This is just an idea for those out there looking for 'permanent' fields (hello Sydney/Melbourne).
Now of course, what we're talking about are fields with lights for League play, and ideally toilets and somewhere to store some stuff.
If you've exhausted yourself talking to Councils (mostly because the fields that they do have are already heavily used by others), perhaps its time to talk to schools.
Last year's Crawford Report noted that the obvious way to increase the number of sporting facilities available to the community is to work out ways to make school ovals available.
A REAL key of course is having a link to a school. Is there someone in your Ultimate community who works at the school, or is an alumni from the school, or even on their children's school's P&C? Can they have a yarn to the Principal or Sports Master?
Many schools have a history of putting lights on their tennis courts and hiring them out - this is the model to take on. The school gets a better facility, it gets a regular income stream, its security is improved by having responsible adults on site at night, and it strengthens its links to the local community.
There are of course some practicalities. Can the field be easily accessed without visitors having to walk through the school grounds? Is there scope for parking? Is there access to toilets without walking through the school?
Committing to a school can also involve making that school a real centre for teaching kids Ultimate.
So the goal - can your Ultimate group develop an agreement whereby you cooperate to fundraise (both via seeking government sporting and school building grants, and directly via car washes and all that stuff) to upgrade a schools' field to put lights and so forth on it?
Showing posts with label Fields. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fields. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunday, November 28, 2010
When Does Next Season Start?
So barely had the disc settled onto the stubby grass at Annerley last week before someone started asking when next season starts.
The short answer - start thinking about it after Australia Day (and that special beach Ultimate tournament on the Gold Coast), and it’s likely Leagues will begin in mid-February.
Traditionally, December and January is the ‘off season’ for Ultimate Leagues in Brisbane. It’s the summer and Christmas holidays, Uni and school is out, its pretty hot, and after ten months of Ultimate its time for a break for organisers and players.
That said, many stronger players train through December and January as part of their preparation for Nationals in April, so if you’re looking for an extra run and a chance to improve your skills, ask around for training times.
Pickup games (including weekend beach trips) also get a new lease of life over Summer, so make sure you’re on the right email lists.
A big challenge with establishing the start date for 2011 is that our field providers are focused on supporting their Winter sports, and so tend to not get going until after us. As a result, they can be hesitant to commit fields and times to us that they may wish to use for themselves.
The field providers are also aware that they want to give the fields the biggest possible rest to regenerate before their seasons begin (those noting the state of Annerley Field 3 will recognise that it could really use a lot of time off).
That said, QUDA and the League Directors have worked very hard in recent years to give us robust relationships with our field providers, so hopefully they’ll be able to announce firm starting dates as early as possible.
The short answer - start thinking about it after Australia Day (and that special beach Ultimate tournament on the Gold Coast), and it’s likely Leagues will begin in mid-February.
Traditionally, December and January is the ‘off season’ for Ultimate Leagues in Brisbane. It’s the summer and Christmas holidays, Uni and school is out, its pretty hot, and after ten months of Ultimate its time for a break for organisers and players.
That said, many stronger players train through December and January as part of their preparation for Nationals in April, so if you’re looking for an extra run and a chance to improve your skills, ask around for training times.
Pickup games (including weekend beach trips) also get a new lease of life over Summer, so make sure you’re on the right email lists.
A big challenge with establishing the start date for 2011 is that our field providers are focused on supporting their Winter sports, and so tend to not get going until after us. As a result, they can be hesitant to commit fields and times to us that they may wish to use for themselves.
The field providers are also aware that they want to give the fields the biggest possible rest to regenerate before their seasons begin (those noting the state of Annerley Field 3 will recognise that it could really use a lot of time off).
That said, QUDA and the League Directors have worked very hard in recent years to give us robust relationships with our field providers, so hopefully they’ll be able to announce firm starting dates as early as possible.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Fields of Brisbane - Griffith Nathan
Continuing our occasional tour of the fields used by Ultimate around Brisbane, let's check out the venue that was unfortunately closed the other week due to the previous night's rain, the Griffith University Nathan campus fields.
