Aimee Barwick receives Life Membership of Northern Region Football

A club and federation administrator whose interest in football stemmed from her kids’ participation has been made a Life Member of Northern Region Football.

Aimee Barwick was elected a Life Member at the NRF’s Annual General Meeting in June, recognising her service to the football community and her active governance roles since 2013.

Main photo: Aimee Barwick … helped steer the successful merger of two federations.

‘I will forever be grateful’

In their citation for the membership, NRF said:

“She began by supporting her kids playing football, before becoming chair of the Forest Hill Milford club. Soon, she was elected to the Northern Football Federation board as a board member and chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, before becoming chair in 2018.”

Accepting the Life Membership, Barwick said:

“Thank you for this incredible honour and recognition. It was a privilege to have the various board roles over my tenure at the federation and work with such an incredible group of people from New Zealand Football, all the federations, club staff and coaches through to the players.

“Being able to be part of this talented and passionate community taught me so much and I will forever be grateful.

“I look forward to being able to be back with this community as a Life Member on my return to New Zealand in a few years. I wish you all the best for the coming season and of the Women’s World Cup, which I will be following closely.”

‘A calm, considered and pragmatic approach’

Barwick played a critical role in the merger of the Northern Football Federation and Auckland Football Federation, co-chairing the steering committee that guided the merger over a three-year period, successfully completed in 2021.

Alongside Andrea Nelson, Aimee was the inaugural co-chair of the newly formed Northern Region Football board that finalised all the merger requirements and introduced a new NRF strategy.

She had a large day job as Deputy Country Head of a global engineering firm, but remained committed to her football governance role that required a significant commitment of time and energy to navigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and the merger processes.

“Aimee was a strong governance practitioner, bringing a calm, considered and pragmatic approach to everything she has given and achieved in our game,” NRF’s citation says.

“Her tireless mahi on the AFF/NFF merger was instrumental in a successful outcome.”

Northern Region Football Life Members

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