Talent players take on new challenge

Sarah Browne

Mitchell Asher, Sean Hancock, Thomas Seaman and Tim Hardinge all stepped outside of their comfort zones on Saturday afternoon, donning orange shirts as they officiated their first AFL Canberra juniors match.

The boys, who play club football for the Tuggeranong Hawks U14’s, put their hands up to umpire junior AFL, while their club had a bye.

Michael Hancock, Secretary of the Calwell Swans, said that Mitchell’s father approached him about whether there was any availability for umpires, as scheduling clashes between U12’s and U14’s meant there wasn’t much possibility for them to umpire every week.

The boys are the first of many talent players who will give umpiring as a go, with umpiring included as part of the U13 and U14’s Giants Academy program in the ACT, aimed at giving the players a rounded understanding of Australian Rules Football.

The Giants Academies aim to identify, nurture and develop elite athletes in NSW and the ACT.

The Academy offers players individual skill development programs, to mould and better the AFL talent pathway within the club’s zone. These development programs now include an umpiring component. 

Talent and Coaching Manager – ACT and South Coast, John Love says the academy is driven to fast track the development of players as a whole.

“The program has the aim to enhance the players’ knowledge of AFL, improve their technical abilities and skills, and provide an insight into the athletic capabilities to achieve their best”

“It’s something that hasn’t been done before, at least in the Canberra region, if not Australia wide,” Love said.

The program came about as the AFL saw a need to have kids umpiring kids, and the talent programs gave them the opportunity to directly speak to committed young footballers about an alternative pathway in AFL football other than playing.

Jock Hillgrove, who is the Umpiring Development for the ACT/South Coast, said that the program is a win- win situation, providing the competition with much needed umpires while also assisting the development of future AFL players

“The bonus for umpiring is that we have upwards of 60 young footballers that will umpire at least one junior AFL match over the next 12 months”

“We hope that they umpire more than one game of course, but it’s about “having a go” at something they may not have considered”

The ‘Talent Player to Umpire Development Program’ was introduced this year in the ACT and South Coast, to great success in its inaugural year.

State Umpiring Manager, Graham Glassford says he hopes it’s a program that filters through to other talent academies

“This is the first time we have conducted a full umpire education program within the State Academies”

“We see this being rolled out to all State Player Academies in NSW/ACT moving forward, the opportunity to introduce umpiring to a player’s talent development is something that can not only enhance the game, but improve the player individually”

Following a compulsory umpiring session with Jock Hillgrove, the players are able to complete an AFL Club Umpire Course, and are expected to umpire at least three junior matches to receive their Club Umpire Accreditation.

By receiving their accreditation, the players will then be able to progress through the umpiring ranks, and contribute to the game as more than a player.

The success of the program is now becoming evident, with the talent players beginning to filter through to the AFL Canberra competition.

Hancock said the boys appeared nervous before their umpiring debut for the Tuggeranong Bulldogs vs. Calwell Swans U12 game.

Mitch was designated field umpire, while Sean and Thomas ran boundary, and Tim was in goals.

Some calming words from Hancock, and the old motto of ‘Loud and Clear’ on the whistle was all the advice Mitch needed, who looked more and more comfortable as the match progressed

“By the end of the first quarter he was in control of the game and was taking all aspects of the game into account”

“Sean and Thomas on the boundary were doing a great job of running and made some great calls with out of bounds, and they ran the ball back to Mitch in the middle with a great sense of purpose”