Cumberland has a new President

[OldSchool]

For those that are interested in the future of Cumby here is an edited version of the announcement from the club introducing the new Club President, John Hood. The appointment was made on the 6 July

John knowledge and experience will be essential in rebuilding the clubs fortunes. With this announcement I think it show the club is serious about having a fresh start getting it self sorted out and on the right track


The Committee is very pleased to announce the appointment of Mr John Hood as President of CUWFC, effective immediately.

The Committee unanimously agrees that John is an excellent fit for our Club. John brings strong leadership and a wealth of experience as the Club seeks to unify members and influence the direction of the development of the Women’s Memorial Playing Fields (WMPF).

John has extensive experience and skills in leading business growth and success. His business experience includes 33 years as a chartered accountant including with PricewaterhouseCoopers, mhm and Deloitte.

John’s impressive experience in sports administration includes as a founding member of Sturt Lions Football Club and his participation on sub-committees that developed the Memorial Drive Tennis Club and Next Generation facilities and transferred the AFL Licences from the SANFL to the Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Clubs.[/i]

John then followed the announcement of his appointment with a lengthy but thorough letter to members outlining what has happened and what needs to happen, an early road map charting a path back to success for CUWFC. A slightly edited version of his letter is below I have taken out some general business items.

John shared this with the club on August 17.


Dear Cumberland United Women’s Football Club Members and friends


Firstly, I want to say I am very honoured to be asked to be your President and I thank our Committee for assisting me to settle in and for helping me come “up to speed” with the key matters requiring attention and development at CUWFC.

I am mindful that I will not have been visible to many of you in my first month. Rest assured, your Committee and I have been working hard and closely together. Below is a summary of how we have spent the last month and how we intend to progress in the coming months.

1. Develop a long term Strategic Plan with our Committee and our Members.
Following my first half day meeting with our Committee on 21 July 2018, we are developing a draft long term strategic plan for our Club with the intention of sharing it with members in late October or early November 2018. Our Committee will then be happy to receive Member feedback, adjust the plan as necessary, and to commence implementing the plan in time for our 2019 season.

2. Establish a new Governance Structure
As we create a long term Strategic Plan we will also create a new Governance structure for our Club including key sub-committees and with clear and delegated roles for many of our members on the basis that “many hands make light work” especially when people have existing skills-sets suited to the role they choose. We will seek volunteers to perform roles that will be of interest to them and which will help the Club be ready for what our Committee expects to be a significant growth phase in the next 3 to 5 years.

3. Strengthen our Member Well-being and Child Welfare Focus
We have spent considerable time (and will continue to do so) focusing on how we can strengthen our focus on the overall well-being and welfare of every Club member, all players (younger and older), families, and visitors to the Club.

4. WMPF Major Projects Committee
We will work with our Local, State, and Federal Governments to maximise our opportunity at WMPF. There are many millions of dollars available to be invested in the Women’s Memorial Playing Fields development and CUWFC is well placed to benefit significantly particularly in relation to having access to Astroturf pitches, new changerooms, and new Clubrooms.

In the last month, we have met with Nicole Flint Federal Member for Boothby, Carolyn Power (nee Habib) Member for Elder, Steve Murray Member for Davenport, and Sam Duluk Member for Waite all of whom are supportive of our Club’s development and keen to understand more about how they can contribute to the development of the WMPF in a manner that maximises the benefits to Club and Community groups in their electorates. Premier Steven Marshall has also written to our Club following my appointment to offer his support, noting how women’s football is one of the fastest growing participation sports in the country and that he is confident our Club will continue to grow from strength to strength.

In the coming months we will meet with the City of Mitcham, the Office for Recreation and Sport, and the FFSA to continue our ongoing discussions in relation to the development of WMPF and to create positive and mutually beneficial relationships with all the key partners and stakeholders that support our Club.

5. Select and Appoint a Senior Team Coach and Director of Football
This process is already underway with our Committees’ objective being to have our Senior Coach appointed by the end of September 2018 and a Football Director shortly afterwards.

6. Formalise our Skills based Coaching Program for 2018.
With our Senior Coach and Director of Football we will design a structured skills-based football program in support of our younger girls in particular and extending through to, and being consistent with, how our WNPL team plays.

7. 2019 Sponsorship
Your committee is creating an inventory of all the items sponsors may wish to support (eg our team shirts, signage, first team players, key events, etc) and also a list of potential sponsors.

8. Business as Usual for the Balance of 2018
In the meantime, I trust you will support all our existing volunteers in continuing “business as usual” for the balance of 2018 including showing more understanding than usual as we work our way through a year of change and progress at CUWFC.

We expect it will take until November or December to settle our new governance structure and sub-committee structure to support the Clubs’ longer term strategic plan. We will then seek volunteers to fill key roles. In the meantime, while your Committee focusses on the more strategic matters detailed above, we cannot delay all that needs to be done to complete our 2018 season and to prepare for our 2019 season. On that basis, we are asking our volunteers to continue with “Business as Usual” and note that for the balance of 2018 at least if you are performing an existing volunteer role or, if you simply need some member guidance or have a member’s query, you can contact the following people in the following roles :

What our Club needs next is steadiness and a focus on a longer-term approach to succeeding and winning both on and off field. This will also help us maximise our opportunities to grow with an excellent Culture and with quality and to maximise our benefits from the development of the WMPF.

You will all have the opportunity to provide input and feedback on our direction and focus at our whole of club review of the draft Strategic Plan in October / November this year. We will confirm the details of this important event as soon as they are finalised and encourage you to attend and participate so that you can help shape the future of the Club and learn about how you can be more involved should you want to be.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the football including our finals over the weekend, and I look forward to meeting many of you as our 2018 season winds down, as trials and preparations for 2019 begin, and within your volunteer roles.

With kind regards

John



Not a bad right up and it indicates that there is a very bright future for the club,

The success of this plan will not only be good for the the club and its players/members but for the women's game as a whole.

Credit must be given to the the club for taking the plunge and acknowledging things have to change, and respect to John for taking such a challenging task that will no doubt bring many head aches along the way

Good luck to all involved in the rebuild.

[billy the kid]

Well done Cumberland. Can't change the past however, with John at the helm and with the support of the committee, I am certain the structures are/will deliver sustained growth and stability at the club. The Focus is on consolidating a competitive squad for 2019 and to re-enter the WNPL in 2020.

We in the female football community wish you and your team at Cumberland all the best in your endeavours.

Good to see the of field is getting an overhaul. Some clubs are lagging behind in this area and should take note.