CWG 2010 netball final between New Zealand & Australia

Recently I got the chance to ask international umpire Gary Burgess some questions about life as a top umpire  and his experience at the recent Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

You gained your IUA at the World Youth Cup in the Cook Islands in 2009 and I read recently that the 2010 CWG final between NZ and Australia was your first senior international final so, in just over a year you’ve got a lot of experience under your belt. What did it feel like to umpire THAT final and any nerve-wracking moments you can remember?

Well what can I say; umpiring ‘that’ match will be a memory that’ll be hard to beat. It really was a career defining moment where a lifetime of experience unfolded in front of me during 138 minutes of Netball. Directly after the game I felt elated but during the match with probably 5 minutes to go the pressure was on. All that was cycling through my mind was ‘don’t mess this up, don’t mess this up’ again and again and again. Little did I know that that thought would cycle through my mind for the next 40+ minutes!!! Nerve-Wracking… During the Extra Time period the pressure was affecting me. While the decisions were coming out of my mouth correctly my arms didn’t want to do as they were told!!! There was an incident where I indicated an offside with the wrong hand which had everybody panicking for a moment but it was sorted quite quickly!!! The only other thing that happened was with an injury time for Australia. It must be the most asked question I’ve had since I got back. There was a collision between Sharelle McMahon and a Kiwi player – no contact occurred but a different Australian player asked for time. Australia had the ball and I held time. During the injury, apparently the BBC commentary team said that I had changed/reversed a decision for dissent. This wasn’t the case and Australia restarted with the ball in the position where the game was stopped. Commentators can be a pain sometime!!!

How did you get selected to go to Delhi?

Umpires at all levels are subject to assessment and grading. Throughout the season I had been tested on Super League and International matches and it was these grades that secured mine and of course Judith’s places at the Games. There were 13 umpires selected from around the World using the same criteria so it shows that England is back up there as one of the strongest umpiring nations.

Gary Burgess at the CWG Delhi 2010

What did you think of Delhi and the facilities provided for the Games?

The facilities were World Class but unfortunately the Games fell foul of the media making everything seem ten times worse than it was. We stayed in a 5* Hotel which was great. Having said this when I first got to my room I found the Indian idea of a twin room was a double bed with two double duvets!!! The food was lovely and I didn’t even succumb to the dreaded ‘Delhi Belly’!!! We were taken to the venue everyday on a bus and the Police rode ahead of us closing the roads as we went!!! The only issue we did have was that due to the media speculation the spectator numbers were really low for most of the sports. Having said this, the Netball Final was only a few people short of being sold out which is a massive boost for Netball globally.

How do you maintain your fitness for umpiring and how did you prepare for this type of competition when you have so many matches to umpire and was the heat a problem?

During the tournament the main priority for me is warming up, warming down and recovering correctly. It is so important to stretch enough because you are faced with umpiring possibly 8 games in 9 days. I did about 30 minutes of stretching and warm up shuttles before the game just to get everything loosened up and pumping. I normally have a carbohydrate gel at half time to keep the energy levels up. Rather strangely during the Commonwealth Games final, for no real reason. I decided to have an energy gel during each quarter and half time which proved to be crucial with the events that unfolded. Directly after games I did 10 minutes of stretching and then it was straight to the ice bath!!! Without this I would have been in bits after the first couple of games. It doesn’t matter how fit you are the mechanics of umpiring Netball definitely take their toll. The heat wasn’t a problem either as the stadium was air conditioned. To be honest it was too cold most of the time!!!

What were your highlights from the Games and why?

Buying the Inbetweeners box set at Heathrow before I left!!! Seriously, the environment at a tournament of this type can be really intense so having this to unwind to was a god sent!!! That aside its obviously umpiring the final, as I mentioned before, this was absolutely amazing. Had I have already been to a World Netball Championships I may of contemplated retiring but as 2011 brings the Worlds in Singapore I’ve got to keep going!!!

I understand that you don’t play netball, so who or what inspired you to get into netball umpiring and when did you start?

