Membership

The South Hobart Soccer Club is an incorporated association, and is a non-profit body dedicated to the promotion of and participation in soccer. Players are all amateur in status.

Soccer is administered by Soccer Tasmania, an incorporated body, and is affiliated with Soccer Australia, the national body. Soccer Tasmania is run by a Board of Directors, and the day-to-day administration is in the hands of a General Manager and a small support staff. The Directors are responsible for establishing policy, and look to the clubs for guidance in these matters. The General Manager is responsible for implementing policy, organising the rosters, ground hire, competition details, and disciplinary matters, and ensuring that the clubs meet their obligations.

To register with Soccer Tasmania, a player must first be a member of a club; membership of a club involves acceptance of the rules of that club, while registration involves acceptance of the rules of Soccer Tasmania. In most instances, the club ensures that a player acts within both sets of rules and will act in the interests of its members in the event of a disciplinary matters arising under the rules of Soccer Tamania. If a player behaves in a way that brings the club or the game into disrepute, the club has the right under its constitution to take disciplinary action of its own. Happily, such instances are extrememly rare.

For a club to participate in soccer, its players must be registered and it must nominate teams in the various competitions, and both these processes involve payments to Soccer Tasmania which is why it is necessary to impose membership subscriptions, which of course vary in amount depending mainly on the age of the member. The club has many additional costs, and it is important for members and potential members to realise that the membership subscriptions do not cover what it actually costs to operate the club. It is therefore necessary to generate income in other ways, such as by obtaining sponsorship, charging admission to senior games, running a kiosk, and running other fund-raising events such as fairs, raffles, car boot sales and quiz nights.

These activities require support from all club members and need committed volunteers to become involved in their organisation and implementation. For parents of new members, it is a good way to become involved with the club and to learn more about what lies ahead. Team managers, coaches and helpers are always needed, and volunteer help ultimately makes it possible to keep subscriptions down to an affordable level.

Where are we going?

Junior and Youth Development

During the 1999 season, a number of Under 16 players were selected to play in one or more of the four senior teams, including the State League team and have been valuable members of these squads. It is a tribute to the hard work and vision of the clubs’s junior Coordinators, John Barker and Spinner Adkins that the club now has a pool of well developed young players available to provide competitive teams in years to come.

It is widely recognised that the South Hobart Soccer Club is now the model for Junior Development in Tasmania. It is hoped that by establishing the pathways and providing high quality coching, players will be able to achieve their potential in a caring atmosphere in which long term loyalties to fellow players and the club as a whole will be the predominant culture. It is however an ongoing concern that there should continue to be adequate opportunities and challenges for these young players as they mature into adults.

Coaching

Senior and Junior players are encouraged to participate in coaching and refereeing courses and it is hoped we ill see more and more players giving up some time to contribute to the skill development of future junior members. Parents of young players, who have a good knowledge of thegame, are also encouraged to qualify as coaches.

Women’s Soccer

A Women’s teams was reintroduced in 1997, this grew to two teams in 1998, and this aspect of the club’s recent development is going from strength to strength with the proposal to introduce Junior Women’s teams as soon as there is sufficient support among all the clubs.

Senior and Youth Soccer

In 1994 we commenced an ambitious five year plan to build up our player base so that we could finish the season in one of the top four spots in the State League. We didn’t reach our goal in 1999 but based on pre-season cup results (won by South Hobart) and early regular season results, we should achievee our goal of being a top four side at the highest level in 2001.

Participation in the State League provides the highest possible level of soccer available in Tasmania, it is sometimes difficult for new members to accept that clubs like South Hobart measure their success first and foremost by their achievement at this level, but this is in fact a reflection of the total effort of the club from Under 13 onwards. The club is always moving forward; with commitment and vision, some of today’s juniors will become tomorrow’s State League stars. Those who do not will stil have the satisfaction and pleasure of participating to the limit of their ability, and of enjoying the camaradrerie nd friendships that participating in club sport provides.

Club Administration

At the Annual General Meeting, the members elect office bearers and a committee to undertake the administration of the club’s business. Once the committee has been formed, various responibilities are delegated to those who feel able to carry out a special task; these include Junior Development Coordinator, Registration Officer, Publicity Officer, Fundraising Convener, Merchandising Officer, Development Officer, Volunteer Coordinator, Clubroom/Canteen Manager and Sponsorship Coordinator.

South Hobart Soccer Club has built its reputation in recent years on the quality of coaching at all levels and its vigorour development program. Coaching is the responibility of the Senior Coach who is employed by the club to provide coaching for the club’s senior squad and to plan and coordinate the club’s overall coaching program. In addition it is the Senior Coach’s responsibility to spot the promising junior players as they develop, and to ensure they are given opportunities to gain experience at the highest level suited to their physical and emotional maturity.

Junior Development is manged by the Junior Development Officers, who act independantly of the Senior Coach, while maintaining the communication necessary to ensure smooth pathways for Juniors to follow as their skills grow.

2001

During 1999, the Board of Soccer Tasmania took the decision to abandon the State League and to replace it with a Northern and Southern Conference League. The South Hobart Soccer Club now competes in this new league and fields teams in Southern Conference, Southern Conference Reserves and Lotto Under 23 League. The Club also fields a team in Division 1 South.

It is therefore intended that teams will be fielded in the following leagues:

Southern Conference (Wrest Point)
Southern Conference Reserves
Lotto (Under 23)
Under 18
Under 16
Under 15
Under 14
Under 13

The Club will also continue to work with Junior players in the Primary School Soccer Associatoin and to provide coaching for Regional representative teams and children at the South Hobart Primary School in particular.

© South Hobart Soccer Club, 2001
Web by Nigel Reeves, Richmond Tasmania
Last Updated June 01, 2020