Football Wagga has reneged its non-partisan stance and offered formal support to players hoping to represent both their club and Wagga City Wanderers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In yet another twist to the tale of soccer’s dual registration saga, Football Wagga (FWW) president Tony Dobbin said the board had formally resolved that it “would not prevent dual registration” and that it “would use its powers to override any change to the competition rules that attempted to prevent dual registration”.
Dobbin made note of the “numerous items of correspondence, media articles and conversations concerning dual registration” in a statement distributed to clubs on Tuesday and said the decision would address the “uncertainty within our football community.
“We have taken this decision in the interests of the game in general and for player and coaching development within our competition footprint,” he said.
“It remains the prerogative of each club to decide if it will allow dual registration.”
FWW has maintained an informal support of dual registration until now, telling The Daily Advertiser in December that the Council of Clubs’ decision was remove it was “not FWW’s preference” and said “there was value in retaining the dual registration structure, particularly at a junior level.”
Dobbin said FWW’s endorsement was simply “a honest attempt to resolve the situation”.
“It’s probably something that going to keep being discussed but we’re trying this as a way to find a resolution.”
Now, with FWW stepping in and formally resolving to support dual registration on a club-by-club basis, the entire process is being brought into question.
Tolland club president Maurie Hogan said he was “stunned” by the decision, branding it “illegal”.
“I don’t think they (FWW) can even do that – I mean, it’s not like they can run this as some kind of dictatorship,” Hogan said.
“They are elected to be democratic but in this case it seems as though they’ve forgotten that procedure.
“The majority voted (to remove dual registration) and I just can’t understand why that majority is being ignored.”
Hogan said that “emails were already going in” to FWW and that he would be trying to organise a meeting between clubs “to decide the best course of action from here”.
READ MORE