While I was at university I was urged to bolster my PE Teaching CV by going on umpiring courses in other sports. Everyone expects a male PE teacher to be competent in Football and Rugby etc but if you go into interviews with experience in female sports it could give you the edge. I have said this before but I owe a lot to Glenys Gibson my PE teacher at school and Gloria Keech (CEO of UK Superleague team Hertfordshire Mavericks) who mentored me in the early years.

What do your friends and family think about you umpiring a women’s sport rather than say, rugby or football? Have you encountered any negative comments or reactions from people in general?

That’s the beauty with friends and family, they always see the best in every situation. I think for my Mum it became a reality when I told her I was going to the Commonwealth Games, she was really chuffed and was telling everyone. Of course, my male friends think is awesome!!! I wonder why???!!!

A spot of sightseeing during the CWG Delhi 2010

How difficult is it to combine a job, a social life and all your umpiring commitments and where have you travelled to thanks to umpiring?

I have a really fantastic Principal that lets me go when he can and I have to make time for my social life as sometimes it’s easy for this to be forgotten about. Honestly though, its hard work and I would warn anybody thinking about doing it you’ve got to put the miles in. For weekday matches I often leave school in Norfolk at 15.00 drive to Manchester or Bath, Sheffield etc, umpire the match and drive home straight after often arriving home at 02.00 or 03.00 in the morning. I’ll then be back in school the next day at 07.30. Last year in Super League I drove over 10,000 miles and flew to Glasgow three times. Internationally, I went to Scotland for the Australia vs Scotland test series in February and then back there in June for the World Championships Qualifiers. I also spent 3 weeks in Australia and New Zealand in the summer umpiring the Jamaica vs Australia and New Zealand Test Series’. In previous years I have travelled to South Africa, the Cooks Islands, Australia and New Zealand and I also squeezed in a holiday to Los Angeles and Hawaii on the way to the World Youth Championships. Seeing the world has to be one of biggest highlights for me, even if this does means hours and hours on planes which isn’t!!

How do you handle the pressures of umpiring Superleague & International matches?

Meticulous planning!!!! For me the secret of dealing with pressure is being in control of everything you possibly can. If you make sure you have everything you’re going to need ready the night before, get to the venue with at least an hour and a half before the start time then the only pressures you have left are game related. Once the game starts it’s just a case of going back to routine and protocol. When you get to Super League level knowledge of the rules shouldn’t be an issue so you just have to have a set of procedures at the ready to deal with any challenges present themselves.

A rules review is underway and IFNA are seeking proposals for any rule changes. What changes, if any, would you make to the current rules?

I think with the recent change to allow coaching at injury time the rules of Netball are pretty sound. There are a few fussy things that I’d change like introducing a hand signal for umpire’s time and associated with that a tidying up of the Blood Stoppage rule. With the introduction of Fast Net I think the more imaginative rules adaptations could be trialled there first.

Netball umpires aren’t usually subjected to the kind of abuse that football umpires encounter but how do you deal with difficult players?

Everyone gets a boo from time to time, but you just have to take it in your stride!!! The rules of Netball provide a clear escalation process with discipline and the closer you stick to this the less the margin for problems to occur. I speak to players a lot off the ball and try and give them enough notice of the things I’m not happy with. If the issue continues the next step would be an advance penalty. If the individual still doesn’t take the hint then I’d be forced to warn them. At this point I’d make it perfectly clear that the individual has had enough chances to modify what they are doing and if it occurs again then I would have no other option than to suspend them. In the 12 years I’ve been umpiring I’ve only ever sent 3 players off and this only occurred in the last 4 years while umpiring in the top flight. Consistency is the key. Players get to know your style and how much they can get away with. They tend to stay the right side of the line nowadays!!!

What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about umpiring at the top level and what’s your ultimate goal?

