Online fan support for the National Basketball League (NBL) is stronger than ever according to figures released today by Basketball Australia (BA). After the first full month of the new season, the NBL’s LiveStats offering saw 54,031 unique browsers generating 7 million page impressions for the month of October. During the same period in 2008, 32,663 unique browsers generated 3.38 million page impressions when viewing LiveStats.

Today’s figures represent an increase of 65 per cent in unique browsers and a 108 per cent increase in page impressions. The NBL uses the FIBA LiveStats system developed by SportingPulse, which is in use with over 20 professional leagues around the world, delivering scores and statistics to fans in real time as well as play-by-play analysis and shot charts.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Larry Sengstock said the reliability of the FIBA LiveStats system, which was developed for the sport’s international governing body, had played a large role in building trust with NBL fans and was being reflected in the increase in online audience. Sengstock was delighted with the results and indicated greater numbers will follow in the future.

“There is clearly a strong fan base for our elite men’s league and to see such strong increases in numbers for a pre-existing online feature is extremely encouraging,” Sengstock said. “It reinforces the underlying interest in basketball and strengthens our resolve to continue with the reformation agenda. The positive support for the NBL is also reflected in significantly greater media coverage and increased spectator figures for the same time last season. “The inclusion of teams from Sydney and Brisbane next season will almost certainly see these numbers continuing to increase.”

The marked rise in online traffic for the NBL’s LiveStats feature comes on the back of other good news for Basketball Australia. After a reform of the sport was completed in November last year, BA has secured new sponsorship agreements for the NBL as well as the men’s and women’s national teams, the Boomers and Opals. BA has also worked with SportingPulse to consolidate the database of the more than 600,000 participants in the sport of basketball.

“Implementing a knowledge management system is key to providing accurate data about the demographics and value of our sport,” Sengstock said. “It provides potential sponsors with focussed access to our members and we are a long way down the path to leading the industry with the quality of data we can access. “We’re heading in the right direction which is great for Basketball and bodes well for the sport as we head into a World Championship year in 2010,” Sengstock said.

Follow LiveStats on the NBL website - Wednesday to Sundays every week HERE

Hi friends,

We have a new addition to throughout the mySport network today that will allow you to share your SportsLogs, or the SportsLogs of your mySport heroes with people on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.

Simply, you'll see at the bottom of this blog that there is a 'share' icon.  By sharing your stuff with other networking sites, you can get people to read your opinions on sport and connect with like minded people who love the sport you play.

mySport now has over 300,000 members - amazing...by sharing your stuff with the world, you can increase your friend base and connect with sport heads around the world.

Have fun...

We’re committed to making our products and services better.

As a result, we’re conducting our annual Customer Satisfaction survey and we’re interested in what you think.

As part of his role as a Gillette Champion, Australian test cricketer Michael Clarke is calling on talented young men to enter the Gillette Champions Grants – a new grants program designed to help Aussie men better their best and give them the opportunity to be champions within their own right.

The inaugural Gillette Champions Grants will provide men aged 18-35 years old with the opportunity to receive AUD$10,000 in the areas of sport and adventure, community, entrepreneurship and innovation and design.

Michael, or ‘Pup’ as he is commonly known, was recently announced as the Australian face of the Gillette Champions program, joining the elite company of Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry. Always striving to better his best performance on and off the cricket pitch, Michael is excited to be involved in a program that will help other Aussie men do the same.

“For me, the support I received as a young cricketer, really helped set up my career. The Gillette Champions Grants are about recognising talented individuals and providing financial assistance to help them in reaching their goals,” Michael said.

Those eligible for the grants could include anyone from a passionate citizen who needs funding for for their local charity, to an ambitious entrepreneur who requires financial support to start his own business venture or a talented sportsman hoping to reach his sporting dreams.

Michael Clarke will be helping to select the grant recipients and will be looking for entrants who demonstrate a real passion and commitment to their field and provide a strong argument as to how they will benefit from the grant.

“This grant could really help to make a dream a reality for someone out there who is being held back due to financial reasons. We really want to ensure that the grant goes to someone in each of the fields who can show how it will make a difference as they strive towards their goals and enable them to achieve their personal best,” he added.

