Saturday 14 July 2012

Day 9

What a week. The team are totally burnt out after a week of high quality football. The final of Division 2 and 3 today with a good crowd in to see the state of origin, NSW vs QLD. Once again some outstanding performances from the group and a great way to finish the week.

Queensland took home the Division 2, while WA North West took out Division 3.


The group were thanked by the AFL for their contrubution and then we made our way to the airport. A time to reflect on the week. Both the umpiring and friendships. Many of the group swap details and talk about catching up after the season is completed.


I know I have said it before but what a pleasure to coach a great group of young people who love their umpiring and want to learn. I am sure we see some of them at the top level in the next few years.

The coaches take away many new skills and experiences with them and will be better coaches for it. The umpires go home with a new energy and tweaks in their game that will hopefully move their career forward.

Thanks to the AFL, in particular Andrew Hughes, and all involved with the program. A great opportunity for everyone. Many in the group now work towards getting a shot at the Under 18's Championships next year.



Friday 13 July 2012

Day 8

Division 1 finals today and the intensity lifted a notch. So did our umpires. Some excellent performances as the guys push to finish the week off on a high.

WA won the trophy, the first time since 2004.


For the coaches, the best moment for us is when we see improvement from our group. Every single umpire has made a slight change to their game and will go back to their group a better umpire for it.
This week is the closest to AFL you can get at this level and the umpires have taken all the opportunities that were on offer. MatchCom, 6 new Sherrin footballs per game, a live-in trainer, the list goes on. Many of our team now know if they want to umpire at the AFL or are happy with local footy.


The afternoon was spent copying hundreds of hours of footage into USB so that the umpires can go home and review their games in more details.

After dinner the leadership group presented the coaches with a gift to thank them for their time. What they don't understand is that we are getting as much out of it as them. For us this is the best professional learning for umpires coaching that you can do.

Time to pack our bags and be ready for the long day tomorrow. Div 2 & 3 finals and home.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Day 7

Rest Day.

Early recovery and then into Sydney. The umpires had the whole day to explore. Some activities included lunch in China Town, Bowling at Darling Harbour, photos in front of the Bridge and the House along with some shopping.

The coaches had some time at AFL NSW along with their own down time.


The evening was spent at NEAFL (North East AFL) training. This is the state level (equivalent to VFL) in NSW. It was great to visit another group and see who they go about it. Once again Steve Keating was a great host as we met all the umpires and staff.

Steve also highlighted the work that still needs to be done in Sydney around growing the game. Some of our umpires were shocked to see Rugby posts on the training field.


We joined in the coaching session where one of our own umpires, Nic McGinness (From the NEAFL Canberra) spoke to the group about the championships. It was great for Nic to meet some of the umpires that he will officiate with come finals. 


Many things has come into perspective for me on the trip. One is around travel. In Melbourne we have many umpires complain about the distance they travel for games. They need to come up here for a year. The NEAFL is so spread out, they needed to Sype into Canberra tonight for their coaching meeting. Umpires in QLD travel for up to 3 hours to get to games and at times need to fly to Darwin. 

Our great game is growing very fast and its an exciting time to be involved! 

Big day tomorrow...... The finals of Division 1.





Wednesday 11 July 2012

Day 6

Tiredness has set in! You could hear crickets on the bus as we drove to the ground for day 4 of umpiring.

For the first time some of our umpires are backing up two days in a row. Something they may be used to doing at community level, however the standard of this football is closer to senior state level and it's not slowing down.





Umpires now know what to work on in each game. The 360 reviews are starting to become automatic and game plans are being formed. We now have seen all the teams and can start reading the play a little easier, identifying players and going to the next level of professionals.



It's so great to view the game from an elevated point. A massive improvement from my car or the fence that I am usually faced with on a Saturday back at Riddell. From the third story of the grandstand we can see everything and helps with coaching position.


The group have now really bonded. Lots of in-jokes, sharing of emails and Facebook links along with plans to meet up beyond the Championships. 






