Football Mid North Coast chairman Mike Parsons steps aside from his role after seven years

Despite stepping aside as Football Mid North Coast chairman on February 10 he will continue to push the barrow all the way to the finish line.

The plans have been drawn up, the land has been allocated and Parsons was adamant the project would be completed in the short term rather than medium or long term.

"I can tell you whether I'm inside or outside I'll still be pushing that wheelbarrow pretty strongly whether it's up hill, down hill or on a level surface," he said.

"Once we've got this stadium we'll be able to host far more events and bring millions of dollars into the local community indirectly from our game of football.

"Port Macquarie-Hastings Council understand the value of not only sport and social interaction, but the value of sports tourism to an economy."

He admitted it was satisfying to know that he had played his part along the way although there had been other contributors as well.

Parsons anticipates the Sovereign Hills project will potentially be worth $25million when completed.

"A few years ago people said it couldn't be done and I just had a belief," he said.

"A lot of people have assisted along the way and are now part of the ship that's sailing towards that tropical island.

"If I'm not on the board at the time I'll certainly be at the opening and in all honesty probably shed a little tear because it will be something special."

From the moment Mike Parsons took on the Football Mid North Coast chairmanship in 2015 there was one thing he was adamant he wouldn't do - hang around too long.

A seven-year involvement as the "head of the dragon" ended on Wednesday when Parsons acknowledged the time was right for him to step aside.

"I've always said when I took this role that I didn't want to be there for the sake of being there and hanging in for the sake of hanging in," he said.

"As the head of the dragon I cop the flak and take responsibility for the criticisms, but hopefully I get some kudos along the way too. I'm confident I've given everything to football I can."

The last two years in particular have been challenging as the pandemic wreaked havoc on community sport, but Parsons was confident football in particular would bounce back.

"The biggest thing is the incremental growth in our participation rates despite the first year of COVID where we lost 1000 players," he said.

"We regained those in 2021 and we're looking forward to more growth this season."

Parsons also played his part in shining the spotlight on sporting infrastructure and the lack of adequate facilities for players around the zone.

It resulted in clubs receiving more than $20 million worth of grants for infrastructure over the last four years.

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