If you're involved in Australian Football or know someone who is, best you enter the Army Award competition and go into the running to win $3500 worth of equipment, plus there's a very special training session with Glenn Archer up for grabs!

It's an awesome competition and it's free to enter. Check it our at http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/armyAward/

The Army Award is a ripper. Each round you get to vote for three AFL players that best demonstrate the Army‘s values of Courage, Initiative and Teamwork on the field. Besides the main prize, you can also win some great weekly prizes, like signed jumpers, posters and Sherrin Footballs. The main prize is an awesome Army experience and you can even win tickets to the AFL Grand Final.

Enter here;

http://www.afl.com.au/Competitions/army/index.aspx

Anyway, get into it and join in the fun. The Army is a fantastic supporter of AFL football. Good luck and here's hoping you score a win this week!

If you love your football, check out the latest video clip on myFootball, proudly brought to you by Nike.

The clip features an array of today's stars, including Robbie Keane, Robinho, Gennaro Gattuso, Ronaldinho, Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo

Fast feet, hot moves and some excellent tips. Click HERE to watch the video on myFootball.

Love your football? Catch up with goal-scoring machine Shane Smeltz in the latest myFootball video with thanks to Nike.

One of the most improved players in New Zealand football and in the A-League, Smeltz has an eye for goal and is a fantastic player to watch.

Catch up with Smeltz and hear him talk about going into camp before an international game and what happens during the pre-game preparations.

To watch the Shane Smeltz interview, read all the latest football news from across the myFootball network, watch the other latest Nike myFootball videos and catch up with other football supporters, click HERE.

A poll asking online browsers who they think the biggest mouth in Australian sport is has revealed what most Aussie sports fans already know …. Anthony ‘The Man’ Mundine wins the motor-mouth gong by a knock-out.

Run throughout the SportingPulse network, Mundine floored five other candidates by grabbing the tick of approval from 82 per cent of the 21,708 people who voted.

Regarded as champions of their sport, world-class athletes who can walk the walk and talk the talk, the six sportsmen to select from included Mundine (boxing), Jason Akermanis (AFL), Sonny Bill Williams (rugby), Andrew Symonds (cricket), Lleyton Hewitt (tennis) and Kevin Muscat (soccer).

Each has hit the highest levels in their sport, yet all six figure strongly when asked for their opinion. Of the group, Mundine is seen as the ultimate talker and is easily recognised as Australia’s biggest sporting mouth.

Despite being recently dumped from the Australian cricket team for another indiscretion, Symonds came through the vote relatively unscathed, but the same can’t be said for Hewitt and Muscat, both of who attracted more than 1000 votes.

Surprisingly, AFL mouth Jason Akermanis flew under the radar and only grabbed 705 votes. Hitting the headlines most weeks, the three-time premiership player has become a ‘walking quote’ during the twilight of his career.

Conducted by SportingPulse over seven days, the vote sends a very clear message to Mundine and his camp, one that you can’t help but think he would be happy with.

The Numbers That Matter

Who has the biggest mouth in sport?

Jason Akermanis (AFL) – 3% (705)
Sonny Bill Williams (Rugby) – 1% (195)
Anthony Mundine (Boxing) – 82% (17,812)
Andrew Symonds (Cricket) – 2% (450)
Lleyton Hewitt (Tennis) – 6% (1326)
Kevin Muscat (Soccer) – 6% (1220)

# Click HERE to see the results or to cast your vote for the biggest mouth in sport.

Check out the latest video on myFootball featuring Socceroo midfielder Jason Culina. After representing Australia at U17, U20 and U23 levels, Culina is aiming to be a part of the Socceroos push for a berth in the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

Talking about his career from juniors through to seniors, Culina delivers a fantastic insight for football fans. From his first games at St Albans through to wearing the green and gold, sit back and enjoy the latest video available on myFootball, proudly presented by Nike. 

They talk the talk and they most certainly can walk the walk. All six are leading players and have become legends to supporters everywhere, but when it comes to being a straight-shooter and saying exactly what they think, these blokes don't hold back.

So now the question is being handed over to those throughout the SportingPulse Network. You be the judge - Who Has The Biggest Mouth In Sport?

