I received a trip to Sydney to umpire in the Northern States Cup as part of my award for being given the AFL Brisbane Juniors Youth Umpire Coaches award.
The trip to Sydney was the best trip I have ever been on. The games were played over two days and were at a good standard. The other umpires were easy to work with and easy to get along with. I’ve made some great friends out of the trip. The sightseeing trip around Sydney on the middle day was good because we got to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House and we got to learn some history about the Harbour. The tour of the SCG was fascinating particularly seeing the AFL premiership cups.
As a bit of down time, the umpires played a game of cricket with the Queensland team which was a good team bonding session. The place where we stayed was like a resort because it had a pool and a spa and a games room. We had a spa every night and we played some chess because the games room had an outside big chess board.
The three days were a great experience and the people involved with this competition ensured that we all had a great time both whilst involved with the footy competition and also visiting Sydney. Thank you to the coaching staff for providing me with this opportunity. And a big thank you to Simon and Nathan for supporting me throughout the trip.
Written by Matthew Bellina
Last Modified on 08/10/2012 16:05