Play of Ultimate at Griffith Nathan is partly a story about a local dude seeing the fields during his neighbourhood wanderings and saying to himself "I want to play Ultimate there!" (cf A$sembly St for a similar tale).
It was close to where this dude lived and not far from the South-East Freeway, but also was a fantastic venue. The AFL field is large enough to fit three full sized Ultimate fields on it, plus the ground was level and grass well cared for. The neighbouring rugby field is a bit rougher and doesn't drain as well, but fit two more Ultimate fields. Both fields have excellent lights, and are served by a good carpark and tidy pavillion with ample shade and change-rooms.
Regionals 2007 and 2008 were held at Griffith with plenty of success. Regionals is usually just before University sport begins, so there was no difficulty booking the field for the weekend.
Weeknights were a contrast, as the University sought to fill evenings with semester based sport. In 2009, an effort was made to establish regular Ultimate on Wednesday nights over the Winter break between Semesters 1 and 2, without too much success.
One benefit though was gaining an understanding of the Griffith sport and clubs system and people. We learned what they were after, and what was required to get more regular access to the fields.
So Early in 2010, QUDA was able to use this knowledge and commited resources to the establishment of a University Club at Griffith Nathan. This was timely as BUML was facing challenges in ensuring adequate field space at Annerley. QUDA's commitment in running an O-Day stall and providing recruitment resources showed Griffith sport we were serious, and they allocated us access on Monday night's year around.
As the year has progressed, having BUML at Nathan has also been a massive boon to establishing the University Ultimate Club, as new players were immediately thrust into regular weekly play against friendly and spirited teams - they get the real Ultimate deal from their first moment of arrival. Meanwhile, while some folks may whine, having BUML spread across two venues has greatly increased the number of teams it can accept, as well as increasing its resilience against field issues like rain and pressure from other sports.
The new Griffith Club, along with QUDA, is now starting to plan the next phase - cementing Ultimate onto the permanent University fields/sport calendar as the regular Monday night user, as well as looking to gain more space (the rugby field on Mondays) and time (another night for training or a separate League). Onwards to 2011!
View Larger Map
Play of Ultimate at Griffith Nathan is partly a story about a local dude seeing the fields during his neighbourhood wanderings and saying to himself "I want to play Ultimate there!" (cf A$sembly St for a similar tale).
It was close to where this dude lived and not far from the South-East Freeway, but also was a fantastic venue. The AFL field is large enough to fit three full sized Ultimate fields on it, plus the ground was level and grass well cared for. The neighbouring rugby field is a bit rougher and doesn't drain as well, but fit two more Ultimate fields. Both fields have excellent lights, and are served by a good carpark and tidy pavillion with ample shade and change-rooms.
Regionals 2007 and 2008 were held at Griffith with plenty of success. Regionals is usually just before University sport begins, so there was no difficulty booking the field for the weekend.
Weeknights were a contrast, as the University sought to fill evenings with semester based sport. In 2009, an effort was made to establish regular Ultimate on Wednesday nights over the Winter break between Semesters 1 and 2, without too much success.
One benefit though was gaining an understanding of the Griffith sport and clubs system and people. We learned what they were after, and what was required to get more regular access to the fields.
So Early in 2010, QUDA was able to use this knowledge and commited resources to the establishment of a University Club at Griffith Nathan. This was timely as BUML was facing challenges in ensuring adequate field space at Annerley. QUDA's commitment in running an O-Day stall and providing recruitment resources showed Griffith sport we were serious, and they allocated us access on Monday night's year around.
As the year has progressed, having BUML at Nathan has also been a massive boon to establishing the University Ultimate Club, as new players were immediately thrust into regular weekly play against friendly and spirited teams - they get the real Ultimate deal from their first moment of arrival. Meanwhile, while some folks may whine, having BUML spread across two venues has greatly increased the number of teams it can accept, as well as increasing its resilience against field issues like rain and pressure from other sports.