Is it Jason Akermanis (AFL), Anthony Mundine (Boxing), Kevin Muscat (Football), Sonny Bill Williams (Rugby League), Lleyton Hewitt (Tennis) or Andrew Symonds (Cricket)?

To vote and visit the forum to have your say, click HERE.

Strap yourself in for a V8 Supercar ride with Glenn Archer, The Yapper and driver Tony D'Alberto. Filmed at a recent ride day around Winton Raceway, our fearless duo enjoyed a quick dash around the 3km circuit, though by the look on Glenn's face the speed of this beast was a bit of a surprise!

As you'd expect, The Yapper hasn't stopped taking about it, while Arch has copped a bit of a ribbing for the many facial expressions he unleashed on the camera filming his every move.

Sit back and enjoy this funny insight into what Arch & The Yapper call "another day at the office!"

The latest SportingPulse development for the start of the 2009 AFL season is a big hit with the players and supporters of the Eastern Football League.

Selected Teams shows the weekend’s team list in position on a graphic of an oval, just like you get on the AFL website.

Last week, 33 senior clubs provided the EFL with their team lists by 12pm on Friday, giving supporters the opportunity to find out who had been picked and the position they’ll play.

Selected Teams can be found on AFL fixtures and results pages under Detailed Results and is exclusive to myFootyweb and mySport members.

The development is proving very popular with visitors to the EFL website and is available to every AFL league on Footyweb, with many leagues already making use of it.

The EFL is the largest AFL competition in the country in terms of the numbers of players participating each weekend and was the most popular website in the SportingPulse network in April.

It has been part of the SportingPulse network for seven years and marked the start of the 2009 grassroots AFL season with a redesign of its website.

The website redesign highlights the EFL’s impressive media coverage, which as well as news, includes live streaming of the match coverage on Radio Eastern FM 98.1 from 1pm on Saturdays.

This week the live broadcast is the Division 2 match between Montrose and Mulgrave, followed by ‘Around the Grounds’ at half-time and full-time, and Division 1 scores on the Saturday Night Scoreboard.

On the website, you can also download the Eastern Footballer magazine and interact other SportingPulse-developed traffic drivers such as Sportzware Tipping, Forum and Polls.

To visit the EFL website, click here.

To find out about Selected Teams or any other SportingPulse product, contact Support on:
Email
support@sportingpulse.com
Telephone
Head Office: +61 3 9872 5277


Australia Support: 1300 139 970
New Zealand Support: 0800 808 202
Website
http://support.sportingpulse.com/

To find out how your league or club can be part of Footyweb, contact Brendan Ricci at SportingPulse or Tony Abate at the AFL or visit www.footyweb.com.au

myBowls Ambassadors Kelsey Cottrell and Samantha Shannahan have just posted video interviews with mySport’s resident motormouth, The Yapper.

In the interviews, the lawn bowlers discuss how they got started in the game, what it’s like to represent their country and the changing face of lawn bowls with so many young players coming through.

The interviews were filmed at Shepparton Bowling Club in the run up to the Australian Open in February, when in, an Arch Vs The Yapper special, mySport Ambassador Glenn Archer and The Yapper went head-to-head in a game of bowls with some much-needed help from Kelsey and Sam.

Kelsey went on to win the Australian Open and become the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.

Sam teamed up with Kesley and Lynsey Armitage in the Australian Open triples event and made it to the semi-finals and recently she just lost out when she was runner-up in the Junior World Cup tournament in Warilla, New South Wales.

To check if The Yapper stays quiet long enough to let Kelsey and Sam get a word in, click on the videos below.

Australia and New Zealand will battle it out in a Trans Tasman Series for the first time in six years on the ANZAC Day weekend (Friday 24 - Sunday 26 April) and you can follow the action with SportingPulse and myTouchFootball.

The reintroduction of the Series will see Australia take on New Zealand at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, NSW,  on Friday 24 April in the three-game series taking place over the weekend.

The two teams have not faced each other since the 2007 World Cup in South Africa and it will be the first time that many of Australia’s long-serving stalwarts have played New Zealand on home soil.

