How's this for a wrap?

[pazza]

Took this from the VAFAUA Website. For the young goalies involved, they deserve high praise. For the advisor concerned, a great result so far. And for the rest of the panel, a true pat on the back.

Young goal umpires turn heads

Monday, 31 July 2006

Last Wednesday, 26th of July, VAFA Goal Umpires Coach Andrew Barnes gave some of the VAFA’s best young Goal Umpires the opportunity to train with the Victorian Football League goal umpiring squad.

Michael O'Donnell, Daniel Scully, Glen Young, Sam Perrin, Anthony Kyrkou, Lucas Robson and Adam Edwick were the boys selected. This was a great chance for these young umpires to go and see first hand what it takes to reach the next level. And according to Andrew Barnes we all should be very proud of their work.

Andrew Barnes said “They represented the VAFAUA in a very professional way.”

On the night, Andrew Sinclair, VFL Goal Umpires Coach, said to Andrew Barnes before they hit the track "Barnsey, you might have brought the guys to train at the wrong time because tonight is one of the hardest nights on the track. Do you want them to sit it out?"

"No! They’re right to go!" said Andrew. And go they did.

Fitness wise the boys easily beat half of the VFL squad, which quickly turned a few heads in the VFL Coaching Department. Then, the boys were given a grilling in skills work in the goals for a good half an hour. Those heads in the VFL coaching department that were turning before nearly fell off!

The boys turned it on in a big way. It was great to see all the hard work they put in at training on display for all to see.

Andrew Sinclair said to Andrew Barnes that "Right now, four of your boys would have games this week, simple as that! I don't know what your doing down there, but it's working."

Apparently, it took an hour for Barnsey’s head to go down before he could get through the front door at home!

Andrew Barnes paid tribute to the entire VAFA goal umpiring panel. He believes that everyone has contributed to the boy’s success on the night.

“All the Goal Umpires that train with these boys on Tuesday and Thursday nights can take some credit. Well done to everyone. As I’ve been saying from the start of the year, we work as a team and being part of that team we encourage, help each other, have fun and the best thing is we're all mates!!!!”

“There is no other Goal Umpiring group that can say all that.”

 

[The Tigers Nuts]

Awesome stuff. Shame there's not more of them to go around. Maybe a recruiting drive during summer?

Tigernuts

 

[Drizzle]

Can anyone enlighten us uneducated players as to what is involved in the fitness side of a goal umpiring training session, in particular this tough one?

 

[eddiesmith]

Non stop running I can assume if Barnesys sessions are anything to go by

Unfortunately after a year of watching Williamstown getting murdered by umpires I dont think i would ever be welcome in the VFL, most umpires would recognise me as a very abusive, loud mouth umpire basher

It is great to see those who went showing up the VFL boys, although if their standard of umpiring is any indictator, its not very difficult

 

[The Tigers Nuts]

Can anyone enlighten us uneducated players as to what is involved in the fitness side of a goal umpiring training session, in particular this tough one?

Rumour has it (unknown how reliable my VFL source is) that they did warmup drills inside, 2-2.5km fast laps, lots of half-lap anaerobic sprints then a few warmdown laps before starting the skills session.

Toughness is relative. Most club goalies would possibly call it tough.

Tigernuts

 

[pazza]

Having been involved for the last decade, the training (or certainly the times I've actually been able to get on the track *bloody work* ) this year is much more about agility running than what it used to be.

Thinking back over the last 10 years, it was more attuned to the skills back then - in fact right until the end of last year, working with footballs being kicked, instead of thrown/handballed etc was very common, along with various levels of running.

What Barnesy started to introduce last year was types of running exercises that would prepare the majority of the squad to umpire at the pace of A Grade football at minimum.

On the recruiting, much of the young group there now came out of a campaign in the schools over the last 5 years (schools like St. Pauls Altona, Whitefriars, Xavier etc have been involved in a program as part of physical education programs, insterested youngsters start learning to be umpires).

The VFL do train harder, no doubt. But for the kids to show such good signs, is a fillip for the entire panel.

What the experienced guys have tried to do (and I guess I'd have to consider myself as one of those now) is take these kids under their wing and help them become better umpires.