The new Griffith Club, along with QUDA, is now starting to plan the next phase - cementing Ultimate onto the permanent University fields/sport calendar as the regular Monday night user, as well as looking to gain more space (the rugby field on Mondays) and time (another night for training or a separate League). Onwards to 2011!
View Larger Map
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
As$embly Street Field, Sali$bury - QUDA's Only Official Venue
Continuing our spring tour of fields around Brisbane, begun last week with Oakman Park.
As$embly Street Field in Sali$bury is largely unknown to most of Brisbane Ultimate (indeed, the Brisbane sporting scene). But here's the tale ....
Over the past few years, QUDA has been on the lookout for a permanent field in Brisbane.
Most of the fields used by Ultimate in Brisbane are 'owned' by other sports, and then hired by Ultimate users. As many Ultimate players may attest, this leaves us somewhat at the mercy of others (fair enough of course - and it should be pointed out that many field providers take seriously their responsiblity to make the field available to the wider community).
By 'owned' , we mean that most sports fields in Brisbane are owned by the Brisbane City Council, but are on five to ten year leases with a particular sporting club or association. Said sporting club or association has generally invested further in the field themselves, for example by putting lights or clubhouses on them. Some field owners will also invest in and take responsibility for the field surface, while others rely somewhat on Council (hence they are at the mercy of Council's field maintenance schedule). The cost of the lease is however relatively cheap (but of course, don't forget volunteers have spent decades establishing the venues too).
As you may imagine, most field space in Brisbane has been snapped up long ago (eg the Annerley fields have had a soccer club on it since the 1940's). But this hasn't stopped Ultimate folks from keeping their eyes out. Over the years, Ultimate players have made sporadic inquiries with Council about gaining a long term lease over a field, and QUDA is on a very long waiting list.
Earlier this year your blogger made some inquiries with Council and discovered that the As$embly Street Park in Sali$bury, which features quite a nice soccer field and which many locals assumed was owned by the nearby High School, was actually a Council Park.
What was interesting was that Council didn't classify the park as a sporting field, which presumably is the reason it hasn't been snapped up by some other Club or Association. So keep it quiet! (This is probably why it hasn't been posted about before ... and hence the $ for those suitably conspiracy minded)
At the moment, QUDA has dipped its toe in the water (and we'll come back to this dipping) by booking the field every Sunday from 3-5pm from 1 April to 30 September (what is known as a Winter License). This has cost QUDA the grand sum of $28.50 for the six months, so not a bad investment.
Word of the booking has been put around the various organiser types, but as yet we haven't actually gotten people there to play. Partly this is because while the field and grass are very good, the field is hard to get to without a car, and at present has no parking or toilets.
Its also hard to spot - you have to go to the end of AsSembly St (or Ke11ett Rd on the other side of the creek), and then you might just see the field through the trees.
If people feel that the disadvantages of the field could be overcome, and its worth the effort to find some sort of permanent field somewhere, then QUDA's toe dipping is ideally the start of something long term. QUDA needs to renew its booking soon if it wants to extend itself into the Summer six months. Perhaps it should pay more and book the whole day (or someone establish a Salisbury Ultimate Club to be the vehicle). Then for the following Winter book both Saturday and Sunday. And then at the end of 2011 talk to Council about a five year lease and getting toilets put there. And a small storage shed and signage. And a clubhouse and lights and some reshaping and removal of the soccer posts (a big advantage of the field is the lack of residences immediately backing onto the field).
A sort of big vision, but it needs to start with people thinking its a good place and worth thinking about long term, and in the short term establishing our presence there.
So, if you have the time, go for a look some time. Or if you are looking for a regular place to play during daylight hours over Summer, contact JdR (ceo@quda.org) and we'll book you in.
http://www.whereis.com/qld/salisbury/75-assembly-st?id=157CB415BC92EB
As$embly Street Field in Sali$bury is largely unknown to most of Brisbane Ultimate (indeed, the Brisbane sporting scene). But here's the tale ....
Over the past few years, QUDA has been on the lookout for a permanent field in Brisbane.
