Local Assocation Medium Branch

Information provided by created by Steven Chadd the Eltham Branch Referee Advisor and the current President of the VBRA. ELTHAM / WARRANDYTE ADVISER PROGRAM:

1. The Advisor (me) is appointed by the Association and paid for 100% by the Association (Eltham Wildcats). The VBRA Branch does not have any authority to direct me at all; however, of course we are in constant communication and work harmoniously. I have an ex-officio position on the branch committee, because things work best that way. The branch could deny me that if it wished, but the way it works is most effective.

2. I would not stand for a position on the branch committee – that is a potential conflict of interest. There is no rule against it – but it is just not good governance.

3. The Association negotiates the work and achievement expectations. One of my key objectives is to ensure that we supply sufficient A gradeofficials to meet the VJBL quota eachyear. By agreement we run twobeginner and 1 A grade school each year. We have just started a B grade course.

4. I negotiate the number of assistants (referee coaches) with the Association. The club provides a budget for them.

5. Eltham does not have referee supervisors each night as most associations do; instead, it has a centralised appointments officer (appointed by management) and an administration system for appointing referees. This is cheaper to run and works just as well.

6. For the last few years Eltham has appointed a referee-coach (one of my assistants) to most sessions. This is for coaching purposes, and to diffuse issues that might arise. The coach is conspicuous and highly visible, and is expected to intervene in situations. They are there partly to take the heat off the referees.

7. My principal role as director of refereeing is to coach the referee coaches. For that reason I do less of the beginner-referee schools, but I do try to turn up to most sessions.

8. I am responsible for ensuring that the referees are educated in accordance with VBRA guidelines. Basically I have to follow what Bill and Ron teach and be consistent across the state, whether I like it or not.

9. I am directly responsible for referees on-court conduct and performance and it is my job to advise, counselEand if necessary discipline referees for their on-court performances and conduct. I can and do delegate the day to day performance coaching to assistants.

10. I am not responsible for referees off-court discipline (the branch is) but I do take an active interest and I do deal with most of the issues that arise. The one I don’t deal with are appointments and membership issues.

11. I have the ultimate authority for all gradings up to my VBRA accreditation limits: i.e. A grades, B grades, C grades, apprentices to Green shirts, and Green shirts to stripes. I am also responsible for Grade 0 referee coaches grading. I do delegate that authority to my assistants in most cases, except A grade. But ultimately it’s my signature on the forms.

12. I am the liaison between the Association’s director of coaching and the referees, and he and I meet on an ad-hoc basis.

13. I am the liaison between the Association’s management and the referees as far as performance and discipline matters are concerned.

14. I do not sit on the Association board or committee of management. At Eltham I suspect that I could if I asked to. There is a branch representative on the Eltham Association Committee, though.

15. I do not actually handle money matters for the referee coaches or referees – that is an Association management responsibility.

16. The branch does not, and I absolutely refuse to, handle refereeing appointments. That is a separate Association responsibility.