A visit today from Steve Keating, NSW/ACT AFL Umpires Manager, who looks after umpiring in this city. Great to hear his insights on the future of umpiring and the work he is doing up here. 


Video reviews once again dominated the night with some excellent self analysis and discussion. 

Rest day tomorrow, however for some very exciting, as they get to see Sydney City for the first time.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Day 5

We are starting to get into the swing of things now. A longer walk this morning as we had a day off yesterday and then breakfast. Division 1 day and as always the boys and girl were pumped to go.

Today we were working on the 3 umpire system for field and 3/4 umpire system for boundary. For some of the panel this is the first time they will work with the system at a professional level.


The best coaching tool for the field umpires that we have at our disposal is MatchCom. Particularly in a three umpire system, our umpires could coach and assist each other without having to yell out across field. We as the coaches were also able to talk to them from the box, just giving them some short, sharp advice. This enabled us to fix some positional issues much easier than it would giving feedback after the game.

The three umpire system is executed slightly differently in each state, so it was such a pleasure to umpire a group of people who were willing to learn the AFL standard and make adjustments to work on best practice.


Our trainer, Phil Watson, is starting to work his magic. The team are getting sore as they start backing up and Phil is fantastic as he takes an interest in every single umpire.

Back at the hotel we continue to video review every game in a 360 format. This is driven by the umpires as they discuss each game, giving critical feedback and working through issues. We look extremely professional when we have reviewed the game and acknowledged free kick errors before the teams have even had a shower.

The panel spent the night at the Rooty Hill RSL for dinner and an early bed as we have 4 games to cover tomorrow.

Monday 9 July 2012

Day 4

No umpiring today and that was a good thing. The guys needed some time away from footy and we made use of the free time to do that.

First however Des, our Boundary Coach, made the team go through a small circuit in hotel car park just to make sure everyone was on their toes.



Then the AFL hosted a footy forum that went through their Drug, Alcohol and Respect program with every player and official involved in the championships followed by a panel of former and current AFL players who inspired everyone in the room to reach the top level.



The afternoon was a visit to Parramatta to see the new movie Ted. A great way to relax and for the umpires to get to know each other a little more. 


Tomorrow Division 1 footy and a chance for the boundaries and field umpires to experience the 2 and 4 umpire systems.

Sunday 8 July 2012

Day 3

An early start today with a walk and breakfast before 7pm. Three games to cover today and some of the guys are a little sore from yesterday.

 Our first look at Division 2 & 3 today with some new teams into the championship.


Great to see the players from the Pacific and North West WA having a real crack at our great game. 


From an umpiring view today it was a little more challenging for our team. A little warmer along with one sided games made it important for everyone to concentrate for 4 quarters. 

Also an opportunity to umpire with some local umpires today who are not part of our program. NSW has come along with AFL and it was pleasing to notice young men and women taking up umpiring in a state dominated by rugby. 

The Blacktown International Sportspark is an amazing precinct with huge square footage for all types of sports grounds. Two of our goal umpires got to experience officiating on Cricket NSW's practice ground in the first game of the day.  



I have the pleasure working with two very experienced and competent coaches. Des Seaton, from the Eastern Football League in Melbourne, has an excellent manner with the umpires and brings a good old fashioned outlook on umpiring. Getting his crew to do the basics and giving them advice to improve over the week. 



Brent Fewkes is currently the assistant  Goal Umpires Coach at the NEAFL in Queensland. He brings a wide range of skills to the group. From his days as a Field umpire through to his experience as a AFL goal umpire, Brent continually challenges the group and has time to take his umpires through each decision to improve their umpiring.



Most of the guys are tired and after a 360 review of the games and some panels reviewing their game footage, it was an early bed to watch all the sport on TV.

No umpiring tomorrow but a great chance to mingle with all the players in the tournament as we attend a footy luncheon hosted by the AFL. Then some leisure time with the team.