Most of the fields used by Ultimate in Brisbane are 'owned' by other sports, and then hired by Ultimate users. As many Ultimate players may attest, this leaves us somewhat at the mercy of others (fair enough of course - and it should be pointed out that many field providers take seriously their responsiblity to make the field available to the wider community).
By 'owned' , we mean that most sports fields in Brisbane are owned by the Brisbane City Council, but are on five to ten year leases with a particular sporting club or association. Said sporting club or association has generally invested further in the field themselves, for example by putting lights or clubhouses on them. Some field owners will also invest in and take responsibility for the field surface, while others rely somewhat on Council (hence they are at the mercy of Council's field maintenance schedule). The cost of the lease is however relatively cheap (but of course, don't forget volunteers have spent decades establishing the venues too).
As you may imagine, most field space in Brisbane has been snapped up long ago (eg the Annerley fields have had a soccer club on it since the 1940's). But this hasn't stopped Ultimate folks from keeping their eyes out. Over the years, Ultimate players have made sporadic inquiries with Council about gaining a long term lease over a field, and QUDA is on a very long waiting list.
Earlier this year your blogger made some inquiries with Council and discovered that the As$embly Street Park in Sali$bury, which features quite a nice soccer field and which many locals assumed was owned by the nearby High School, was actually a Council Park.
What was interesting was that Council didn't classify the park as a sporting field, which presumably is the reason it hasn't been snapped up by some other Club or Association. So keep it quiet! (This is probably why it hasn't been posted about before ... and hence the $ for those suitably conspiracy minded)
At the moment, QUDA has dipped its toe in the water (and we'll come back to this dipping) by booking the field every Sunday from 3-5pm from 1 April to 30 September (what is known as a Winter License). This has cost QUDA the grand sum of $28.50 for the six months, so not a bad investment.
Word of the booking has been put around the various organiser types, but as yet we haven't actually gotten people there to play. Partly this is because while the field and grass are very good, the field is hard to get to without a car, and at present has no parking or toilets.
Its also hard to spot - you have to go to the end of AsSembly St (or Ke11ett Rd on the other side of the creek), and then you might just see the field through the trees.
If people feel that the disadvantages of the field could be overcome, and its worth the effort to find some sort of permanent field somewhere, then QUDA's toe dipping is ideally the start of something long term. QUDA needs to renew its booking soon if it wants to extend itself into the Summer six months. Perhaps it should pay more and book the whole day (or someone establish a Salisbury Ultimate Club to be the vehicle). Then for the following Winter book both Saturday and Sunday. And then at the end of 2011 talk to Council about a five year lease and getting toilets put there. And a small storage shed and signage. And a clubhouse and lights and some reshaping and removal of the soccer posts (a big advantage of the field is the lack of residences immediately backing onto the field).
A sort of big vision, but it needs to start with people thinking its a good place and worth thinking about long term, and in the short term establishing our presence there.
So, if you have the time, go for a look some time. Or if you are looking for a regular place to play during daylight hours over Summer, contact JdR (ceo@quda.org) and we'll book you in.
http://www.whereis.com/qld/salisbury/75-assembly-st?id=157CB415BC92EB
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Summer at the Oakman Park
With the winter sports ending, Ultimate is getting more space over at Oakman Park, Toowong (corner of Moggill Road and Union St).
Oakman Park is managed by the excellent Wests Juniors AFL Club, and has been the home of Women's Ultimate on Tuesday nights.
Wests Juniors have been very generous in their management of the field, providing it to many other groups including cricket, gaelic football, schools and of course, Ultimate! So if you ever see the owners at the field, give them a pat on the back, and of course let's always do our best to be the best possible users of the field, particularly by leaving it better than we find it!
Women's League on Thursdays
As you may have heard, Women's Ultimate is now moving permanently to Thursday nights at Oakman (ie through Summer and into next Winter), with the new season starting in two weeks on 9 September. The League is for all ladies, from beginners through to international reps.