The series includes the Men’s Open, Women’s Open and Mixed Open and you can find all the fixtures, results and ladders on the SportingPulse-powered Trans Tasman Test Series website.

mySport and myTouchFootball members can add the fixtures, results and ladders to their websites and add the playing stats for their favourite players by clicking where they see the 'Add to myTouchFootball' graphic.

myTouchFootball Ambassadors Jason Stanton, Garry Sonda and Tony “Tash” Eltakchi have all been picked for the national squads. Jason and Garry are in the Australian Men’s Open squad and Tash is in the squad for the Mixed Open.

In his latest Sports Log, Jason writes about the upcoming series. “New Zealand have a new look team to match the youth that has been injected into our squad,” says Jason. “The Kiwis, as always, are super fast, super steppy and super talented. This series will be something else!”

Jason has recently received sponsorship with KooGa sportswear apparel supplier, one of Touch Football Australia’s major sponsors.

Australia will be hoping to keep their strong record against the Kiwis in tact after their dominance in recent years.

The Australian Men’s and Women’s teams have been unstoppable since the last Trans Tasman Series, with both teams winning the 2003 and 2007 World Cups as well as the 2005 All Nations tournament.

The Australian Mixed team has had varied results, winning the 2003 World Cup, while losing to New Zealand in the 2005 All Nations tournament and the 2007 World Cup.

The event also coincides with the New South Wales Touch Association’s Under 14 and 16 Regional Championships. Playing both tournaments at the same time allows for Touch Football’s elite to be showcased in front of some of New South Wales best up and coming players.

New Zealand will host the second series later in the year, with the third series to be played next year.

Men's Open

Game 1: 8:30pm: Friday, 24 April 2009 at WIN Stadium
Game 2: 7:30pm: Saturday, 25 April 2009 at WIN Stadium
Game 3: 10:05am: Sunday, 26 April 2009 at North Dalton

Women's Open

Game 1: 7:30pm: Friday, 24 April 2009 at WIN Stadium
Game 2: 6:30pm: Saturday, 25 April 2009 at WIN Stadium
Game 3: 9:10am: Sunday, 26 April 2009 at North Dalton

Mixed Open

Game 1: 6:30pm: Friday, 24 April 2009 at WIN Stadium
Game 2: 11:20am: Saturday, 25 April 2009 at North Dalton
Game 3: 8:30pm: Saturday, 25 April 2009 at WIN Stadium

For more information, visit the Trans Tasman Test Series website.

The grassroots basketball community was out in force in Melbourne’s Federation Square on Tuesday April 7 to set a new Australian record for the number of people dribbling basketballs simultaneously.

The Basketball Australia (BA) organised event included the unveiling of basketball’s new unified branding, the announcement of Larry Sengstock as BA’s new Chief Executive Officer and the launch of BA’s exciting new SportingPulse-powered website.

The total number of 1,623 participants was the largest ever in Australia and surpassed the old world record of 1,289 people set in 2007 in Edinburgh. However, it fell short of the new mark recognised by Guinness World Records of 3,054, which was set in October 2007 at an event organised by the Indiana Pacers NBA team to mark the start of the season.

Opals, Canberra Capitals and myFiba Ambassador Abby Bishop was at Federation Square to lend a hand, along with members of the Australian Opals, Boomers, Gliders and Rollers national teams, who signed autographs and handed out giveaways. Abby was allowed time out from an Opals training camp in Canberra to be at the event.

“It’s good fun to get out into the community, whether I’m representing the Opals or the Canberra Capitals, and it was great to see so many kids turn up today with basketballs.”

The new BA website was designed by SportingPulse’s senior designer Tim Clark to incorporate BA’s new “Basketball: Everyone’s Game” branding. The website has a updated modern look and feel and is a gateway to the latest BA, Boomers, Opals, NBL and WNBL news and information.

The website also features videos, polls, photo galleries and visotrs can leave comments on news stories and share them on Facebook. The BA branding features on the new SportingPulse-powered website from Basketball Victoria, which was also launched this week.

The branding can be used by all BA’s affiliated state bodies, associations and clubs, that are also entitled to free competition management software and websites as part of the BA and SportingPulse’s joint initiative, The Basketball Network.

SportingPulse CEO Nick Maywald said: “Basketball Australia has put on a great event that demonstrates the popularity of grassroots basketball in this country. SportingPulse is proud to be working with BA on the launch of its new website and the roll out of The Basketball Network.”

Look out for an extended interview with Abby Bishop on her myFiba website.

