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David Gough analyzed James Owens’ performance on the decisive launch last August before overseeing the football show
The technology to assist refereeing in GAA has constantly evolved in recent years, as new computerized solutions help sports umpires to make correct decisions more frequently and eliminate a margin of human error.
In recent years, the introduction of a GPS system in the game has provided a minefield of data, while high-tech clocks help calculate injury time more accurately.
One of the latest developments is a referee-centric camera, as 2019 Ireland’s all-football final referee, David Gough explained. Sky Sports.
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“Watches and GPS are the main technological advance, but what has most helped referee education, which only reached the semi-finals in Ireland last year, was the specific high-resolution camera based on the Hogan mount in the press box, which focuses solely on the referee, “explained the Meath native.
“Their sole main purpose is to follow the referee around the field during the 75 minutes of a game.”
“And the reason that is so important to us, where in the past we would have been watching our performances [on TV]… they would cut a clip from a repeat of the stage, and the focus would be lost on what the referee was doing, so we couldn’t learn from looking at ourselves.
“What they have done now in Croke Park is that they have a video camera focused solely on the referee.”
“They get the video of the game and the recording of the referee’s microphone, and they are superimposed on each other. Now we can see a full 75-minute match of the referees ‘performance, focused solely on the referee and without listening to any commentators.’ voices, just the voice of the referees and the match officials. And it’s a massive learning tool. “
Following the introduction of the system last summer, it didn’t take long for Gough to benefit.
“It is absolutely incredible,” he said. “I was fortunate to be able to see James Owens’ performance at the Ireland Pitch Final, his microphone before my Ireland soccer final. And it was amazing to hear the way he spoke to the players, the interactions and how he dealt with high pressure situations.
“[Watching the sending off of Richie Hogan], the best learning for me was what I had perceived what happened, and what I thought that the conversation that took place between the line judge and the referee was not actually what happened. And it was a great learning curve for me.
“It just made me realize the importance of clear and effective communication to get your message across and deal with the situation in a calm and controlled manner. And it turned out that I also had a submission in the Irish final. Not from the experience of sitting down and Being able to see James’s performance, particularly at the time, may not have coped with my submission as well as I did.
Gough ejected Jonny Cooper in the first half of the deciding game
“And in line with that, Conor Lane had access to the video footage and my microphone of the Irish final, which gave him a great idea [ahead of the replay] even though I had already made two finals from all over Ireland, a great idea of what to expect from the players and how they had interacted with me. There was a lot of preparation put into his replay performance as well as my performance in the original match. “
2:25 Cooper’s red card had a huge impact on the game.
Referees in running of the bulls
Across the country today, there are club and county teams trying to make the best of a bad situation. Taking advantage of the break in the game, they aim to outdo themselves before returning to action.
The referees are no different.
“The GAA was not really ready for the referees’ distance learning when the pandemic hit, and they are making great strides in such a short time to keep us educated and motivated, and ready to come back anytime,” said Gough.
“Distance learning on the GAA Learning platform and Zoom calls have been very important in maintaining motivation and contact between the referees.
“But in particular, Donal Smith has sent a weekly email to all party officials. In that, he gives us a quote of the week to motivate us. He offers advice on filling out adviser forms again. [for old games] and evaluate the actions of the referees, and reflect on what we could have done differently.
“But then he also puts out recommended books to read, and some of those books could be related to high-pressure or decision-making situations.”
Referees remain vigilant
The show also continues, when it comes to physical training.
“The training sessions have now been changed to alternative running sessions and endurance training, in line with our current needs. The GAA caught up very quickly regarding the referee’s education and fitness, they are serving our needs what better than they can centrally, better refereeing, “he said.
“Since we started using GPS data, the number of kilometers in a game on average has increased as fitness levels have increased year after year in the last three years due to the new type of training we are doing.
“We have moved away from long distance running training, to the HIIT (high intensity interval training) session which would be a lot of sprints within a short period of time with some rest periods, which really replicates the type of career we would be asked to do on a soccer field or on a pitch. “
Everything is in aid of keeping up with the action, and they are monitored regularly.
“There is always an aptitude test in January for the league,” he said. “When you select the championship referee panel, who is 18 years old in football and I think around 12 pitching, then we would have to pass a second fitness test where the level rises in late April for the championship” .
“Because of the training and the new science behind this, we take body fat, we gain weight, we would have to take the levels of glycogen in our blood, a small blood sample taken from the earlobe. All of that data is analyzed throughout the year, and we are well informed about how our physical condition and the different kilometers that are in the matches are improving. “
Every time the action returns, it’s clear that the GAA men in the middle hope to be better prepared than ever.
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