30 May 2021
If you'll excuse the mixed cultural metaphor, what music to the ears it was to read this headline via Fairfax during the week heralding the "slashing" of registration fees. It's something many of us have been banging on about for years, if not decades, and getting push-back from certain quarters.
Indeed, these pages long ago labelled registration fees the 'great big tax on players' and have consistently made the point that you can't - or shouldn't - have taxation without representation.
So it was curious to go on to read in the Fairfax article that the modern day Founding Fathers who are responsible for the putative 'slashing' are none other than the Football Australia (FA) CEO, James Johnson, and the Football Queensland (FQ) CEO, Robert Cavallucci.
The way the proposed reform is being spun, a newcomer to the game might mistakenly think reform of management and governance was the brainchild of Johnson and Cavallucci.
In fact, it was this issue that led to the last revolution but two. 20 years ago, the Tony Labbozzetta controlled Soccer Australia was toppled because fans coalesced and lobbied around the simple notion that we needed a "review of management and governance". The Federal Government of the day, aided by the intervention of temporary Soccer Australia Chairman Ian Knop, listened and it resulted in the 'Crawford Report' in 2002.
The role of the state federations was prominent in the Crawford inquiry and was raised in many individual submissions, for example:
'It seems odd that in Australia the domestic governance of the world’s biggest sport — governance that requires an international outlook — should be constituted in a way that empowers state federations. A removal of this anachronism is the first most important step in the revitalisation of Australian soccer.’
'Soccer Australia and the state federations should have the same fundamental objectives, that is, rowing in the same direction in the same boat. However, their structure allows them to do the opposite. While everyone plays the same sport, the game itself is not unified either in structure or in practice.’
It was an indictment on both Lowy administrations that they failed to address this issue. Likewise, the 2018 Constitutional changes made no attempt to address it either - not least because most of the people in the room deciding on the Constitutional changes were from state federations so were not exactly motivated to do so, and those driving the changes were focussed on separation of the professional competitions from the governing body.
So plaudits to Johnson, and his fellow Queenslander Cavallucci, for being prepared to go where angels have feared to tread in the past. I am delighted also that the state federations appear now to have had a Damascene conversion and apparently agree that reform is necessary.
When Johnson started in the role almost 17 months ago, he embarked upon an extensive program of one-on-one talks with a wide range of people. The conversation he and I had included how to reform the governance of the game locally. At his request, I sent him a paper with a model on how this could happen a few weeks after we met. It is also heartening to see Cavallucci continues to be an avid reader of everything I write; I can't help but see familiar words sprouting out of his mouth when it comes to a sentence like this: "It is absolutely incumbent upon all of us who are temporary custodians of this game to stop and have a look at what we’re doing and ask ourselves the question: are we doing this as efficiently as possible?" (Way to go Rob!)
Johnson also had a lengthy Zoom conversation with the Golden Generation about the reform of governance in April last year and actively sought their support and positive pronouncements on this matter.
However, one truism for both of these would-be young Turks of football administration to be aware of, is that change to a structure that is the best part of 100 years old is not something that happens by espousing principles as if you've not long escaped the burning bush and climbed a mountain à la Moses, or by producing long, glossy brochures full of pretty pictures that no busy volunteer club person actually has the time to read.
(Having said that, this is very FIFA 2.0 modus operandi. Long on froth and spin, not so hot on substance yet.)
If you want change, you've got to bring the community with you. Just ask any politician. (Oh, that's right, Cavallucci was one of those for one term, wasn't he?)
Bringing the community with you doesn't mean laying down a model more or less as a fait accompli, refusing to respond to questions, attempting to deny facts, or misrepresenting the state of play, as reportedly is the perception of what is happening in Queensland.
We may all be on the same side, but Johnson and Cavallucci might do well to remember that the world of football volunteers is full of bright, educated, professional, independent people who are capable of critical thinking and analysis.
The concern of Queensland clubs is that the Johnson-Cavallucci model provides no incentive for growth and development, does not differentiate appropriately between governance and management, and takes no account of local community needs as decision-making is centred within the state federation and not at local community level. Many would prefer to trial a model where the state federation is non-existent.
James Johnson and Robert Cavallucci as they appear in Fairfax
The Johnson-Cavallucci model also takes no account of the fact that when it comes to government support, it is largely local councils who provide grants to clubs; and while shared resources and the realisation of economies of scale may be helpful, one size does not fit all when it comes to community clubs. For example, I know from first-hand experience as a volunteer that the needs of football clubs in Taringa in inner metropolitan Brisbane, are very different from that of Biloela in Central Queensland, or Townsville in North Queensland.
Further, the model involves grassroots clubs being licensed, which club representatives believe misses the point of a grassroots, community club: that they are a creature of the community and belong to the community, and not a ‘brand’ to be commodified, unlike the professional leagues. In other words, clubs are much more than just a line item in revenue; they are a public good, integral to what makes a community a community, and should be recognised and treated, and held accountable, as such.
So before we are taken in by the initial froth and spin and the clumsy attempt at apportioning 'guilt' if you question the Johnson-Cavallucci model, how about we look at other models for governance reform?
How about we consider other organisations that have already met the requirements of Australian Government policy as set out in the Sport Australia 'One Management' model? Where is the evidence that the Johnson-Cavallucci model is the best one for football, or the only one for football? What options were weighed-up in deciding on the current proposed model? Will it work best in our sport? What are the lessons learned from Basketball Australia, Tennis Australia, Touch Football Australia? Or even non-profit organisations outside the sports industry which have 'been there, done that' such as the Red Cross and the Royal Flying Doctor Service?
And how about some genuine consultation with those who are most affected? Not the 20 people who are the chairpersons and CEOs of the ten football federations, and especially not just two of their number, but the clubs and the volunteers who make our sport tick-over week-after-week-after-week.
Change is not merely welcome, it is necessary. But let's get it right, and let's recognise that it won't happen without clubs and the volunteers who drive them.
As a former Chairman and CEO of Fortune 500 food companies and noted change leadership expert, Doug Conant, says:
"If you are entrusted with bringing about change, you likely possess the knowledge needed to advance the organization, and you might even have a plan — but knowledge is not enough. You have to bring yourself to each interaction in a deeply authentic way. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Amongst other things, that means turning up, listening, talking and learning.
Over to you, Mr Johnson and Mr Cavallucci.