WNBL Champion and myFiba Ambassador Abby Bishop will be at Federation Square, Melbourne, tomorrow to help in an attempt on the dribbling World Record.

Grassroots basketball players and fans are encouraged to bring a basketball along before 12.30pm, register and help break the World Record, which was set on 17 May 2007 in Edinburgh when 1,289 people took part.

The world record attempt is free to participate in and open to everyone, with all registered participants receiving a certificate after the event that will also include a group photo of the record breakers.  Participants just need to bring a basketball and register.

There will be random prizes and giveaways for the world record attempt participants as well as live entertainment on the day. As well as Abby Bishop, there will be other Boomers and Opals players present for an autograph signing session, including Joe Ingles (South Dragons), Luke Schenscher (Adelaide 36ers), Cayla Francis (Adelaide 36rs), Emma Randall (Stade Clermontois - France) and Opals head coach Carrie Graf (Canberra Capitals).   

Wheelchair Paralympians Leanne Del Toso of the Gliders and Dylan Alcott of the Rollers will also take part in the record attempt, as well as South Dragons championship winners Daniel Dillon and James Orr.

Mark Beretta from Channel Seven’s ‘Sunrise’ program will be the host of the event and there’s lots going on.

The event is part of Basketball Australia’s media conference to reveal the identity of their new Chief Executive Officer and new brand launch, which includes a new SportingPulse-powered website.

To register for the World Record attempt, click here.

Using the internet to access real-time statistics for elite-level basketball games has become a phenomenon in Australia over the summer season.

FIBA LiveStats is a real-time, courtside results and statistics package that’s used in Australia’s top two basketball competitions, the NBL and the WNBL.

The number of people following NBL and WNBL games on their computer grew dramatically from last season, with huge increases when any of the clubs with big support played away from home.

During this year’s NBL season basketball fans clicked on FIBA LiveStats on no fewer than 390,000 occasions and watched the games unfold through real-time box scores, play-by-play news feed, shot charts, scoring development graphs and individual player statistics.

While almost 9000 spectators attended Game 5 of the South Dragons and Melbourne Tigers Grand Final series, a further 5693 followed the game on FIBA LiveStats, setting a record for basketball in Australia.

FIBA LiveStats is also used for the majority of Australian basketball’s senior state competitions, along with dozens of leagues around the world. In Australia, SEABL, Big V, Waratah SBL and QBL leagues will again use FIBA LiveStats for the winter season, resulting in millions of extra page impressions.

Since Round 2 of the NBL season last September, when the competition switched to the FIBA LiveStats product, more than 16.95 million page impressions were recorded. The WNBL completed its successful season last week night with 1.75 million page impressions.

FIBA LiveStats has been developed by award-winning software company SportingPulse and is part of the FIBA Organizer suite of products that is available free to all FIBA-affiliated basketball associations.

SportingPulse CEO Nick Maywald said: “The popularity of FIBA LiveStats on the NBL and WNBL websites is vindication of the quality of this real-time stats package and the online traffic at state level demonstrates the strength of grassroots basketball in Australia. SportingPulse is proud to be able to partner with FIBA to deliver a quality product for basketball associations to use and and supporters to enjoy for free.”

FIBA LiveStats is just one of range of integrated sports software products available free to all FIBAaffiliated organisations. The sports management software FIBA Organizer was launched in November 2006 to provide SportingPulse’s award-winning software, free of charge, to every organization in FIBA’s 213 member national federations.

FIBA Organizer is capable of connecting every basketball player in the world and the launch of the French and Spanish versions has massively increased its global reach.

To download FIBA LiveStats and FIBA Organizer, visit www.fibaorganizer.com.
For further information, contact FIBA IT Manager Wolfram Klug - klug@fiba.com  .
For technical support, email support@fibaorganizer.com.

Two new sport-specific mySport channels - myRugbyLeague and myBowls - have just been launched.

The two new channels bring the total number of dedicated mySport channels to six, including myFiba (basketball), myFootyweb (AFL), myTouchFooty and myHockey.

myRugbyLeague
myRugbyLeague is fully integrated with the LeagueNet competition management and website system available free to all ARL affiliated leagues and clubs.