When: Thursdays 7-9pm, September 9th - November 4th
Registration page: http://www.afda.com/rego/showcompetition.php?competitionid=855
Keep up to date via: mailto:WUFL-subscribe@yahoogroups.comcom
Contact: Laura via ljkeating at gmail.com
Mixed Pickup and Training Night on Wednesdays
One new thing is that Wests have offered us use of the park on Wednesday nights through Summer, with the strong possibility of our continuing through into Winter 2011.
Initially, BUDA is arranging for pick up games to be played, but if the number of regulars grow, hopefully a formal league might get established. For the moment, pickup is $5 per player, to be paid on the night.
At present, Wednesday at Oakman an option for any Ultimate Club who wants a regular training venue as well (price to be negotiated).
So all players are welcome, starting from Wednesday 1 September from 7-9pm. As with all pickup games, bring a white shirt, a black/dark shirt, disc, water and your friends!
Sunday Afternoon Pickup
Sunday pickup moves to Oakman Park as of this Sunday 29 August, and will hopefully run through there every Sunday until next February. Pickup also features training sessions with the very friendly and open to anyone Heroes Ultimate Club.
As with all pickup games, bring a white shirt, a black/dark shirt, hat, disc, water and your friends!
3:00pm Throwing and some drills (optional)
3:45pm Pick Up Game starts
View Larger Map
Oakman Park is managed by the excellent Wests Juniors AFL Club, and has been the home of Women's Ultimate on Tuesday nights.
Wests Juniors have been very generous in their management of the field, providing it to many other groups including cricket, gaelic football, schools and of course, Ultimate! So if you ever see the owners at the field, give them a pat on the back, and of course let's always do our best to be the best possible users of the field, particularly by leaving it better than we find it!
Women's League on Thursdays
As you may have heard, Women's Ultimate is now moving permanently to Thursday nights at Oakman (ie through Summer and into next Winter), with the new season starting in two weeks on 9 September. The League is for all ladies, from beginners through to international reps.
When: Thursdays 7-9pm, September 9th - November 4th
Registration page: http://www.afda.com/rego/showcompetition.php?competitionid=855
Keep up to date via: mailto:WUFL-subscribe@yahoogroups.comcom
Contact: Laura via ljkeating at gmail.com
Mixed Pickup and Training Night on Wednesdays
One new thing is that Wests have offered us use of the park on Wednesday nights through Summer, with the strong possibility of our continuing through into Winter 2011.
Initially, BUDA is arranging for pick up games to be played, but if the number of regulars grow, hopefully a formal league might get established. For the moment, pickup is $5 per player, to be paid on the night.
At present, Wednesday at Oakman an option for any Ultimate Club who wants a regular training venue as well (price to be negotiated).
So all players are welcome, starting from Wednesday 1 September from 7-9pm. As with all pickup games, bring a white shirt, a black/dark shirt, disc, water and your friends!
Sunday Afternoon Pickup
Sunday pickup moves to Oakman Park as of this Sunday 29 August, and will hopefully run through there every Sunday until next February. Pickup also features training sessions with the very friendly and open to anyone Heroes Ultimate Club.
As with all pickup games, bring a white shirt, a black/dark shirt, hat, disc, water and your friends!
3:00pm Throwing and some drills (optional)
3:45pm Pick Up Game starts
View Larger Map
Friday, September 11, 2009
Understanding Field Maintenance
Because of unanticipated field maintenance, tomorrow's LOVEFEST has been moved from JF O'Grady Fields at Fairfield to AJSC Soccer Fields off Baron St in Greenslopes (where BUML and BPL are played).
Which gives us an opportunity to illuminate ye readers on the adventures of field maintenance in Brisbane.
So each year for the past many years, Ultimate around this time of the year has been heavily disrupted by a mysterious thing called "field maintenance", which typically involves the seemingly sudden closure of fields. "Why is this so?" many Ulti-players have screamed. "Why am I missing out on many precious weeks of League play at this gorgeous time of year!?"
