MACQUARIEFOOTBALL REFEREES ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED

ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

TUESDAY 21 MARCH 2017

WARNERS BAYPUBLIC SCHOOL

Chairman: Mr Brad Carlin

The meeting was declared open at 7.36pm, with the Chairman welcoming all members.

A special welcome was extended to former Secretary, James Muscat; and to MFL Director, Ron Victor, who was recently and deservedly bestowed with Life Membership of MFL.

ATTENDANCE AND APOLOGIES

As per the Register of Attendance, there were 42 members present at the meeting with12apologies for non-attendance. M/SWayne Welsh / Jack Stoker that the apologies for non-attendance be accepted. CARRIED.

MONTHLY COACHING SESSION

  • Director of Coaching, Mark Carter, and Level 4 Referee Co-Ordinator, Jake Southward, led discussion by members on video presentations about fouls and misconduct; dissent by team officials, substituted players and substitutes; and how it is possible under the recent changes to the Laws of the Game for a player to be offside in his or her own half of the field of play.
  • Chairman, Brad Carlin, reminded members that they must arrive at the ground at least 30 minutes prior to their first appointment for the day so that they can carry out all of their pre-match duties.
  • Under the Laws of the Game, there are no circumstances under which play can restart with the goalkeeper kicking the ball out of his or her hands.
  • Assistant referees must hold the flag in their right hand when they signal goal kicks, corner kicks and offside infringements.
  • The whistle is not blown to signal that a goal has been scored unless the ball has only just passed over the goal-line.
  • Match officials need to ensure that the ball is not positioned outside of the corner arc at the taking of corner kicks.
  • During the taking of kicks from the penalty mark, the outcome of a taken kick is not determined until the ball comes completely to a stop.
  • Assistant referees need to align themselves with the second-last defender in order to correctly judge whether attaching players are in an offside position.
  • Under the recent changes to the Laws of the Game, he ball can now travel in any direction from the kick-off.

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

M/SMitchell Hickey / Mitchell Fieldthat the minutes of the Ordinary General Meeting held on Tuesday 21 February 2017 be accepted as a true and correct record of proceedings. CARRIED.

Business Arising from the Minutes –Nil

M/SLiam Munns / Rick Bartleythat the minutes of the Ordinary General Meeting held on Tuesday 21 February 2017 be confirmed. CARRIED.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Chairman reported on the important actions and decisions taken by the Management Committee at its meeting on Tuesday 7 March 2017:

  • Tom Burnitt, Louise Gardner, Steven Harvey and Evan Mears have been appointed to the association’s Referee Assessment Committee.
  • Alison Macready has been appointed as our association’s representative on the re-established Northern NSW Football Match Officials Standing Committee. Brad Carlin is also on the Standing Committee, having been appointed as its Secretary by Northern NSW Football.
  • 14 current members have been suspended from all refereeing activities until they pay all outstanding monies to the association. If these members do not rejoin the association by paying the required membership fee by the deadline date of 31 March 2017, they will continue to be suspended referees. All local football zones and referee branches will be informed of the suspensions.
  • In order to be eligible for appointment to semi-finals, finals and grand finals this season, members when undertaking the association’s fitness test must complete at least five (5) full laps of the field in twelve (12) minutes, without stopping or walking at any stage.
  • The Management Committee has approved for various proposals to the association’s Constitution to be forwarded to members for their consideration. The resolutions to alter the Constitution will be presented to members as Special Resolutions at the Ordinary General Meeting of the association on Tuesday 16 May 2017.
  • The Management Committee has identified a number of talented, younger members who are under consideration for selection to this season’s Northern NSW Football Boys’ and Girls’ Talented Official Camps or to our association’s Talented Referee Acceleration Course.
  • As the Director of Coaching will be overseas at this time, it has been determined that Ray Ashbourne and Brad Carlin will be the chaperones for this season’s Talented Referee Acceleration Course at Club Macquarie from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 July 2017.
  • At this early stage, it already appears that the association this season will have a surplus of referees available and capable of officiating on adult football matches on Friday nights.

Business Arising from the Report – Nil

CORRESPONDENCE

Inwards Correspondence201/17to 267/17

Outwards Correspondence188/17 to 249/17

Business Arising from Inwards Correspondence –Nil

Business Arising from Outwards Correspondence - Nil

M/S Sam Osmond / Steven Lerch that the inwards correspondence be received and the outwards correspondence be endorsed. CARRIED.

