Cronulla Sharks JAFC Match Reports
For every match each week there is a great opportunity for Coaches/Managers/Parents to write a summary of the match that can be published on the club website.
These Match reports are collected by our match report co-ordinator Paul Parnell and published as a article that goes onto our club website.
(Paul is a dad of Auskicker Tom and is a legendary percussionist, having been a full time member of the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra for a number of years – is now back in the Navy at Nowra and this is his way of “lots of people doing a little bit” – managing the reports via email).
The main aim of these articles is for the kids (hopefully all kids) to see their own names in the match report about good things they did or how they improved, not just the goal scorers or the best player in the team, although these can be included. These reports will have less focus on the outcome or score of the match, especially when the scores is 80 points to 5 points. For some children it is quite an achievement to get a kick (especially in younger age groups) for others it might be staying in position as coached at training, taking the ball off somebody else etc. For other more dominant players (who are often the goal scoring machines) they perhaps should be praised for setting up 2 team mates for
goals instead of scoring all 5 goals him/herself, reinforcing the work the coach is doing to make them a better team player.
Please don’t mistake this attitude as “pandering” to lesser quality players, I believe that
players of all abilities need encouragement to help with their enjoyment of sport, but if all that is ever written is that Player A scored 4 goals this week, 6 goals next week etc, then next season there may not be enough other players for Player A to get a game.
“Team work was excellent this week, well done team” is just not enough information.
Guidelines for reports:
1) Try to mention something good about most players along with players from the opposition. Alternatively, hand in a report from both teams that can be combined.
2) Mention goals scorers, but also backs and mid fielders for good team work, passing,
sportsmanship. (In many teams the goal scorers are often the same each week, so they don’t
need to be in every report).
3) Perhaps mention the 1 achievement/improvement that a lesser player has this week, e.g.
stayed in position, kicked/passed well, go into the game this week.
4) Perhaps for the better players mention how they helped their team mates or what great
direction and leadership they provided to them as well as the x goals they scored.
5) Use your match report to reinforce improvement or successful achievement of things
specifically talked about by the coach.
Below is a guideline that was originally developed by Drummoyne JAFC and is a very good platform for us.
Cronulla Sharks Match Reporter’s Pack
Match reports are written by coaches, managers or volunteer writers for all teams from Auskick to Under 17s. These are converted to web pages and loaded to the Cronulla web site. Photos supplied are loaded into a photo gallery for each round.
After each round the Cronulla Sharks Newsletter email is created with news items and links to each match report and photo gallery.
This is emailed to subscribers including parents, players, sponsors and anyone else interested in the club.
Statistics gathered show that match reports are read by a high percentage of those receiving the Newsletter and feedback confirms they are eagerly awaited by parents and players alike. They are great way to acknowledge the efforts and achievements on the field of play, as well as the involvement of coach managers, parents and others who play supporting roles.
This Match Report Pack and is based on ideas picked up from all the great match reports written over time and is intended to provide some helpful guidelines for reporters. It also provides some guidelines on supplying photos for the report and web site.
Match Report Content
Here are some hints on the content of a typical match report, broken up into logical elements:
Header Title / State the team and their opponents. This is handy for readers to know, especially if looking at older reports. Generally put Home team first. For Under 11's or older only - you can also include the score or it can be at the end of the report.Examples:
Under 12s - Blue vs Other Team
Cronulla 7.10 (52) def Other Team 8.3 (51)
(Auskick) Game 1 - Cronulla vs Other Team
Intro Paragraph / An intro line or paragraph to set the scene, eg location, strength of teams, weather conditions etc,
Main Body
Paragraphs / It’s a good idea to break the body into paragraphs for easy reading on the web. Quarter by quarter action is probably the simplest format, or whatever works for the younger Auskick matches. If you can, break long sentences into multiple short ones.
Conclusion / Final paragraph summing up the match or team performance, congratulatory or encouraging remarks / key take-aways.
Outstanding players / Any special mentions not already done in main body or conclusion.
