SPT – Tom Windlow – VAFA Umpire

This week Sports Performance Tracking’s Player Analyser focuses on an Umpire. Yes that’s right, what do the guys in green run during the game? It is Umpires Round after all. Tom Windlow umpired the William Buck Premier Rd 5 match between Old Scotch and Beaumaris at Camberwell Sports Ground, so let’s take a look at some of his stats.

Over the past 4 weeks, we have had a look at 3 players and the differences the GPS showed. We all know that Midfielders run far! We all know that Key Forwards and Key Backs work hard. But how hard does an Umpire work during a game.

Being an umpire requires patience, confidence and a very thick skin. Now we can add a supreme fitness level to that skill set. Tom racked up a very impressive 16.9km with 109 sprint efforts. This is more than any of the previously recorded players we had analysed.

Obviously the umpires do not endure the contact and physical impacts that the players do, but Tom’s individual distance is impressive.

If we take a deeper look at Tom’s numbers, it uncovers a stark difference in his zone running. Albeit covering 16.9km is a lot, but he only recorded 177 meters in Zone 6 (6 metres/second +) and only 20% of his entire distance was at a running speed (more than 16km/h).

Tom’s distance covered in each quarter didn’t deteriorate at all; in fact it almost improved over the course of the day. His ability to stay consistent was impressive which allows him to make the best decisions possible under duress.

However, Tom spent 50% or less than the three players we have analysed in the top zones running. These stats prove that Tom’s fitness levels are much higher at the middle range zones as apposed to the players who need higher zone fitness level with the ability to rest.
Will Strange is the CEO and founder of Sports Performance Tracking (sportsperformancetracking.com). This year they have teamed with the VAFA to analyse how VAFA footballers compare to the elite level using their GPS tracking technology.