Goal setting throughout my career has been the thing I concentrate on. Both Bill Alexander and Sheelagh Redpath have encouraged me to aim high but were always on hand to make sure I didn’t run before I could walk. They are both still very much involved in ensuring my feet are kept firmly on the ground. In 2005 I looked at which umpires were being appointed to the World Youth Championships in Florida and I thought that in four years time I would be hopefully in the same position. I planned as far ahead 2012 in the ‘what if’ blue sky world. I thought that if I worked hard enough I’d be in with a chance to go to the World Youth Championships in the Cook Islands and hopefully while there I would get screened for or get my International Award. If this all went to plan I would hopefully go to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 World Netball Championships and then the 2012 Olympics Games (at the time the ‘Back the Bid’ campaign was in full swing). As you can see I’ve ticked off three of my goals but even after my performance in Delhi I still don’t rest on my laurels or assume I’ll go to the World Championships. I just have to keep on putting in consistently good performances and those sorts of things will take care of themselves. Goals still left???… Umpiring a World Championship Final is up there (not necessarily 2011) and being the best umpire I can be. I think the one thing that keeps me going is I still get the same buzz when I’m umpiring a local league, Super League or International match.

What advice would you give to young aspiring umpires?

Anything is possible. Where players are often said to be ‘born’ with a talent, umpiring is something you can train for and master from scratch. Get yourself a good mentor that you trust and listen to them. Get out and do as many level specific matches as possible because every game you do is an opportunity to improve. Try and keep a low profile and be as understated as possible. Nobody wants a ‘young upstart’ barking rules at them so be the umpire that applies the rules fairly and consistently. The greatest compliment you could receive is ‘we didn’t really notice you today’!!! The higher you progress up the umpiring pyramid the harder you have to work to gain the opportunities on offer. Aim high but always keep things in perspective.

…and finally, what does the England Netball team need to do to beat the Diamonds & the Ferns and win the World Netball Championship?

The gap between the top 4 teams has never been closer and the only thing really separating these teams is self belief and confidence. The team that will win the World Championships, Commonwealth Games or even the Super League is the one that truly believes they can do it and is convinced they are better than their opposition, whether it’s true or not.

Netball Match: Thank you Gary for taking the time to do this interview. If you’d like to ask Gary a question, please post a comment below.

England's Tamsin Greenway at Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010

This week I’m pleased to be able to feature an interview with international netball player and Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist, Tamsin Greenway. As well as playing for England, Tamsin plays for UK Superleague team Surrey Storm. Although she was busy training hard for the Fastnet tournament in Liverpool this weekend (and that medal must need polishing every now and then!), Tamsin kindly agreed to answer a few questions for Netball Match.

When did you start playing netball and with which team?

I was 11 and I started at school, back in Leicestershire. I then got selected in to the U14 Leicester County squad at 13 and began playing for a local ladies club called Snowys!

When did you decide you could become an elite netballer and did you have to make a choice between netball and any other sport?

From age 11 I had decided that I wanted to play for the England Squad, but it wasn’t until I was about 17 that I started really training properly as I was in the England talent system. I was lucky enough to get picked in the England U19 squad and that made my decision to go to Bath Uni where I could train full time and study. I’d always been sporty: I played football, tennis, table tennis, badminton and hockey to fairly high levels. But netball was always my passion and I ended up gradually giving them all up.

How were the facilities in Delhi for the CWG and what was your hardest game?

The facilities were actually world class. It was such a shame that it got so much negative press as for us the experience, people and venues were incredible. They just do things very differently out there! In terms of matches, OZ and NZ are always the toughest. Prob the Semi against Oz topped it though as that is the stepping stone to the final so there was added pressure. We were so close to both of them and I was pretty gutted we didnt get that win.

How does the coach mentally pysch the team up before the game to get the best out of everyone?

We have an amazing pysch that works with us and as a team we have worked together to find out what works well for us as a group and as individuals. We all genuinely get on in our team and we have alot of fun and it is important we are allowed to express that. We work far better when we are relaxed, and the coach trusts us enough now to let us keep that ‘fun’ environment still knowing that we are completetly committed and focused. So we tend to do our own things in groups or on our own and Sue brings us together for the final couple of minutes to make sure we are all on the same page.

