Dear Friends
As 2020 draws to a close after what has been one of the strangest, most unsettling and challenging years that many of us have ever experienced, myself and the Board of FISTF would like to reach out to all our Members, players, clubs, supporters and producers with a message of hope.
For many of us, the festive season will be unlike any we have ever celebrated, much like our competition season: disrupted, limited and often not what we had been hoping for.
Most of us have not had the chance to catch up with clubmates, friends and rivals this year, as event after event was cancelled. At the top of the list, the FISTF World Cup was postponed.
We are thankful to our member nations for accepting the cancellations and postponements with good grace, and listening to local authorities about the possibility of staging events.
Players around the world have also done what they can to organise club and local events, to keep their activity going within the guidelines of health advisories. A range of unusual events were also staged, including ‘solo’ leagues and competitions, shooting competitions and special draws, ‘zoom’ meetings and ‘virtual gatherings’.
For the time being, we cannot see a dramatic change to the opportunity to play. Even countries where the social distancing rules have been relaxed over the last few weeks have experienced sporadic lockdowns.
We need to focus on what is important at this time: the health and safety of our families and loved ones.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow board members for their ongoing support and cooperation over the last four years. All of them have contributed in their own unique way: Fred, Horst, Eric, Adrianos, Stefano, Brandon, Daniel, Jason, Peter and KW all gave selflessly of their time. I am also looking forward to working with the new members, Mike, Jurgen and Francesco. I would also like to give a special thanks to Roger Trouillard and Frederic Perdaens for their tireless work behind the scenes for FISTF, and to thank so many people who have assisted us with editing documents, making suggestions, listening and being a sounding board. You all know who you are!
I’d also like to thank my wonderful clubmates at the Northern Falcons TFC in Sydney who continue to provide me with inspiration, along with the rest of the Aussie table football community.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and festive season, and all the best for a prosperous new year.
Steve Dettre