Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced that it had convened a National Bushfires Working Group to coordinate football's response to the emergency and raise funds for the long-term rebuilding of affected communities.
The Working Group will bring together key football stakeholder groups with a unified, national approach, and comprise representatives from State/Territory Member Federations, Leagues, Association of Australian Football Clubs, Professional Footballers Australia and FFA.
FFA Chief Executive James Johnson said he was delighted with the response football has made so far to the bushfires disaster, but there's a lot more to be done in the recovery process.
"We've seen a number of great initiatives from every level of football, with the dedication of two rounds of the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League; donations from Member Federations, clubs and fans; players making donations and providing items for auction; and the playing of bushfire relief charity matches.
"We recognise that there is more to do so to ensure we are best placed to contribute, we have established the National Bushfires Working Group to lead a coordinated, 'whole of the game' response to support the relief effort and generate new and effective initiatives to maximise funds for the recovery. It will represent the unified and collective voice of the Australian football family.
"When all of football is aligned we can achieve impressive outcomes so I am pleased that the whole of football is united in its support for those who have lost so much during this devastating natural disaster.
"Football can be at the very heart of the recovery process and play an important role in the physical re-building and boost the morale of whole communities," he added.
The working group will ensure that FFA has a full understanding of the recovery needs of the football and wider community and will enable it to more effectively engage with key partners through the recovery process including all levels of government as well as FIFA.
