The NCCUA would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the BDAFL on some great articles on their web site so far this year. It was great to see the BDAFL recently the article on former Umpire and Umpires Coach Grant Godfrey in the ‘Where are they now?” article.
For the record Grant came and umpired in the BDAFL after umpiring in the Sydney AFL (formerly Sydney Football League and in South Australia). Grant was recognised for his hard work when he was named in the NCCUA’s Umpire Panel of the Decade in 2009 in the Premier Division (Black Diamond Cup) panel. Grant umpired 78 Premier Division games as a Field umpire, 4 Reserve grade games as a Field Umpire and 7 Under 18’s games as a Field Umpire for a total of 89 matches. The other statistics about Grand Finals umpired and his coaching career can be read in the transcript of the BDAFL site article below.
Full transcript from the BDAFL Site –
Grant Godfrey joined the BDAFL from Sydney in 2003 and went on to umpire five BDAFL Grand Finals (2003-2006 & 2008). In addition to this he was also BDAFL Umpires Coach in 2005 & 2006 and a member of the BDAFL Board from 2007-2009, including being Vice President in 2009.
“I really enjoyed my time umpiring in the BDAFL as we had a real good umpiring group and it was great to get the opportunity to meet so many good people around the region” Godfrey said.
Godfrey grew up in Sydney and played as a junior and it was only when he went to University that he became interested in umpiring.
“I enjoyed playing but the lure of earning a few extra dollars whilst at Uni was a major influence in me becoming an umpire” he said.
It was a decision that certainly paid off for Grant as he quickly became one of the best umpires in the NSW, which saw him umpire 32 AFL Reserve Grade matches (this was when the AFL still had a fully fledged Reserve Grade competition). In 2000, Grant made the move to South Australia to further his umpiring career and he made an instant impact umpiring three SANFL games in his first season, and at the time was the first umpire to ever achieve a first grade appointment in his first season.
He returned to Sydney the following year, before moving to Newcastle with his wife in 2003.
Godfrey saw many changes to the BDAFL over his time however he said the introduction of the 3 umpire system and a more professional approach to umpire training were the most significant improvements.
Godfrey, along with Darrel Luck and Roger Crowhurst, were the umpires in the memorable 2006 Black Diamond Cup Grand Final between Cardiff and Newcastle City at No 1 Sportsground played on a flooded ground.
“My memories of that match were the constant rain, and running through water up to my shins on the grandstand wing. The umpires agreed that if the ball got into a scrimmage on that wing they would call for a ball up immediately for fear of someone drowning.”
His greatest memories of umpiring were the camaraderie amongst the umpiring group, which Grant described as like a club.
The worst experiences he said were the constant spectator abuse, which was taken to the extreme in a match at South Adelaide which saw a spectator throw a pie at him as he was leaving the field.
He regards Ashley Borg as the best BDAFL Umpire he has umpired with and two time Elliott Davey Medallist, Jason Coulloupas as the best player he had seen.
Grant still resides in Newcastle with his wife Kate and two children, Matthew and Lucy and is a PE Teacher at Belmont High School. He is still involved in football in a coaching capacity as coach of Newcastle City’s Under 11’s side as well as Hunter and Northern NSW CHS sides.
On a weekend when we acknowledge the contribution of umpires, we should also acknowledge the contribution Grant has made to not only umpiring, but football as a whole in this region.
Web site link - https://websites.mygameday.app/assoc_page.cgi?client=0-916-0-0-0&sID=191968&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=34585181
Last Modified on 25/07/2015 09:36