Monday 18 April 2011
Umpires and umpiring administrators from Bundaberg to Cairns were brought up to date on a range of issues that affect them by two senior officials from AFL Queensland last week.
State Umpiring Manager Greg Howell and Community Competitions Umpires Coordinator Simon Devine spent a week on the road updating their regional counterparts.
There was a strong focus on addressing the 2012 to 2016 AFLQ Strategic Plan, while it also gave the city-based Howell and Devine the opportunity to view training facilities and gain a feel for the issues relevant to each region.
“We have got a fair bit of work ahead of us but we also know we have got some very good people involved with the different leagues and umpiring,” Howell said.
“We know that any assistance we give to them will be well spent.”
Howell said some areas were flourishing while others endured noticeable gaps between the number of umpires available and number of appointments required.
“As we continue to grow our participation levels, like any sport around regional Queensland, we need to grow our officials at the same rate.
“That is our challenge.”
