Football Far North Coast General Manager Steve Mackney has released a statement thanking officials for their efforts and achievements throughout the 2022 season.

The recruitment, retainment and rewarding of officials is a continuing issue for all sports across the region and football is no different.

Mackney's statement reads:

"The 2022 season is now in the final stages and after a tough year for everyone, I want to reach out to each person who has made a contribution as a match official this year.

Firstly, I say THANK YOU, for your efforts in a role that is often difficult, always under scrutiny by the many ‘experts’ but which nonetheless puts you as part of a valued group of people within community football. Whether this is your first season as a match official (i.e. Green Shirt), or whether you have returned for many seasons, I applaud your commitment to the role of being a match official.

Efforts to recruit and retain match officials is a perennial issue EVERYWHERE and as the local football administrator, I devote a lot of time trying to find more effective outcomes. You may recognise that expectations about officiating vary widely, generally based on the role that a person has? A player often sees things differently to a coach or a spectator or a parent and almost always differently to a match official (but of course your role is to officiate and not to see things according to what team, what score, or things that others generally concern themselves with as being the only priority?).

YOUR role is however central to the game and your role comes with responsibilities (on several levels). I wish to highlight the following things that influence many things in community football and urge each of you to ‘set the standard’ and to be a leader and a role model.

• Behave in a professional manner (how you act, how you speak);
• Display a commitment by being diligent, punctual and reliable;
• Be supportive of your peers;
• Be respectful of others (even when this is hard to do because others are sometimes rude to you);
• Report concerns, incidents to FFNC;
• SPEAK UP if you need support!!

I am not a match official, but I stand with each of you and ask that together, we can demonstrate that the match officials in this region are leaders, role models and who each inspire more people to get involved as a match official.

This year has tested our resolve and I offer encouragement to each of you to ‘hang in there’ as the season is nearly done. Thanks to Luke, Anthony, John Hanley, various assessors, Riley, Brad (and others at Northern NSW Football) and to the collective group of about 100 local match officials.

Well done, congratulations and all the best if you are appointed for a Finals Series fixture, but if you are not, your efforts this season are still acknowledged. Thanks again for being part of the effort to progress community football and for being part of a special group of people."