Most of the winter sports that we hire fields from are finishing at this time of year, and a few of the otherwise-exhausted volunteers who manage the soccer and footy fields tend to see their fields at the end of the season as very beaten up compared to the start of the season, so they start to think about doing a bit of field maintenance.
Field maintenance can involve driving a spiky tractor over the grass to let some air in, spreading topsoil or sand or fertiliser over the fields, watering them heavily, laying new turf on particularly damaged areas (such as goal-mouths) or just stopping anyone from using them at all and giving them a rest. Doing it around now gives the soccer and footy fields a break over summer, when soccer and footy players assume nobody else would be silly enough to go running around in the sun (obviously not many of them have met Ultimate players).
Many of the fields around Brisbane are owned by the Brisbane City Council, but are on long term lease to use to various sports clubs. Two that QUDA deals with regularly are the Annerley Junior Soccer Club (AJSC, and operators of the AJSC Fields), and the Brisbane Rugby League Referees Association (operators of the JF O'Grady Fields).
Brisbane City Council offers "free" topsoiling/topsanding to the field operators (for the Council, this just maintains the value of their (and its ratepayers') asset. The catch is the Council wants to do this cheaply, so Clubs essentially provide Council with the last date of their winter season, and Council does the work when it can after that (and this can be any time - say there's a big storm, then their workers will be busy for the week with the cleanup, so they won't do any field work that week).
This whole "any time" thing has caught Ultimate out a few times in the past, and its got us again this weekend with Lovefest. The JFOG folks took our booking months ago and figured we'd be fine, but they finished their season (the Refs use the fields for their training) two weeks ago, and last week the Council dumped a kilo-metric ass-load of sand on the fields (as those playing the Reckless day will attest). The Council should follow this up with water-trucks, but apparently they've had other things on.
So JFOG isn't in the best shape, and as part of QUDA's efforts to have excellent relationships with its field providers, we're arranged to move Lovefest to AJSC. The JFOG operators didn't really want us on the fields, but they were happy to keep their commitment to hire it to us, but its kept them happy that we've found somewhere else, and we're happy because we'll probably have a better day (and know that JFOG will be in good condition in the future).
Meanwhile, and fortunately for those who play BPL and BUML at the Annerley Junior Soccer Fields, this year things for Leagues won't be as disrupted as previous years, where there have been sudden stoppages of 3-4 weeks of League.
AJSC and the Annerley Recreation Club (who sit above the Juniors and Seniors), have decided to do their own maintenance this year, rather than rely on the Council. This is at least partly because the soccer clubs are starting to recognise Ultimate is an important partner (or at least, as an important customer) and they are more inclined these days to work with us on this (this is thanks to QUDA's and the League Directors efforts to improve the information flows between the organisations).
So this year AJSC are planning to close one of their soccer fields for a month, and let us keep playing on the other one, and then switch that over. Which means that BUML and BPL will be able to continue through the period (although with a little bit of less space for BUML).
So, there's some insight into what happens in the backrooms of this time of year, and perhaps why there's a few little changes happening to our year-around sport, as the other (lamer of course) sports try to deal with the change of season.
Which gives us an opportunity to illuminate ye readers on the adventures of field maintenance in Brisbane.
So each year for the past many years, Ultimate around this time of the year has been heavily disrupted by a mysterious thing called "field maintenance", which typically involves the seemingly sudden closure of fields. "Why is this so?" many Ulti-players have screamed. "Why am I missing out on many precious weeks of League play at this gorgeous time of year!?"
Most of the winter sports that we hire fields from are finishing at this time of year, and a few of the otherwise-exhausted volunteers who manage the soccer and footy fields tend to see their fields at the end of the season as very beaten up compared to the start of the season, so they start to think about doing a bit of field maintenance.
Field maintenance can involve driving a spiky tractor over the grass to let some air in, spreading topsoil or sand or fertiliser over the fields, watering them heavily, laying new turf on particularly damaged areas (such as goal-mouths) or just stopping anyone from using them at all and giving them a rest. Doing it around now gives the soccer and footy fields a break over summer, when soccer and footy players assume nobody else would be silly enough to go running around in the sun (obviously not many of them have met Ultimate players).