How do you as a player overcome times where you feel that you are not performing your best?

It’s a vicious circle really as when you’re not playing well you become de-motivated and so then you dont want to train and you don’t put 100% in. I have learnt to back myself over the years and be completely honest with my performance. Not everyone will like how you play or what you do so as long as you can look at yourself know your strengths and weaknesses and are able to face them you can get back on track. You don’t just lose your talent over night, you just need to re focus yourself.

How does the ANZ Championship compare to the UK Superleague and would you play in the ANZ Champs again?

The ANZ personally was the best thing that happened to me as a player. I was able to grow and learn without alot of scrutiny and I got to play in every game against the best players in the world. The pressure you are under because the games are so close and because of the media is amazing and can only help you improve. It was incredible and there is a big difference between it and the SL. It is a semi pro league, so everything from the training, the matches, the intensity, the media, the crowds , the venue and the event are a step above. However, it is a great model for us to follow and something to aspire to as I feel SL has the potential to move in the same direction. The one thing I haven’t done in netball is play for an NZ team so that would be great but I doubt it will happen now, just never say never!

Who is the toughest person you’ve played against?

That’s hard as it has changed from season to season and comp to comp. My first game in the SL aged 19 was against Amanda Newton and she ate me alive, I stll remember I shot 26% against her!  But as you gain more experience, you don’t fear players you just have a neutral respect for them. Probably the best man on man marker I have played against and was lucky enough to play with in the world team was Aussie player Peta Scholz.

Why do England seem to run out of steam in the last quarter (more often than not) when they play Australia?

Great question! Look to be honest I think we can say now that across the board the player match ups against the ozzie/kiwis/English are pretty even. We are as skilled as them and we are as fit if not fitter. However, we have to look at ourselves and say are we making the right decisions at KEY points. There are opps throughout all games where you get the chance to take the game away or really pressure the opposition. We have not yet learnt to do that and it has been costly. Teams of that quality will always fight back, so no lead is ever great enough, but are we mentally tough enough to turn the ball over in the last dying seconds or all throw one less ball away in the game when it really doesn’t matter, or sink that shot that takes you 3 up with your CP? It again comes down to honesty, understanding crucial points in the game and then executing them. It will come…just in time for World Champs!!

Netball Match: Thank you Tamsin for taking the time to do this interview. Good luck to you and your England teammates in the Fastnet competition. If you’d like to ask Tamsin a question, please post a comment below.

Photo courtesy of Graham Hills via Flickr.com

Did you see the CWG netball final between the Ferns and the Diamonds? Surely, the best game of netball ever seen. I’d watched the bronze medal match between England and Jamaica which I thought was really entertaining but the final was in a different league entirely. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the second half. Both teams had their chances to win the match during normal time and all credit to the Diamonds for overturning a 7-goal deficit to level the scores. Would love to know what was going through the minds of all the players and what Plummer and Aitken said to their troops to spur them on.

Photo courtesy of Lochnagarth via www.flickr.com

A few days ago Netball Australia’s CEO, Kate Palmer, argued that female athletes need to stop blaming the media for lack of coverage of female sports and look to their sport’s governing body to redress the problem. Her comments follow an article by Melissa Barbieri, captain of the Australian Women’s soccer team (aka the Matildas), complaining about hypocrisy in the media. I agree that each sport is responsible for building its own brand and making itself newsworthy. But what happens when you do that, as I believe netball has done, and your sport is still ignored by the media? As I’ve argued before netball seems invisible to mainstream media.

As Kate Palmer points out the ANZ Championship is a great product; it’s the best netball tournament in the world (or in their words the hottest game in town). But, last Saturday, the day before the Grand Final in Adelaide, which reportedly sold out in 12 minutes (we can but dream of such things in the UK), coverage of the match in Adelaide’s biggest newspaper was bumped off the front page for a story about the resignation of an AFL coach. Needless to say, Aussie Rules footie is important in Australia but I bet that Australian netball fans are just as passionate about netball and surely on this occasion the netball story should have been the lead story.

