As season 2015 is now in full swing, I would like to wish all Gippsland leagues and clubs a successful season.

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1 Welcome As season 2015 is now in full swing, I would like to wish all Gippsland leagues and clubs a successful season. Although we are a long way from 2016 and the well earned rest over summer, planning will already be underway for many clubs. This will be in the form of sponsorship, coach appointments, player recruitment and retention, facilities upgrades and the many other tasks which need to addressed on a continual basis. As staff at AFL Gippsland, we are available to assist in many of the areas wherever needed and for any information on any of this, please contact any of us at AFL Gippsland. We have many coaching resources available to assist coaches in planning their training sessions and drill and skill manuals. We also have coaches diaries and coaches magnetic boards which are a huge benefit to coaches. In 2015 we conducted 2 Level 1 coaches courses. They were in Korumburra and Sale and were well attended with over 200 coaches in attendance. The GCA in conjunction with Gippsland Power conducted a very successful Coaching Seminar in Morwell. The CGJFL coaches attended training and then sat with Leigh Brown as he reviewed training to assist the coaches in their planning and development of the junior players in their care. We also have 2 coaches seminars coming up in Warragul and Traralgon featuring former Melbourne and North Melbourne champion and St. Kilda FC coach, Stan Alves. Information about these seminars is included in this newsletter. The seminar program has been hugely successful over the past 10 years with seminars in Bairnsdale, Foster, Stony Creek, Traralgon, Yallourn North, Morwell, Warragul and Yinnar. Presenters have included Peter Hudson, Peter Keenan, Robert Shaw, Denis Pagan, Dean Laidley, Paul Callery, Adam Simpson, Gary Ayres, Stan Alves and David Parkin. Gippsland Power coaches Lachlan Sim, Paul Hudson, Austin Jones, Adrian Hickmott, Damian Carroll, Adam Dowie, Nick Stevens and Leigh Brown have also presented and the quality of the presentation have seen attendances grow each year. Rob Reid FDM AFL Gippsland Former Gippsland Power players Jarryd Blair (Collingwood) and Koby Stevens (Western Bulldogs) catch up for a quick chat with Bulldogs captain Rob Murphy about to join them

2 Gippsland Galaxy women s team set for historic opening season Traralgon s Nikki Schroeter has been appointed coach of the inaugural Gippsland League Victorian Women s Football League team. Schroeter, 34, has been involved in youth girls football for 17 years and is a level one accredited coach. The Lavalla Catholic College sports coordinator is a two-time Gippsland Female Coach of the Year award winner and the inaugural coach of the Gippsland Power Youth Girls representative team. Schroeter also coached Lavalla s 16-and-under girls football team to back-to-back School Sport Victoria Australian Football Championships in and is a development coach at the Dandenong Stingrays Youth Girls Academy. The announcement came less than a week ahead of the Gippsland League-backed team s VWFL debut against division five east opponent Endeavour Hills at Gormandale Recreation Reserve. The 6 teams competing in the newly formed East Division (Division 5 VWFL) are Rosebud FC, Ajax FC, Endeavour Hills FC, Know FC & Montmorency FC. TRFM Gippsland League chair Greg Maidment was delighted to confirm Schroeter s appointment. Nikki has excellent credentials and has already demonstrated a great rapport with the players at training, Maidment said. We were lucky enough to have multiple candidates put their hands up in such a short space of time and after going through a formal process we are confident Nikki is the right person to coach our brand new team. Schroeter admitted it all happened very quickly, but said she couldn t wait for round one. It has been a bit of a whirlwind, but it s very exciting and I m honoured to be coaching this team, Schroeter said. The girls have been fantastic, numbers at training have been good and there s a great buzz about our first game, hopefully we get plenty of people along to show us some support. Schroeter pulled on the boots for VWFL division one outfit Cranbourne last season and has a key role for Gippsland Galaxy as a player as well as coach.

