New National Officiating Structure set in Motion
Commencing Jan 1st 2014 the sport of bowls is set to undergo significant changes to the way officials are educated and accredited The sport of bowls is set to undergo significant changes to the way officials are educated and accredited under a new competency-based national officiating scheme, aimed at simplifying the process and making it more attractive to bowlers nationwide.
Commencing January 1, 2015, the new accreditation process for officials will be introduced to educate participants to perform specific roles, including marker, measurer and national umpire.
The method of facilitation will be consistent nationwide, with an increased focus on on-green activities for participants to practice their craft and greater interaction between participants and assessors during the courses.
In partnership with the each state/territory association, the National Officiating Committee are driving the structural change to ensure the needs of the officials are met as the sport continues to evolve.
Under the new structure, assessment of umpires will now focus predominately on an individual’s ability to perform the required tasks and measurements on the green, simulating real duties umpires perform on a daily basis, as opposed to the previous system which placed greater importance on written examinations.
Thorough research into the current processes has shown that there are difficulties not only with accreditation, but also reaccreditation. It was clearly identified that umpires nationwide have not been electing to reaccredit because the current system is perceived ‘too hard.’
To provide an instant impact, the reaccreditation process for existing umpires has been simplified effective immediately, and will be further improved when the broader changes are introduced on January 1, 2015.
Click here to download an A3 poster promoting the new officiating structure and for more information please visit www.bowlsaustralia.com.au/Club-Assist/Officiating
