Please be aware, that effective from Monday 17th May. Jason Shereston has resigned from his position as FICA president. This is for family reasons including the need for an extended time overseas to deal with related matters. We are very sorry to lose his services in this capacity as President. Jason has worked hard and tirelessly to establish the new board and get the season underway but as a volunteer organisation we can only ask people to give what they can and their first priority must be to their own health and that of their family.

I too am a volunteer. Two years ago I made the decision to assist FICA with recording match scores, because I believed that players would appreciate more detailed information on their personal achievements and those of their team. This role has blossomed into full recording of match cards and the presentation of a wealth of information to all football participants and supporters via the FICA website. At the recent FICA AGM I put myself forward as Vice President because I felt that this would enable me to make more of a positive influence on the organisation as a whole. I recognised that a large amount of work was sitting on the shoulders of a handfull of volunteers and I wanted to work towards involving more people in actively working to support the game, both at club and FICA Management level.

I recognise that we already rely on many people to provide support with clubs, such as coaches, team managers, Junior Refs and parent supporters and I again want to thank all these people for their support. But the position is that the overall administration of the game within Alice Springs remains thinly spread. The resignation of the current president means that the responsibilities and role of president falls to the next senior officer, namely myself as Vice President. At this time I believe it is important to ensure that FICA can carry out it's normal operations and ensure that the progress of the season is not impacted by a lack of direction at senior level. For myself that means I will look to fulfill this role to the best of my ability at this present time. It also means that I must recognise that I cannot do everything and must look to rely on those around me to re-evaluate what they are able to do and be honest about what they can achieve. In addition, I need to ask those in the community that benefit from the opportunities that participation in football offers to consider what they can do for our sport.

In all of this I do not want to lose sight of the reasons I became a participant in the game and why I want so earnestly to support it. I want to play, I enjoy playing, and I want others to share that same enthusiasm and receive the same opportunities I have had. This can only be done if we put in an effective structure to support football in Alice Springs. This must be driven by those who participate and supported by those who are able to do so.

Clifford Riley

FICA President