Craig Foster became the first Football Federation Australia board candidate to publicly outline his platform for election, releasing a 4,000-word "digital manifesto" which explains how his "football acumen" can help "drive the sport forward," according to Vince Rugari of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Foster launched a website, believeinourgame.com, on Tuesday. The site "articulates his comprehensive vision for the game and what he believes he can bring" to a "new-look" FFA board. He also promised to "share in the coming days" a "broader plan" which has been developed in conjunction with Professional Footballers Australia, the union "which put him and Heather Reid forward as nominees." A former Socceroo and a long-time pundit for SBS, Foster is one of 12 contenders for election to the FFA board at its annual general meeting on Nov. 19. He "is also in the running to replace the outgoing Steven Lowy" as chair. Foster is one of only two nominees to have played the game at a professional level and said that "the time was right" to put football at the center of FFA's future decision-making. He wrote, "As far as we have come, the financial base of the game could have been so much greater if football also underpinned key decisions." Foster is advocating for "open collaboration with the community, cheaper player registration fees and coaching courses," more professional opportunities -- including a national second division and a roadmap toward promotion and relegation -- and "better engagement with Indigenous and multicultural Australia" (SMH, 11/6).
