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AGOA Australian Gridiron Officials Association |
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Vale, Wes Neal! Posted 28 July, 2008
The members of the South Australian Gridiron Association and South Australian Gridiron Officials Association deeply mourn the passing of a founding member of gridiron in
Wes you have left many memories with people and trained many officials to become better officials in the sport of American Football. Your guidance, wisdom and teaching people the game of gridiron has been passed onto the next generation and is now being passed onto the next generation of officials and participants. You joined us as a regular member and left your mark as a Hall of Fame Official. Always a life member. On behalf of Daryl Argent for SAGOA members, Dave Sedgwick on behalf of GASA members and Grant Martin on behalf of AGOA members we say thanks. American Society of Sydney: Posted 16 June 2008
Michele from AMSOC, has sent the following information.
The American Society of Sydney (AMSOC) was founded in 1922 as a place for Americans living in Sydney to gather, meet, acclimate to life in and around Sydney and celebrate American culture from afar. Membership benefits include a monthly newsletter as well as (optional) email announcements about upcoming activities. Most AMSOC activities are open, but AMSOC members get bonus discounts and extra information about activities specific to their area. Annual membership fees. Single: $60. Couple/Family: $70. Visit the web site to learn about our events, including the Annual Independence Day Celebration. Officials Pronounce the 2008 Senior Nationals a Great Success
Posted 11 May 2008
The 2008 Senior Nationals at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast last weekend were a great success from the point of view of the officials participating. Visiting officials presided over the final game with New South Wales winning against Victoria. The officials were Tony Martin (Vic), Stephen Bowness (New Zealand), John Frame (Vic), David Lee (New Zealand), Phil Clark (UK) and Paul Mercer (Vic).
This is the first time that we have had such a good representation of officials from other countries working together in the Senior Nationals and it was a valuable experience for all concerned.
It was decided that officials from the same State as competitors were eligible to manage the semi-finals, which allowed Richard Prater (Qld), Ken Parker (Qld), Tim Redshaw (Qld), Paul Taylor (ACT), Mark Vanselow (Vic) and Barbara Johnson (Qld) to work together for the Queensland versus Western Australia game which was won by WA.
Further details will be posted as they come to hand.
Panel announced for 2008 Senior Nationals
Posted 6 January, 2008
AGOA Operations Manager, Paul Mercer, today announced the Panel for this year's event.
The 12 officials appointed are:
Stephen Bowness (NZ) John Frame (Vic) Barbara Johnson (Qld) David Lee (NZ) Tony Martin (Vic) Paul Mercer (Vic) Marcus Misters (Qld) Darrin Mitchell (NSW) Ken Parker (Qld) Richard Prater (Qld) Tim Redshaw (Qld) Mark Vanselow (Vic) Two other officials, Phil Clarke (UK) and Paul Taylor (ACT) have been placed on the Stand-by list. This represents the first time that our colleagues in New Zealand have been appointed to the Panel for a Senior National Championships. We welcome two of their most experienced officials, Stephen Bowness and David Lee, and look forward to working with them. For Darrin Mitchell, Ken Parker and Mark Vanselow this will be their first taste of officiating at this level and we wish them every success. Game assignments will be advised closer to the event. See below for more details.
Brigham Young University Cougars vs Arizona on the Gridiron Australia Development Tour, September 2007 Welcome to the website of the Australian Gridiron Officials Association (AGOA)! The AGOA is comprised of the members of all of the Officials Associations in Australia. Our members are drawn from active leagues in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and the ACT. If you’re near a major metropolitan area in one of these states and are interested in becoming an official, please visit our contacts page. This website will also provide a definitive source for reference materials for experienced officials. Everything from mechanics manuals to scorecards will be available (if not already). We’re also interested in building networks with other gridiron officials around the world. After all, officials everywhere face the same challenges!
Applications for the 2008 Senior National Championship officiating panel
Posted: 16 December, 2007
AGOA has invited all officials who wish to be considered for assignment to the panel for this event to submit an application. Please see above for the list of successful candidates.
Details of the tournament are as follows:
When: Saturday April 26th - Sunday May 4th 2008
Where: Runaway Bay, Gold Coast, Qld
Proposed playing schedule is as follows:
Sunday 27/4/2008 Two Games (1pm and 4pm)
Tuesday 29/4/2008 Two Games (1pm and 4pm)
Thursday 1/5/2008 Two Games (1pm and 4pm)
Friday 2/5/2008 Playoff (5 v 6) if required
Saturday 3/5/2008 Two games (Championship games) (1pm and 4pm)
"Part-time" officials
I know that some states have "player/coach" officials. They were able to nominate for the event provided that they would be participating as an official only and do not have any team involvement during the tournament. They would also be expected to attend and participate in any officiating activities. If there are more than 12 officials nominating, "full-time" officials will receive first preference.
Highlight of 2007
Romney Stadium, Home of Utah State University Football
From 26 August to 26 September, 2007 a group of 30 players with some coaches and others included visited Provo in Utah and Los Angeles in California for some serious football training.
A great time was had by all and the official who participated wishes to thank Gridiron Australia and especially the outgoing National Coach, Paul Manera, for the amazing opportunities enjoyed by everyone who participated.
Highlights included training at Brigham Young University where the Cougars Division 1 A NCAA college team has its home. We also visited training at the University of Southern California with Coach Peter Carroll in full flight on not one but two occasions. There were two high school games where we were in awe of the 120 person team rosters and brass bands just as large. One fine Saturday morning we watched bunches of seven to eleven year olds running the ball on a full-sized field in the Pop Warner games. There was never a prouder group of boys than the Australian Outback Development squad who had an informal meet and greet with the young players who came over and shook their hands and looked up to them with very wide eyes.
As for college games, we were delighted to be on-field prior to the Cougars vs Arizona game and the Utah State vs UNLV game which we watched from the bleachers. In addition we were delighted to attend the tail-gate party prior to the Rosebowl game where UCLA played BYU and where some of us caught up on our beauty sleep, despite the excitement of the on-field entertainment and the game itself. It was a bit of a whirlwind tour, with so much football to fit in!
There was also a Saturday morning game against Snow Community College, a top team in the NJCAA league who were recently coached by Bronco Meddenhurst, before he went across to the Cougars at BYU where he is now head coach and defensive co-ordinator. The Australian Outback acquitted themselves well in the game for their sportsmanship and courage and everyone involved noted their love of the game and awesome enthusiasm for the sport.
Our intrepid official managed to fit a couple of cameo appearances in as Head Linesman, along with a lot of shadowing, lunch and post-game conferencing with the officiating crew. Many thanks to Randy, the official who did the on-field training and Joe, in charge of the chain crew which ran like clockwork never missing a beat. Needless to say, the experience was exhilarating and a great time was had by all.
For anyone who has managed to read this far, you may find the secret link to photos and videos at the bottom of this page of interest. Newsletters View the coaches newsletters from Tony Martin in Victoria and updates on South Australian officials at our news page. Nationals Series The 2008 Gridiron Australia Senior National Championships will be held during the week 26 April to 4 May 2008 at the Runaway Bay Sports Centre on the Gold Coast. More details will be made available as they come to hand. There is bunk-style accommodation on site with a common dining hall, all near to the playing field and pool. It is expected that cost and other details will be made available in due course. Find out about previous nationals games at our news page.
Gridiron Australia Development Tour August - September 2007
Last updated 6 January 2008
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