Sportsman Profile: Steve Piperno
The final game of the 2006 NAB Under 18 championships gets underway at Princes Park in about an hours time. Eighteen year old Steve Piperno gets out of his car, collects his bag and starts walking around to the rooms. Instead of his bag being filled with shorts, socks and a jumper however, Steve has packed black pants, an orange top, and, most importantly, four white flags.
In a game that is massively important to its playing participants who are desperately trying to get themselves spotted by AFL club recruiters, the same could be said about the umpires involved. For Steve, in his first year on the VFL goal umpiring panel, this is undoubtedly the most important game he has had to umpire.
“It’s hard not to get nervous before really big games like that,” Piperno said. “With such a massive crowd, the television crews, and the attention of all the AFL recruiters it’s a real buzz.”
Steve took up goal umpiring during the 2003 season, after a friend who was already involved explained how much money could be made from goal umpiring just one game. A few phone calls later, and Steve was a member of the Victorian Amateur Football Association goal umpires group.
“It was always something I’d been interested in trying, and I’d been wanting to become involved with footy again for a while,” he said. “I made a few phone calls, and a week later I was goal umpiring my first game.”
Steve said he enjoyed the experience of umpiring at a local level, including the training and social events that go with it – especially in a large local league like the Amateurs.
“Umpiring at the VAFA was great fun,” he said. “It’s a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere off the field.”
In 2005, Steve’s final year at the VAFA, he achieved a feat incredibly uncommon for someone of his age (just 17 at the time), by being awarded the A grade Grand Final over many older umpires with greater experience. Steve considers this achievement something that has helped him deal with the pressures of moving up to the next level in terms of goal umpiring.
“If I hadn’t done the A grade Grand Final last year, I probably would have gone into the VFL without any really big match experience,” he explained. “The pressure of such an important game was a great experience leading into the VFL.”
When comparing the two organisations, Steve said that he found several distinct differences in several areas.
“The demands on umpires are much less at the VAFA, which allows for a much more relaxed and friendly environment,” he said. “The VFL is a bit more professional, promoting different goals for its umpires like commitment and success, which means that some enjoyment is lost due to their being less of a social environment.”
“Coming from a local league like the Amateurs to a bigger organisation like the VFL is a big jump, much like starting at a new school,” Steve explained. “You have to find your feet and try to prove yourself while umpiring with a more developed and experienced panel of umpires.”
Like most umpires who have made the VFL panel, Steve has aspirations of taking his umpiring to higher levels, and ultimately, the AFL, although he understands the hard work it will take in order for him to achieve such a goal.
“Umpiring is just like any sport you might play,” he explained. “It’s incredibly competitive and takes hard work, dedication, and the right attitude to succeed.”
The VFL, as such a high profile league, takes its umpiring very seriously, which includes umpires being watched and coached on match day.
“The scrutiny of match day performances of umpires is drastically more than what is experienced at local level,” Steve explained. “It’s unusual to have a game where there isn’t a coach watching, and I’ve had my games taped and reviewed three times so far.”
Surprisingly for many, another aspect of goal umpiring that can be a hurdle for some is the physical aspect of training, which at the VFL can include time trials, beep tests, and skin fold tests.
“I was really surprised at the running and training that we had to do, even at the VAFA,” Steve said. “Every week at training requires really hard efforts.”
Outside of umpiring, Steve, who finished year 12 last year with an ENTER score in the top four percent of the state, decided to defer his course at Melbourne University to accept a traineeship through the AFL Sports Ready program in the AFL administration in a role as Assistant to the Senior Accountant.
As the season draws to a close, umpires, like players, are fighting hard on and off the field to remain in the game for a chance at September action. In his first year on the VFL panel, and still in the running for the TAC Cup Grand Final, Steve Piperno is working as hard as any other.
In a game that is massively important to its playing participants who are desperately trying to get themselves spotted by AFL club recruiters, the same could be said about the umpires involved. For Steve, in his first year on the VFL goal umpiring panel, this is undoubtedly the most important game he has had to umpire.
“It’s hard not to get nervous before really big games like that,” Piperno said. “With such a massive crowd, the television crews, and the attention of all the AFL recruiters it’s a real buzz.”
Steve took up goal umpiring during the 2003 season, after a friend who was already involved explained how much money could be made from goal umpiring just one game. A few phone calls later, and Steve was a member of the Victorian Amateur Football Association goal umpires group.
“It was always something I’d been interested in trying, and I’d been wanting to become involved with footy again for a while,” he said. “I made a few phone calls, and a week later I was goal umpiring my first game.”
Steve said he enjoyed the experience of umpiring at a local level, including the training and social events that go with it – especially in a large local league like the Amateurs.
“Umpiring at the VAFA was great fun,” he said. “It’s a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere off the field.”
In 2005, Steve’s final year at the VAFA, he achieved a feat incredibly uncommon for someone of his age (just 17 at the time), by being awarded the A grade Grand Final over many older umpires with greater experience. Steve considers this achievement something that has helped him deal with the pressures of moving up to the next level in terms of goal umpiring.
“If I hadn’t done the A grade Grand Final last year, I probably would have gone into the VFL without any really big match experience,” he explained. “The pressure of such an important game was a great experience leading into the VFL.”
When comparing the two organisations, Steve said that he found several distinct differences in several areas.
“The demands on umpires are much less at the VAFA, which allows for a much more relaxed and friendly environment,” he said. “The VFL is a bit more professional, promoting different goals for its umpires like commitment and success, which means that some enjoyment is lost due to their being less of a social environment.”
“Coming from a local league like the Amateurs to a bigger organisation like the VFL is a big jump, much like starting at a new school,” Steve explained. “You have to find your feet and try to prove yourself while umpiring with a more developed and experienced panel of umpires.”
Like most umpires who have made the VFL panel, Steve has aspirations of taking his umpiring to higher levels, and ultimately, the AFL, although he understands the hard work it will take in order for him to achieve such a goal.
“Umpiring is just like any sport you might play,” he explained. “It’s incredibly competitive and takes hard work, dedication, and the right attitude to succeed.”
The VFL, as such a high profile league, takes its umpiring very seriously, which includes umpires being watched and coached on match day.
“The scrutiny of match day performances of umpires is drastically more than what is experienced at local level,” Steve explained. “It’s unusual to have a game where there isn’t a coach watching, and I’ve had my games taped and reviewed three times so far.”
Surprisingly for many, another aspect of goal umpiring that can be a hurdle for some is the physical aspect of training, which at the VFL can include time trials, beep tests, and skin fold tests.
“I was really surprised at the running and training that we had to do, even at the VAFA,” Steve said. “Every week at training requires really hard efforts.”
Outside of umpiring, Steve, who finished year 12 last year with an ENTER score in the top four percent of the state, decided to defer his course at Melbourne University to accept a traineeship through the AFL Sports Ready program in the AFL administration in a role as Assistant to the Senior Accountant.
As the season draws to a close, umpires, like players, are fighting hard on and off the field to remain in the game for a chance at September action. In his first year on the VFL panel, and still in the running for the TAC Cup Grand Final, Steve Piperno is working as hard as any other.
posted by ODDeS and Associates at 4:54 PM
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