It might not be the media’s job to give all sports equal coverage but wouldn’t you expect all mainstream sports to be given coverage proportionate to its fan base and level of participation? Isn’t it the media’s job to attempt to cover the sports that are of interest to its readers/viewers/listeners. Netball has done a lot in recent years to modernise (some would say “sex up”) its image and make itself seem more attractive. But you can only go so far down that path before you stop focusing on the beauty of the game and the great skill of the athletes and obsess too much about image (check out the American Lingerie Football League for a nightmare version of the future for female sports). Netballers, and no doubt the Matildas and other female athletes want more recognition and for their sport to be taken seriously. Female athletes also provide good role models for young girls who need more encouragement to participate in sport and to continue to play sport past their teenage years.

The truth is, there is a bias towards male-dominated sports (how else do you explain the intense coverage of games like snooker and darts in the UK) and there are plenty of articles and  research that argue the same point. The Matildas are dedicated athletes and so far their achievements outstrip those of their male counterparts. Yes, I know it’s a lot harder for the Socceroos to shine on the world stage of men’s soccer. But Palmer also says there’s more interest in the Socceroos than the Matildas because the men are high profile, international athletes. I imagine that soccer is pretty low down the pecking order in Australia as it has to compete with rugby union, rugby league, AFL and cricket. Considering their respective achievements to date, why do the Socceroos have a high profile but the Matildas barely get a mention until they win a major tournament?

It would be interesting to see what coverage is given to the upcoming Test Series in Australia when the Australian Netball Diamonds take on Jamaica and the Silver Ferns. Top class netball involving 3 of the 4 highest ranking teams in the world.

If netball was a male-dominated sport it would get significantly media coverage. No question. I guess then my question is, what more does netball need to do to get the attention it deserves?

Samoa sub with WD paddle. Photo courtesy of Steve from www.playnetball.com

The inaugural World Netball Series featured a modified version of netball, or Fast Net as IFNA calls it. There are hopes that this version of netball will help the bid for netball to be included in the Olympics, although it won’t make the cut for 2012.

IFNA promised a ‘fast, ferocious and vibrant competition’ and it probably delivered on that score, but isn’t netball already fast and dynamic?  For all its innovations, can the Fast Net style of netball compete with the thrilling encounters provided by international tests, the ANZ Championships or the Co-operative Superleague?  There were many drastic rule changes, but will any of them be adopted into the traditional form of netball? Some of the main differences between both forms of the game were:

• shorter quarters – instead of the usual 15 minutes, quarters were only 6 minutes long so each team had to play their best netball from the outset, conditions similar to playing in a regular 0ne-day tournament. This can lead to rather frantic, error-strewn play as teams try to quickly find their rhythm. However, a regular netball match is only one hour long so is there any real need to shorten the game?
• double points for shots scored from outside the circle – this change certainly got the crowd excited as every time anyone got the ball on the circle edge, whether they were a shooter or not, the crowd was shouting “shoot, shoot!” A fun concept but would it be taking netball back too close to its basketball roots?
  
• Power Play quarter – the idea of doubling any points scored in this quarter also livened up the game but if both team use this option at the same time, the potential bonuses for either team could be negated.
• rolling subs – this rule change will probably find its way into the regular form of netball, at least at the top levels. Some elite coaches already feel the current rules on substitutions are too restrictive.

There are already plans afoot to make this an annual competition and Manchester will again host the series late next year. However, will there be space for a regular competition based on this new format in an increasingly crowded netball calendar? Also,  it’s debatable whether, after a gruelling playing season,  the top nations will send their best players to compete at Fast Net. Perhaps, the competition should be opened up to other nations, giving lower-ranked countries greater opportunity to play against tougher opposition. There could be some surprise upsets which could help to raise the profile of the game at home for some of the smaller netballing nations.

