New Zealand Football board appointment improves grassroots connection

Northern Football Federation Chairman Mike Anderson has been co-opted on to the board of New Zealand Football to strengthen the connection between football's governance and its grassroots.
Anderson, a lawyer who has a long history of grassroots involvement as a former chairman of Forrest Hill Milford United on Auckland's North Shore, is the current head of New Zealand Football's Committee of Federations and it is through this role that he joins the NZF board.
Anderson is one of two co-opted members on a nine member board along with four members selected by an independent three-person appointments panel and three nominated and elected by New Zealand Football's seven member federations at the sport's annual congress.
New Zealand Football Chair Frank van Hattum said the move was a "natural step in the growing alignment of football.
"Over the past few years New Zealand Football and all of our federations have done a lot of hard work in getting back on the same page, and integrating strategy and resources.
"With the committee of federation chairs connecting the dots from region to region, it makes absolute sense to invite the head of that group on to our board."