Officiating in Australia

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Officiating in Australia

• Emery Holmik
• Peter Topp

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Officiating in Australia

• Presentation summary
• Background to Officiating in Australia
• National Officiating Program
• Year of the Official outcomes
• ASC research
• Current state of play What the ASC is doing
• NOAG NOSP Framework
• Good practice
• High Performance issues and models
• Future....

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Sports Coach and Official Section Organisational
Structure
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Officiating in Australia

• Emery Holmik, Manager, Sports Coach and Official
  Section, ASC
• From NOP to Now
• National Officiating Program
• Year of the Official
• Research conclusions considerations

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Officiating in Australia

• ASC involvement since 1991 through the National
  Officiating Accreditation Program (NOAS), Codes
  of Conduct, Harassment Free Sport Program and
  Junior Sport Policy
• National Officiating Program established in 1994
  to develop and implement programs to improve
  quality, quantity, leadership and status of
  officiating

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Officiating in Australia

• Australian Bureau of Statistics survey 2002
• 26 decline in officials from 1997 2001 abuse
  suggested as significant factor
• Fair Go for Officials ASC forum 2002 in
  consultation with State and Territory Departments
  of Sport Recreation
• Outcomes lead to the Year of the Official
  campaign in 2003

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Officiating in Australia

• Key focus of the YOF was on strategies to address
  abuse of officials and change social attitudes
• Engaged major stakeholders in changing behaviours
  campaign

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Officiating in Australia

• Outcome / Results (Year of the Official)
• Survey 1 in 5 Australians had seen or heard about
  YOF
• Overall attitudes (survey)
• 81 feel abuse is never acceptable
• 18 believe it is acceptable sometimes
• 75 concerned about abuse of officials

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Officiating in Australia

• Survey Results (Year of the Official)
• Perception of change compared with 3 years ago
• 37 believe there is now more abuse
• 11 believe there is less
• 41 believe there is no change

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Officiating in Australia

• Australian Sports Commission research into the
  Officiating
• Year of the Official - Time to Respect the
  Official National campaign focussed on
  promotion of Officiating ASC 2004
• Problems and Issues in the Recruitment and
  retention of Sports Officials Graham Cuskelly
  Russell Hoye 2005 - Griffith University

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Officiating in Australia

• Some key conclusions
• Problems in retention of officials, particularly
  inexperienced officials at the grass roots level
  of sport
• National and State bodies have little influence
  in the recruitment and retention of sports
  officials at grass roots levels
• The facilities and resources available to sports
  officials at the grass roots level are inadequate

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Officiating in Australia

• Key conclusions
• There are significant shortcomings in the
  training provided for sports officials to deal
  with abuse and conflict situations
• The feedback provided to practicing officials at
  the grass roots level is generally inadequate
• There is an underlying assumption that all sports
  officials are seeking career advancement

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Officiating in Australia

• Key conclusions
• The skills and abilities of sports officials
  coordinators is a key determinant in the
  recruitment, development and retention of sports
  officials.
• Sports should attempt to build a stronger and
  more positive public image for sports
  officiating.

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Officiating in Australia

• Considerations
• More actively managing the intent of codes of
  conduct
• Zero tolerance policies with mandatory suspension
  guidelines
• The application of consistent and enforceable
  sanctions
• The implementation of a de-accreditation policy
  for coaches who repeatedly abuse officials

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Officiating in Australia

• Recognition of officials through such things as
• Providing adequate resources for officials
  including separate and secure rooms and storage
  space at all venues
• Reducing or eliminating out of pocket expenses
  associated with training, accreditation and
  equipment for officials
• Recognition that officials are integral to
  positive sport experiences for players, coaches
  and spectators at all levels of sport

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Officiating in Australia

• Formal recognition schemes for sports officials
  at all levels including regular opportunities for
  officials to mix formally and informally with
  coaches, players and administrators
• Sports at all levels should shift from
  stand-alone to integrated structures in relation
  to sports officiating

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Officiating in Australia

• Peter Topp, Senior Sports Consultant, Sports
  Coach and Official Section
• Current state of play
• NOAG industry reference group
• NOSP
• NOAS
• Initiatives
• Research
• Education Training

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Officiating in Australia

• What is the ASC doing?
• National Officiating Scholarship Program (NOSP)
  Designed to enhance the learning and competence
  of potential high performance officials
• Target NSOs to develop, update and re-write
  training programs under NOAS
• National Officiating Workshops Conduct combined
  Coaching Officiating workshops for NSO State
  personnel