Many of the fields around Brisbane are owned by the Brisbane City Council, but are on long term lease to use to various sports clubs. Two that QUDA deals with regularly are the Annerley Junior Soccer Club (AJSC, and operators of the AJSC Fields), and the Brisbane Rugby League Referees Association (operators of the JF O'Grady Fields).
Brisbane City Council offers "free" topsoiling/topsanding to the field operators (for the Council, this just maintains the value of their (and its ratepayers') asset. The catch is the Council wants to do this cheaply, so Clubs essentially provide Council with the last date of their winter season, and Council does the work when it can after that (and this can be any time - say there's a big storm, then their workers will be busy for the week with the cleanup, so they won't do any field work that week).
This whole "any time" thing has caught Ultimate out a few times in the past, and its got us again this weekend with Lovefest. The JFOG folks took our booking months ago and figured we'd be fine, but they finished their season (the Refs use the fields for their training) two weeks ago, and last week the Council dumped a kilo-metric ass-load of sand on the fields (as those playing the Reckless day will attest). The Council should follow this up with water-trucks, but apparently they've had other things on.
So JFOG isn't in the best shape, and as part of QUDA's efforts to have excellent relationships with its field providers, we're arranged to move Lovefest to AJSC. The JFOG operators didn't really want us on the fields, but they were happy to keep their commitment to hire it to us, but its kept them happy that we've found somewhere else, and we're happy because we'll probably have a better day (and know that JFOG will be in good condition in the future).
Meanwhile, and fortunately for those who play BPL and BUML at the Annerley Junior Soccer Fields, this year things for Leagues won't be as disrupted as previous years, where there have been sudden stoppages of 3-4 weeks of League.
AJSC and the Annerley Recreation Club (who sit above the Juniors and Seniors), have decided to do their own maintenance this year, rather than rely on the Council. This is at least partly because the soccer clubs are starting to recognise Ultimate is an important partner (or at least, as an important customer) and they are more inclined these days to work with us on this (this is thanks to QUDA's and the League Directors efforts to improve the information flows between the organisations).
So this year AJSC are planning to close one of their soccer fields for a month, and let us keep playing on the other one, and then switch that over. Which means that BUML and BPL will be able to continue through the period (although with a little bit of less space for BUML).
So, there's some insight into what happens in the backrooms of this time of year, and perhaps why there's a few little changes happening to our year-around sport, as the other (lamer of course) sports try to deal with the change of season.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Ultimate Field Measuring, and a Rule of Thumb for Bricks
Here's the dimensions of a "full" Ultimate field. Of course, we often reduce these to fit onto soccer fields and avoid goal-posts or cricket pitches. (100m of open space is rare) But the magic numbers are 64, 37, 18. Say that to yourself 10 times and drill it in. 64, 37, 18. 64, 37, 18. 64, 37, 18. 64, 37, 18. 64, 37, 18.
Also, check how far the brick mark is. 20m. That's a lot further than I usually see in Brisbane Ultimate. Almost 1/3 of the field. Its that size for a reason - to punish poor pulling.
Often though, after having gone and retrieve a disc that's gone out on the Pull, we're not so keen to jog over to the centre of the goal line, then take 20 steps out. Its a detour, and you look a bit lame (maybe we should consider some small or different coloured 'brick cones' for BPL).
Here's a bit of a rule of thumb. Since we usually have half-way cones for some reason, imagine some diagonal lines joining them to the front end zone cones. Put yourself where the diagonals cross (ie, where you think you're about the same distance from all four cones), and you're 1/4 of the way down the field (about 16m if you've got a full sized field). Then take another few steps and you've got your real brick mark.
Edit: For those who don't quite get it, here's a picture. A further tip for making it look like you know what you're doing is as follows: after you've retrieved the disc, bring it to the front endzone cone, sight the half way cone and walk towards it, until you've crossed the other imaginary diagonal (or feel you're halfway across the field). Then take your four steps forward.
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