Score / If appropriate (U11's or older only) and not included in Header
Goal kickers / Players who scored goals (incl number of goals)
Thanks / To any volunteers
A report written in standard paragraphs and proof read saves heaps of time when it is converted to a web page. Please avoid using tables and bullet points
Remember this is a guideline only and not all elements have to be in a report. Generally match reporters should try to give all players a mention in reports. This can be hard to achieve with the older teams so a mention in at least every second report is a good approach.
Handy Hint: Keep a team list and tick off mentions per report. It is also a good idea to have one on hand while watching a match. Also make use of the Match Report Notes template at the end of this pack (or create something similar to help on the day).
Submitting Match Reports / Report Deadlines
All reports should be emailed to the Match Report Coordinator Please ensure you put the team in the email subject line. For example , “U12 - Blue Match Report”
We try to publish the Newsletter as soon as we can after each playing weekend to maximise player enthusiasm and to ensure it is timely. Our target is to publish the newsletter ahead of mid-week training.
Creating the newsletter involves both building content on the web site and newsletter email, so this target can only be achieved with your help.
· Ideally we need all reports in by Monday evening if possible.
But please submit match reports as early as possible, so the work can be spread out from Saturday to Monday.
Photos
Photos are a great addition to any match report on the web site. Generally a single photo is added to the report itself, and a link is provided to view all photos through the photo gallery for the round.
When submitting photos it is best to first create compressed copies of the originals. All photos are automatically compressed when loaded to the web site so large high quality files are unnecessary. Photos compressed to a file size between 100-200KB are usually sufficient.
How many photos?
As photos need to be loaded individually, a selection of between 10-15 photos per match is ideal. Aim to get a good selection of players. If there are too many photos to load for the time available, the Match Report Coordinator may choose a selection of those provided.
How do I send them?
Please send photos as attachments to an email rather than pasting them into the email body as content. If pasted as content into the email body, each photo has to be individually saved before anything can be done with them. Send them to the Match Report Coordinator )
If you would like captions to be added for each photo, note the photo filename and the caption in the email body.
Can I use a photo sharing site such as Picassa?
Yes a link to the external photo gallery can be added to the match report. Just make sure the link allows viewers to access the photos without need for a username and password. Please select a photo to go on the match report itself.
How do I make compressed copies of photos?
There are many photo viewing/editing software applications that will do the job. The chances are you will have one on your computer already. Be careful that the software you use does not overwrite your original photos.
One highly recommended and free editor is IRFANVIEW, a free photo viewer that does a great job as a quick viewer and allows you to compress (and rename) photos in batches. It is a very small piece of software and by default it does not overwrite your originals. It is available for download at http://www.irfanview.com/
If you need assistance please contact the Match Report Coordinator.
Final Comments:
If your comments would attract concerns or a raised eyebrow in the public domain don’t write it. The focus on newsletters is to make them readily available to partners, grandparents etc and many others read our weekly note.
Hence,
Do NOT mention surnames and do NOT criticise the opposition or the umpires. Our well mannered Match Report coordinators role is to filter the document and correct any discretions.
Finally, Cronulla JAFC does not condone or support match reports that go out to players only. This is a club of 240 players and we all share our wins and losses. Anybody reading the club newsletter should be able to read match reports for any team.
Any queries or if you need help please contact me directly.
Kind regards
Paul Dawson
President
0434 630 747
Match Report Notes
Please transcribe notes into a match report before submitting to the Newsletter Coordinator
eg Under 10s Black, Round 5
Title
eg, Cronulla vs Opponent, or
(U11s or older)
Cronulla 7.10 (52) def Opponent 8.3 (51)
Intro
An intro line or paragraph to set the scene, eg location, strength of teams, weather conditions etc,
Main Body
It’s a good idea to break the body into paragraphs for easy reading on the web.
Term by Term or Quarter by Quarter action is the simplest format.
If you can, break long sentences into multiple short ones. / Goal Kickers
Conclusion
Final paragraph summing up the match or team performance, congratulatory or encouraging remarks / key take-aways.
Outstanding players / Special Mentions
Any special mentions not in main body or conclusion.
Score (U11's or older only)
If not included in Title
Goal kickers
Players (incl number of goals)
Volunteers
To any volunteers