3 Half way through the season, the girls are currently second on the ladder with four wins and two losses. Gippsland Coaches Seminar Program The GCA in conjunction with Gippsland Power has conducted a very successful Coaching Seminar in Morwell. The CGJFL coaches attended training and then sat with Leigh Brown as he reviewed training to assist the coaches in their planning and development of the junior players in their care. We have 2 coaches seminars coming up in Warragul and Traralgon featuring former Melbourne and North Melbourne champion and St. Kilda FC coach, Stan Alves. Stan will present on the topic of Coaching to develop junior players rather than for the scoreboard. Stan had a highly decorated playing career at both the Melbourne and North Melbourne Football clubs. At Melbourne he played 166 games, was captain from 1973 to 1976 & won two senior best and fairest awards. (The Bluey Truscott Medal) Stan was also runner up in the 1975 Brownlow Medal. He then transferred to North Melbourne where he played a further 40 games including the 1977 drawn grand final and then became a premiership player the following week in the replay. Stan represented Victoria four times and was one of the most skilful players of his era. After 4 years as assistant and skills coach, in 1994 Stan became the senior coach of the St. Kilda Football Club and won the Ansett Cup pre- season competition and then to the 1997 AFL Grand Final against Adelaide. Stan has continued to support community coaching and coach education through his presidency of the Victorian branch of AFCA and presenting at coaching events across Victoria. In 2008 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to football. The seminar on July 1st at St. Pauls AGS, Warragul is our first major event for the year and is aimed at junior coaches from under 10 to under 14. The support of both the W&DJFL and CGJFL for this event has been wonderful and we are expecting about 100 people on the night. We also have Inverloch-Kongwak coach Ben Soumilas presenting on the topic of Creating and Managing the Coaching Coordinator role. Ben is in his 12th year as a senior coach having coached Garfield to the 2003 premiership and then to the preliminary final in their 3rd year in the Gippsland League. He coached Drouin to 2 grand finals and is the current Inverloch-Kongwak under 13 as well as senior coach. We are conducting the same format on July 8th at Lavalla College, Traralgon with Stan as the key note speaker and Gippsland Power coach and Collingwood premiership player, Leigh Brown speaking on Creating and Managing the Coaching Coordinator role.

4 We are extremely fortunate to have the support of Stan, Leigh and Ben for our 2015 seminar program and I am looking forward to both these events. GIPPSLAND COACH OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015 AUSKICK, JUNIOR, YOUTH, SENIOR NOMINATION FORM Nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 Gippsland Coaches Association Coach of the Year Awards. These are in the categories of Auskick, Junior (Under 9 to Under 13), Youth (Under 13 to Under 19) Senior(Open Age) Any coaches nominated will need to demonstrate outstanding achievements in the following areas. Demonstrated Knowledge and Aptitude for Role on training and match days Types of Learning and Communication Skills Approach to Skill Development Demonstrated Team Style Development Demonstrated Team Style Development Respect of Players/Officials/Parents Tactical Knowledge/Management Style (Senior/Youth Only) Coaching Achievements (2015 and/or prior) These prestigious awards are made in recognition of the efforts and achievements of the many outstanding coaches in the Gippsland Region. Each year our local winners are nominated for the Victorian Coach of the Year awards which are held at an awards dinner each November in the MCC dining room at the MCG. We have had many winners at this awards and in 2014 had the TEDAS JFCs Matthew Adams (Junior) and Wonthaggi FCs Robert Railton (Senior) as runners up in their respective sections for the Victorian Coach of the Year award. Information and nomination forms are available by contacting Rob Reid corbettreid@bigpond.com

