A new era in secondary school football was ushered in during 2025 Winter Tournament week with the AGMs of NZSS Girls’ Football and NZSS Boys’ Football Associations voting to dissolve the current bodies and form a single governing entity, the NZSS Football Association.

In 2022, the Secondary School Working Group published the Secondary School Aged Football Report, recommending consideration of options for structural reform. Representatives from the Boys’ and Girls’ Associations, along with representatives of New Zealand Football (NZ Football), been working together as a Joint Governance Group for 18 months to develop a unified body and following extensive consultation, the 2025 AGM’s approved the proposal.

The AGM’s also saw both the Girls’ and Boys’ associations elect representative to serve on the inaugural committee of the new body. Those initial members of NZSSFA recently held its first meeting electing Matt Cortesi (Christs College) as the founding chairperson and Lisa Chubb (Taranaki Diocesan) as deputy.

The initial meeting also unanimously endorsed the Constitution for NZSSFA and approved registering the organisation as an Incorporated Society.

Members of the NZSSFA committee are:

Matt Cortesi (Christs College, Chairperson)

Lisa Chubb (Taranaki Diocesan, Deputy Chairperson)

Helen Arjomundi (St Peters Cambridge)

Ryan Shiffman (Baradene College)

Mike Beeby (South Otago HS)

Alex Metzger (Diocesan School for Girls)

Adam Miller (Palmerston North BHS)

Rob Anderson (Nelson College)

Heather Hepburn (co-opted, ex NZSS Girls Football chairperson)

Michael Taylor (co-opted, NZSS Boys – International Tours)

Any enquiries can be directed to mcortesi@christscollege.com

Article added: Wednesday 05 November 2025