It is not just the footballers that have started their pre-season campaign.  On Wednesday 14th November at the Geelong Football Umpires League Rooms at Kardinia Park, a group of field, boundary and goal umpires from the Geelong, Ballarat and Colac Umpiring Associations, have also hit the track as part of the VCFL’s Umpire Academy Program.  

VCFL Umpire Development Manager, Rod Threlfall, said five Academies were established around country Victoria  in 2007 and that number would increase to seven in 2008 because of the demand.  “We’ll put about 250 umpires from around the State through this program” Threlfall said.   He also said that the academy was originally set up to focus on young and developing umpires, but it had been expanded to include older and more experienced umpires, as umpires involved in the academies would be appointed to represntative games, such as next years National Country Football Championships to be held in Victoria and the VCFL Inter-League competitions.
“We think it will build on retention rates of umpires and to have them thinking about next year, even this early in the season, will only make them become a more professional umpire,” Threlfall said.

Each umpire is put through a strict fitness and performance test as well as receiving indoor coaching.  “The program is aiming to improve the skill level of umpires” Threlfall said.  “If that delivers a better skilled umpire at a local level, the we will have achieved an outcome.”

The next Academy session in Geelong will be at the Geelong Football Umpires League Rooms at Kardinia Park on Wednesday 5th December 2007.