FOOTBALL: Steve plots future course for county football (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

FOOTBALL: Steve plots future course for county football

4:00pm Friday 15th March 2013 in Football By Dan Barnes

STEVE Neale feels “very privileged’’ to be handed the task of driving the Wiltshire FA forward after being named as the new county secretary.

Neale, 49, has spent three years as the county development manager and will officially replace long-serving Mike Benson, who retired from his role at the end of January, on April 8.

“Mike’s legacy will always be a part of the Wiltshire FA and hopefully, we’ll all be able to carry on his good work – I’m very privileged to be handed this responsibility,” he said.

“There are going to be many challenges ahead but I’m lucky to be able to count on experienced staff here and a supportive board, and I’m also indebted to a fantastic amount of volunteers.

“We need to make sure we elicit feedback from all the organisations we work with and take that on board as we make improvements to football in the county.

“There are two major tasks that I will need to concentrate on first. Firstly, we need to submit our county strategy to the FA before March 27 and then I need to ensure that our staffing is correct and appoint my replacement.

“The development manager is a pivotal role and includes dealing with inclusive football, such as women’s and disability.”