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Officiating in Australia

• State Coaching Officiating Centres Work
  closely with State Departments of Sport to
  develop Officiating with National and State
  Sporting Organisations
• National Officiating Advisory Group (NOAG)
  targeted officiating industry representatives
  from sports and other appropriate bodies to
  provide strategic input to the direction of
  officiating with the ASC

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Officiating in Australia

• Officials Managers workshop work with NSOs to
  assist club level individuals to deliver
  necessary service to sports
• Junior Officiating Academies Pilot Officiating
  Academies with Clubs / LGAs / Schools
• Officiating Framework Assist NSOs in the
  development of an Officiating Framework that will
  assist in the development of Officials

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Officiating in Australia

• Mentor Skills workshops introduce a second
  phase of Mentor development, targeting Mentor
  skills of Communication, Conflict Resolution,
  Learning Styles, Giving Receiving feedback and
  Emotional Intelligence
• Presenter Assessor Skills Revised Presenter
  and Assessor training focusing on practical
  application not theory

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Officiating in Australia

• On-line General Principles ASC General
  Principles available via the web
• More self-reflection Learning Journal at the
  start and end of each module
• Layered approach to info case study, model
  answer, quick tip and dig deeper
• Greater use of video - 5 video segments. Two new
  videos have been developed on Communication and
  Risk mgmt.
• 360 degree risk assessment activity
• Showing the human side to officials through
  images, audio and related activities

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Officiating in Australia

• On-line General Principles ASC General
  Principles available via the web

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Officiating in Australia

• On-line General Principles ASC General
  Principles available via the web
• Course launched in May 08
• Enrolments to date 11,976
• Completions to date 7,579

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Officiating in Australia

• Good practice examples
• Green Shirt Program AFL and others -
  Identification of junior/new officials
• Mentoring Helping guide officials through
• 1800 dial-a-ref ARL referee recruiting
• Compulsory referee course attendance Lacrosse
  Victoria
• Duty referees used to help run competitions

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Officiating in Australia

• Good practice examples
• Whole of sport approach Umpire Academy programs
  small group of umpires in a scholarship program
• Ground Managers Administrators in bright tops
• Were not playing for sheep stations AFL
  educating parents about behaviour
• Locker room forums Qld Sport Recreation
  series of evening forums exchanging ideas

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating
• Issues
• Officiating departments in NSOs
• HP development programs
• Resources for officials
• Support for officials pre, during post match
• Length of appointments to HP
• Access / control over appointments (age,
  politics)
• Role of Officials coach

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating
• Issues
• Official Coach / Assessor / Appointee conflict
• Video role in officiating
• Life / Work (Officiating) balance
• What happens after? (retirement?)
• Players becoming officials
• Research

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating
• Role of the media
• Judiciary role
• Link of high performance to community officiating

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating examples
• AFL
• AFL Umpires list P/T - 32 central umpires
  Boundary Goal Umps
• AFL Umpires Department National Ump Manager
  Coach
• Basketball
• NBL P/T contracted
• BA Coach / Assessor
• Cricket
• National Umpires Panel Sheffield Shield
• Emerging Umpires Panel 12 umpires
• High Performance Umpires (assessment) panel 4
  Nat Umpires Manager

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating examples
• Football
• 7 referees P/T for A-League
• 21 home based for the Youth league
• W-League
• Referee Assessor group for all referees

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Developing high performance officials

• High performance officiating examples
• Rugby League
• NRL referees F/T
• NRL Match Officials Group 5 former NRL refs
  Match assess
• Rugby Union
• National Elite Panel service 30 refs
• National A Panel 6 contracted referees
  national international
• National B Panel 11 referees Super14 Major
  domestic
• National development panel 13 referees
  potential to Super14

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating
• From here

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Officiating in Australia

• High performance officiating
• To here

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Officiating in Australia

• Emery Holmik, Manager, Sports Coach and Official
  Section, ASC
• Future trends and challenges
• International conference
• Officiating Framework
• Brand management
• Treatment of officials

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Officiating Framework
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Officiating in Australia

• Thanks
• Questions?
• Emery Holmik
• Email
• emery.holmik_at_ausport.gov.au
• Peter Topp
• peter.topp_at_ausport.gov.au