5 Coaching, Knowledge of the Rules and Performance Teaching players elements of the game and improving or maximising performance as part of the coaching role. This can involve many facets of the game including knowledge of the rules (Laws of The Game) and their operation in matches. In some case we see teams disadvantaged where players either do not know a particular rule or don't fully understand its application in the conduct of the game. There are a few rules around the management of play where players sometimes make errors which can result in the loss of a scoring opportunity for their team or creation of an opportunity for the opposition to score in essence these are unforced turnovers. Some of these situations, as outlined below, will occur in games around the country this weekend. 1. Playing on from a mark or free kick around the goal or behind posts (going out through one gap in the posts and coming in through another one). If the defending player (with the mark or free kick), decides to play from beyond the goal or behind line, the player must not move off the direct line between them and the player on the mark (Law 16.4 Disposal by a defending player goal line and behind line; Law Scoring a behind). 2. Playing on around the boundary after a mark or free kick and being signalled out of bounds it often includes a change of direction outside the line (Law 16.5 Disposal from out of bounds). 3. Hitting the ball across the goal line on the full from a ruck contest (Law 15.7 Deliberate rushed behind). 4. Hitting the ball across the boundary line on the full from a ruck contest (Law 15.6 Free kicks relating to out of bounds. 5. Running out of the goal square, or handballing out of the goal square, while taking a kick in, prior to kicking the ball clear of hand and foot (Law 13 Kicking the football into play after a behind has been scored). 6. Blocking a player on the mark, when a team mate has a free kick or mark, before play on has been called (Law Prohibited contact & Law 15.1 Standing the mark and ten-metre protected area). 7. Not returning the ball directly to an opposition player who has been awarded a free kick, resulting in a 50m penalty (Law 18 Fifty-metre penalty). Little things, including unforced turnovers, across the duration of a game can make a difference in the final result especially when they turn out to be close games. Coaches can influence this element of the game by ensuring that your players understand all of these rules and how they apply, so that your team s performance is at its optimum in this aspect. Your Image as a Coach Wayne Siekman Dandenong Stingrays Senior Assistant Vic Metro Youth Girls Head Coach How many coaches have ever thought about how they look or are perceived by their players, coaching staff, board members, supporters, fans and the rest of the public?

6 Does it even bother you? I believe this is one of the most important aspects of a coach s role that s taken for granted and something we may neglect to think about. The way we behave, the way we go about our business in and out of the rooms are all small but important factors in showing what you are about as a coach. Our job as a coach is to improve our players, get results on the scoreboard, deliver the big wins, win a premiership, get promoted or avoid relegation. If we could take five minutes out of our week to look at ourselves, we may find an extra goal or an extra effort when required for the way we present ourselves to our players and community. I m not saying we all need to wear polos, slacks and black shoes, but you can create an image you are happy with, and more importantly, an image your club is happy for you to represent. When wearing hats, don t wear any old hat that other people may start questioning - Why would he wear something like that? Try and get a club hat, or a hat with little detail on it. Coaches who have to look into the sun during a game and prefer to wear sunglasses, that s fine, but, whatever you do DON T WEAR THEM WHEN ADDRESSING YOUR PLAYERS Why? you need to be able to make eye contact with your players, you want them to be looking at you when being addressed, so the least you can do is look them in the eyes. When you re asking for that special effort at three quarter time in a big game, you need to look them in the eye. You have more chance of them responding than if you have your sunglasses on and they can t see your eyes! The way we act during a game, at local level when you don t have a coaches box, everyone loves to be near the bench, wanting to hear what s being said, waiting for the coach to lose his cool, trying to get another form of entertainment from the game. Coaches who have coaches boxes, be mindful of the environment around you, people waiting to hear your outbursts, trying to hear what s being said. Everyone wants to be as close as they can to you, so they can make comments on how you perform. At the breaks, especially at quarter time and three-quarter time, many people will surround your huddle to listen, which is a great thing of our game, but we must be focused on the job at hand. That is, getting our team right, giving them the appropriate instructions required to lift the team to the next level and finding a way to improve what we ve done in the previous quarter. The best advice is to not worry about who is around and who is listening. If you do, you are likely to harm your team and more importantly yourself. This can also result in saying something you regret! Don t go banging the bench during the last quarter of a big game just because a decision didn t go your way. How do you think your players will react when you are doing this? Don t try to find excuses why you re not performing the way you d like and then start blaming umpiring decisions. You lose focus on your job as a coach and that filters through to your players and staff on the bench and then onto the ground. We are employed to coach a football team. This means making the best decisions you can, and remaining as calm as you can (I know this can be hard at times), so that when the big moments occur, you are in the best environment to make a measured decision or action. Control what you can control and your image as a coach, and as a person, will be far more respectable than if you are constantly worrying about the things you can t control, and being distracted from the real tasks of coaching.

7 We as coaches are a reflection of our players on and off the ground, so create an image that you re happy with and this will result in others saying I have respect for that coach, the players listen, the coach keeps calm and makes good decisions when under pressure. The purpose of this piece is to get you to do a little self-reflection and self-assessment as a coach.