Does radically changing the format of any game attract new fans and participants or just serve to confuse those unfamiliar with the game? Which of the Fast Net rules, if any, should be incorporated in the regular game? What’s your verdict on the recent World Netball Series?

Picture courtesy of Lochnagarth

This post was going to be about the recent Co-Operative World Netball Series tournament but after reading some rather ill-advised comments about netball we felt the need to post a response. A keen-eyed netball fan spotted the article in last Friday’s edition of the London Evening Standard, written by respected journalist and BBC TV presenter, John Inverdale. The online version can be found here, just after the piece about Wasps Rugby Club.

Credit where credit’s due; Mr Inverdale is at least writing about netball, and in an established newspaper. However, his comments have landed him in hot water with netball fans around the globe. Judging by his comments, he’s never actually played netball before and he’s all but branded it as being dull. Apparently, it just too easy to score in netball and this makes the game ‘repetitious and unfulfilling’. These comments followed an afternoon spent watching the top 6 teams in the world play a drastically modified version of the game at the World Netball Series in Manchester.

He had the privilege of watching some of the best players in the world. They make it look easy to score but it’s not. Ask any netball player. Try scoring a goal when you’ve got the likes of England’s Geva Mentor or Sonia Mkoloma or Australia’s Susan Fuhrmann towering over you, even if you are as tall as NZ’s Irene van Dyk or Jamaica’s Romelda Aiken. Watching the ball go through the net when your team scores is fantastic especially as you know how difficult it can be in a tight game just to get the ball into the circle.

So, John, you should at least try the game before you dismiss it. We suggest you call up England Netball or one of the UK’s 9 Superleague teams (or even your local netball club) and ask to join in one of their training sessions and play a practice match and see how you get on…THEN you can talk about how easy it is to score a goal. We recommend that you take your own kit in case they don’t have a dress to fit you.

Oh, and don’t forget to bring a BBC TV camera crew with you as we’d all love to see you play!

We have read some lively comments on our Facebook page as to the value of Mr Inverdale’s opinions, but what do you think? Please leave a comment on this blog or on Facebook on how we can change such lazy perceptions of our great game.

Australia v England Netball Test - Adelaide, October 2008. Photo courtesy of paddynapper

The Co-operative World Netball Series will debut at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester from the 9 -11th October. The new format will challenge the fitness, technical ability and tactical awareness of the best players in the world according to IFNA, netball’s governing body. IFNA has invested a great deal of time over the last 12 months developing their Fast Net format which they consider innovative, with the hope of attracting new participants and broadening netball’s international fan base.

IFNA promises a ‘fast, ferocious and vibrant competition’ that will feature some of the world’s best players from the top six netball nations – currently Australia, England, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand and Samoa – and are treating this as an opportunity to showcase netball to the world.

Quarters last only six minutes instead of the traditional 15 minutes, so expect the pace to be frenetic. We can also expect to hear the whistle less than in a regular netball match which will further help to maintain the fast pace. As noted by Australian Diamonds’ coach Norma Plummer in a recent interiew, there’s no time to settle gradually into a game, you have to get into your stride straight away.

Shooters can also take shots from outside the goal circle and each goal scored from this position will be worth double points. Other rule changes allow coaching from the Team Bench or coaching area, unlimited rolling substitutions and a Power Play quarter where any points scored will be doubled. Interestingly, the first Centre Pass in each quarter is taken alternately by the two Centres. After a goal is scored, the next centre pass will be taken by the team that conceded the last goal.

There’s a 5 minute YouTube video that attempts to explain the rules and regulations of the new format but sadly the quality is not great.

Only time will tell if this new style netball competition will become a regular fixture in netball’s international  calendar. If you make the trip to Manchester, please let us know what you thought of this new-look netball.

Is this going to be netball’s equivalent of the Rugby Sevens or as some have dubbed it, netball’s version of Cricket’s Twenty20 format?