Northern NSW Football team up with OFC to provide access to coaching development

NNSWF

Northern NSW Football have announced a landmark partnership with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) which will see improved access to coach development material.

The agreement will allow NNSWF coaches access to the OFC’s coach development system and content through the OFC Learn Portal.

The portal is a learning community for coaches looking to further develop their knowledge, skills and positive impact on the game.

“This is an opportunity for us to build our network across Asia and the Oceania region,” NNSWF Head of Football Development Peter Haynes said via NNSWF.

“By providing access to this portal to our coaches we can help provide them more learning and development opportunities in their own time and at their leisure.”

OFC E-Learning Development Manager Sean Douglas explained OFC Learn was set up to provide an engaging and accessible approach to education, allowing learners to access information and educate themselves at a time and place that suits them.

“The beauty of this approach is that learners from all over the world can share and learn from each other,” Douglas said via NNSWF.

“That’s why we’re happy to welcome our friends from NNSWF to join the discussions and share their experiences with learners from across the pacific and all over the world. The site has been set up to facilitate this sharing, so it’s fantastic that NNSWF will contribute as part of a global learning community.

“OFC Learn focuses on coaching and refereeing but we are also hard at work creating learning opportunities for club administrative staff and medical staff. Our recent FIFA club licensing webinar for women’s football and our discussion group for physiotherapy are great examples of this.

“There is much more to come. I look forward to seeing NNSWF coaches on the site and engaging with them.”

CPD points for courses completed through the OFC Learn platform will be determined on a course by course basis and attributed to coaches once a certificate of completion is submitted to NNSWF.

NNSWF coaches can access the OFC Learn site HERE.

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Bepro Cerberus: Revolutionising football data with optical tracking

Professional coaching has rapidly become increasingly intertwined with statistics to optimise maximum performance, driving the need for clubs to employ the latest data innovations to stay competitive.

Bepro is a football statistics and analysis company pushing the cutting edge of football technology, providing an all-in-one analytics platform for clubs across the world.

The company’s headline product – the Cerberus – an AI powered camera, allows for an extraordinary level of football data analysis when combined with Bepro’s software.

Founded in 2015, Bepro has a large reach across the world with offices in nine different countries and has served teams in the EPL, Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga, K-League, SPFL, and more.

Most recently, Bepro supported Spain’s ascension to the 2024 European Championship.

However, Bepro also works with a range of amateur clubs, supporting over 2,400 teams across 50 nations.

The Cerberus Camera

The fundamental core of Bepro’s philosophy is the use of video to provide context to statistics.

Bepro links all of its data work back to film recorded by either of its two FIFA grade cameras: the Fixed Camera System or the Cerberus.

Bepro’s cameras utilise AI to power optical tracking technology, enabling the camera to follow the ball without a camera operator. This allows coaches to work with their team instead of being distracted by handling equipment.

Both camera systems feature real time processing, meaning coaches and analysts can instantly assess footage. To enhance this, Bepro cameras can be accessed from multiple devices, and via Bepro’s mobile app.

Additionally, the cameras record in 4k panoramic video to capture more action in higher detail than regular cameras.

Bepro’s video service also supplies a 3D video player, providing coaches a greater level of video analysis.

Although both camera systems incorporate many of the same features, the Cerberus has the key advantage of being portable.

While many would fear a portable camera could run out of charge, the Cerberus features batteries capable of four hours continuous filming. Batteries can then be swiftly changed to ensure clubs do not miss out on valuable footage.

Furthermore, the Cerberus is a resilient platform and can continue to film excellently in poor weather and lighting conditions.

Adding to the Cerberus’ extremely versatility, it not only keenly tracks the ball, but can also film multiple perspectives at once. Through this, coaches can keep an eye on different angles of a training session or game.

Software and Data

Bepro offers three levels of software for clubs to use, ranging from a basic package for amateurs to highly sophisticated software for professionals.

When combined with Bepro’s most expansive package, the Cerberus truly shines.

This package utilises the camera’s optical tracking to gather extensive highly detailed positional and physical data of both teams, not always possible with GPS.

From 90 minutes of football, Bepro cameras can accumulate approximately three million data points, including statistics such as the distance ran, speed and sprint efforts of each individual player.

Through the package, clubs can create visualisations in their footage to showcase pressing patterns, passing triangles and more by spotlighting players or drawing lines and diagrams.

Coaches can then edit these video clips together and send them to players and staff to showcase areas for improvement or successful plays.

Conclusion

While new, the Cerberus has already made a significant impression on world football, becoming the first ever portable optical tracking camera to be certified by FIFA.

The camera passed its certification easily, illustrating its excellence by achieving “Well Above Industry Standard” in the majority of assessments, with no scores below “Above Industry Standard”.

As Bepro continues to develop itself as one of the premiere football analysis organisations, revelations such as the Cerberus will drive the sport into the future.

Northern NSW Football referee camp cultivates talent and growth

Last month, during the 2024 Champion of Champions tournament in Coffs Harbour, Northern NSW Football conducted a Referees Development Camp, 24 referee participants attended the development initiative.

The week-long, future-focused camp was planned and led by NNSWF Referee Manager Brad Carlin and his ensemble of referee coaches.

The referee coaches conduct daily performance reviews and debriefs, followed by an evening coaching presentation. The initiative represents a structured approach to referee development, combining practical experience and theoretical training.

Presentations covered an array of beneficial long-term successful traits within the field of referring.

  • Body language, confidence, and concentration
  • Positioning, movement, and anticipation
  • Severity and tactical fouls assessment
  • Assistant referee skills
  • Team coordination between officials
  • Conflict management (players and technical areas)
  • NNSWF Referee Development Pathway

NNSWF Referee Manager Brad Carlin expressed positive sentiments towards the growth and success of the camp.

“The aims of our referee camps are to provide consistent, quality coaching to develop young match officials from across our member zones and to identify those referees who have the talent and commitment to potentially be an elite match official of the future,” he said via press release.

“There were many outstanding performances during this year’s camp, but what impressed our referee coaches the most was the clear improvement that every participant showed in responding so well to the coaching we gave them.”

The camp’s success and investment in the collective growth of the referee position within football are outstanding achievements. The opportunity for referee participants to be showcased and identified as future match officials made the camp beneficial for all parties involved.

This program nurtures the industry’s future, enabling the participants with the correct skills for further career advancement and opening pathway opportunities in football officiating careers.

The Referees Development Camp was made possible by the member zones, the partnership between coaches and officials, and the integration with the Champion of Champions tournament.

The Female Referee of the Tournament was awarded to Matilda Armstrong, Harrison Coleman took home the Male Referee of the Tournament and both were appointed to referee the grand final matches.

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