2 December 2000
The Press
by Tony Smith
Canterbury Soccer executive officer Terry Blacktopp will head the Federation Six regional body's administration team and Rangers' coach Fred Simpson will be its coaching director. Federation Six was set up this year to run soccer in the Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, and West Coast districts.
Federation board chairman Laurie Blyth announced three staffing positions, which took effect yesterday.
Blacktopp has been appointed administration manager. He has been Canterbury Soccer executive officer for three years, after a stint as convenor of its operations and match committees.
Simpson, the current Rangers' premier team and Canterbury women's team coach, has been involved in regional coaching for 15 years.
The former Woolston southern league player was Southland's regional coach for 10 years. Since his return to Christchurch he has been New Zealand Soccer's Canterbury-Westland regional coach for five years, and has been instrumental in setting up successful youth development and coach education programmes.
Simpson is also the national under-13 boys' grade selector-coach.
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers' apprentice professional Paul Wilkinson-Baker has been appointed Federation Six's marketing and promotions officer.
Wilkinson-Baker has had more than 20 years experience in international advertising and marketing industries, and now runs his own marketing and media business in Christchurch. He is a former Nomads United first-team coach.
His first task is to come up with a new name for Federation Six.
"The name Federation Six would probably do little to inspire any budding Wynton Rufers out there, so it has to be dropped," he said.
A competition will be run early next year among junior footballers to come up with a new name and logo.