be really powerful for Australia, the dream we all share with my late, great colleague Johnny Warren.
“We should not only take part in World Cups, as we have now done on eleven occasions and about to enter our 12th, but we should also aim to become world champions. That’s a dream I want the football community and all of Australia to share and to be inspired by.
“The purpose of the FFA Board is to serve as custodians of the game, as enablers of the community’s passion and to align everyone’s energy to the good of the game. I want to focus on these issues with all stakeholders in the service of the football community, and have undertaken to resign from any role regarding expansion of the professional game if elected, and to ensure that no other role interferes with my duties as a Director of FFA.”
As well as his role with SBS television, Foster is a member of the Australian Multicultural Council and an ambassador for John Moriarty Football and Football United, social programs using football to promote education and health outcomes among children in remote and refugee communities.
