Media Release
Singapore, 30 May 2016 – An air of optimism emanated from members and affiliates as the Singapore Floorball Association (SFA) concluded its Extraordinary General Meeting held at the Sport Singapore (SportSG) office today. Beyond the affirmation to rebuild the sport, one of the key outcomes that came out of the meeting was the confirmation of two interim management positions – for President and General Manager – respectively to steer the association to a steady state.
The interim positions were filled by existing management committee member Kenneth Ho for President, and seconded SportSG staff Todd Vladich for General Manager. The latter is a six-month appointment that will focus attention on resolving ongoing issues and put in place robust administrative and financial systems and processes. SFA hopes to maintain the General Manager position after the interim period.
Fraternity members welcomed the move and believed things would take a turn for the better. Said Brandon Cheong, National Men’s Captain: “It is good that the EOGM was called quickly to reaffirm the fraternity’s commitment to rebuild and develop the sport. There is no point dwelling on the past. We welcome these changes at the association and am happy that SportSG has come on board to help us get our association in order. I am relieved that the sport is getting back on track.”
Echoing Brandon’s sentiments, Lim Bin Bin from NUS Titians FC added: “It is definitely disappointing to be in the news for the wrong reasons. However, we can only look forward. We must stay together to ensure the sport survives this difficult period and bounce back strongly. Together with the rest of fraternity, I believe we can revive the glory days of floorball.”
The members’ optimism was not unfounded, seeing the commitment and years of experience that both Ho and Vladich possess. Ho, who holds a full-time job in the insurance sector, has been an SFA management committee member since 2011. During his time at SFA, the 29-year-old has overseen coaching and development as well as competition matters in Singapore Floorball. Ho has been involved in the local floorball scene since his tertiary education days at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) from 2003 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011 respectively, both as a school player and a committee member. In 2010, he successfully led the committee at SIM in organising the first ever edition of the Inter-University Floorball Championship while juggling captaincy duties.
Focusing on the immediate task ahead, Ho said, “Today’s meeting is to reassure and reaffirm our commitment to develop floorball. We want everyone – athletes, officials, parents, schools, corporates, fans and community-at-large, to stand united with us. We will be focusing our efforts to stabilise the association, care for our athletes and develop the sport to the level it should be. I thank SportSG for their support as we are now targeting to get the house in order and prepare for Charity status to resume funding.”
The interim General Manager role is not new to Vladich, having been attached to the Singapore Hockey Federation in a similar capacity in 2012. Vladich has some 20 years of experience working in the sports industry and has been with SportSG for over 10 years to date. During this time, he has worked with all 63 national sports associations (NSA) in Singapore, from advising them in their multi-year strategic planning and funding matters to helping elite athletes chart their development plans. Vladich also played a key role in laying the foundation for Floorball to be played as a full-medal sport at the recent 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
Vladich is ready to take on the role to help bring the association back to normalcy. Said Vladich: “It will take time for things to return to a steady state. We agreed to assist SFA to align and prepare them for what needs to be done from now till the next Annual General Meeting. The most crucial thing now would be for SFA to get their accounts in order, before the next AGM can happen. In the longer run, SFA will need to work hard at restoring confidence and pride not just within the fraternity but also the community-at-large. SportSG will support where we can but the onus is on the SFA management committee to move things forward, and to remain viable and accountable to its members in promoting and developing floorball in Singapore.”