FINANCIAL REPORT

M/S Mitchell Hickey/ James Muscatthat the Monthly Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet presented by the Treasurer be accepted. CARRIED.

REPORTS

President:

  • Appreciation is extended to Rick Bartley, Paul Newton and David Mason, who represented the association very well when officiating at the Viking Challenge Cup six-a-side competition in Tuncurry over the weekend of Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March 2017.
  • Over the coming weeks leading up to the start of the MFL Inter-District Joint Competition, the Appointments Committee will be appointing as many of the association’s new first-year referees as possible to officiate on junior competition age group trial matches. Members are requested to please check for their appointments on Match Ref.
  • A team sheet containing the names of all participating players and interchange players must be completed for all trial matches.
  • The MFL Wet Weather Ground Cancellation Information Service telephone line does not operate for trial matches. If trial matches are washed out, the Appointments Committee will attempt to inform relevant members of this fact.
  • Several members cannot be appointed to trial or competition matches because they have not returned a completed Referee Availability Form; paid their membership and registration fees in full; or registered for the 2017 season on My Football Club.
  • Members who are coaching or playing this season in the MFL Inter-District Joint Competition are required to please nominate to the Appointments Committee the age group and division of the team or teams in which they are involved.
  • Members are reminded that before sending a Referee Send-Off Report or an Incident Report to the association, they firstly must call the Secretary on her mobile telephone number 0402 548 226 to inform her of the details of the report being submitted. The deadline for the submission of all reports is 8.00pm on Monday night.
  • The association’s annual fitness tests will be conducted at Evans Park, Cardiff, on Monday 22, Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 May 2017between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. Members residing on the western side of the lake may wish to undertake a separate fitness test at Auston Oval, Morisset, on Thursday 1 June 2017, commencing at 5.00pm sharp. Only members who have successfully completed the association’s fitness test in 2017 will be eligible for appointment to the association’s semi-finals, finals and grand finals at the end of the season.
  • The MFL Inter-District Joint Competition commences on Friday 21 April 2017 for Friday Over 35 and All Age Men’s grades; on Saturday 22 April 2017 for junior and men’s grades; and Sunday23 April 2017 for women’s grades. As this is the last weekend of the April school holidays, members are asked to please show on MatchRef as soon as possible if they are unavailable or have restricted availability at any time on these dates.
  • The MFRAI version of Match Ref is separate to that of NNSW State League Football Referees, meaning that dual registered members will be logging their unavailability and finding their appointments on two separate systems. New or existing members who are not yet set up on MFRAI MatchRef, or who cannot access it, should please contact the President as soon as possible.

MFL:

  • Team officials must wear their official identification tags during matches, as from Round 1 of the MFL Inter-District Joint Competition. All clubs have been issued with the tags. Referees must not allow any team official or other persons to be in the technical area unless they are wearing their identification tags.

M/SRiley Kirkaldy / Aidan Kirkaldythat the reports be accepted. CARRIED.

RAFFLE

First PrizeGeoff StarkeGift Card

Second PrizeRay AshbourneGift Card

GENERAL BUSINESS

  • Paul Newton reported on the recent Viking Challenge Cup Competition at Tuncurryand recommended that members consider attending this annual tournament in future years.
  • The Chairman congratulated and thanked MFL for its ongoing commitment to the recruitment of new match officials by its continued payment of the annual registration fees for all new referees joining MFRAI.
  • Congratulations were extended to the Director of Coaching and his Coaching Committee on the success of the association’s recent Annual Referees Seminar.
  • The substitute seminar, for members who were unable to attend the Annual Referees Seminar, will be held at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on the morning of Saturday 8 April 2017.
  • Members were given the opportunity to ask questions about the impending appointment of the Hunter Region Appointments Administration Officer; the payment of match fees in 2017 by electronic funds transfer; and the funding of the association’s future coaching activities.

A Special Management Committee Meeting will be held after the supper break tonight.The next following Management Committee Meeting of the association shall be held at Club Macquarie, Argenton, on Tuesday 4 April 2017, commencing at 7.00pm.

The next Ordinary General Meeting of the association shall be held at the Warners Bay Public School assembly hall on Tuesday 21 April 2017, commencing at 7.30pm.

The Chairman declared the meeting to be closed at8.44pm.

…………………………………….

(Chairman’s Signature)

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