With a myRugbyLeague website, members can show their NRL club loyalties by choosing their club theme.

Once you’ve chosen your club, your myRugbyLeague website will display your club’s colours and you can be friends with one of the players. You can access the ‘change theme’ enhancement through ‘Edit Profile’ on your mySport website.

To visit the LeagueNet portal website, click here.

myBowls
myBowls is the social network channel dedicated to lawn bowlers and part of the Bowls Australia-approved BowlsNet network.

BowlsNet provides all state and territory associations and their affiliated clubs with competition management, website and communications solution that will reduce administration costs and save volunteer hours and unify the bowls community.

The Australian lawn bowls community is made up of 250,000 members from more than 2,000 clubs.

When you join myBowls, you can connect with three of Australia’s top bowlers - Barrie Lester, Kelsey Cottrell and Sam Shannahan - and keep up with their latest news, videos and photographs.

myBowls members can also display Fixtures, Results and Ladders from any club, association or state website that is part of the BowlsNet network.

To visit the BowlsNet portal website, click here.

If you bump into a couple of basketballers in weird and wonderful places around Melbourne this weekend, don’t be too surprised as the coming long weekend is also home to one of the biggest junior basketball tournaments in the world.

Staged every year on the Australia Day weekend across the southern, eastern and northern parts of suburban Melbourne, the popular Eltham-Dandenong Tournament regularly attracts 800-plus teams.

This weekend will be no different with clubs from South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT joining dozens of clubs from across Melbourne to be represented in boys and girls from under 10s through to under 20s.

Entering its 34th year, the tournament is staged at venues from Dandenong, Langwarrin and Cranbourne to Eltham, Ringwood, Knox, Kilsyth and Warrandyte.

Commencing on Friday night and progressing through to finals next Monday evening, all up 80 courts at 20 venues will be in use with thousands of spectators expected and a huge injection of business for local areas.

While basketball continues to take a battering in the media at the national level in the NBL, the game blossoms at grassroots level where participation in the game is growing each year.

More than 900 teams participate in the weekly Victorian Junior Basketball League’s representative competition, while thousands more run around each week in domestic competitions. The same structures are established in every part of Australia.

Tournaments such as this one are recognised worldwide with many basketball officials amazed at the sheer size of the operation, which also includes hundreds of referees and more than a thousand volunteers helping to run the event, coach and manage teams.

So if you happen to see young hoopsters in uniforms doing the rounds this weekend, and you will, you’ll know exactly what they’re up to.

To catch all the latest news of the tournament, go to www.elthamwildcats.basketball.net.au

2009 Bendigo Junior Classic
Another junior basketball tournament happening this weekend is the Bendigo Junior Classic, which is now in its 31st year. The tournament has 223 teams competing in almost 600 matches on 16 different courts and it is estimated that as many as 7000 players, families and support staff are expected to descend on the city this weekend for the event.

SportingPulse software is being used to run the event and mySport members can get the Fixtures, Results and Ladders on their mySport website but visting the Bendigo Junior Classic website and clicking on the 'myFiba' logo on the results pages.

mySport fans of the WNBL can add Bendigo's best-known basketball talent, Kristi Harrower, to their friends as well as 10 other WNBL Ambassadors and Boomers star Patty Mills.

To visit the Bendigo Junior Classic website, click here.

Registrations for the 12th Australian Masters Games to be held in Geelong from 20 February to 1 March have been extended for a limited period.

Registrations for some sports have closed, but there are still lots to chose from and it doesn't matter what your sporting experience or talent is, as the Games are open to anyone over the age of 30. All you need is a sense of adventure, fun and energy.

Participants wishing to enter should refer to the sport specific information section of the Games website to find out when each sport closes their registrations.

The Masters Games have also waived the late fee for a limited time, however, you need to get in quick or you will miss your chance to participate.  Now is the time to commit to your health this summer and register NOW!

The Games will come alive next month with a festive social calendar and 70 sports to participate in. It's a great way to spend your summer holiday and explore the vibrant City of Geelong and surrounding regions, such as the stunning coastline of the Great Ocean Road.

Experience some Serious Sport...Serious Summer Fun at Australia's largest multisport festival.

To find your sport and register for the 12th Australian Masters Games , click here.

mySport at the 12th Australian Masters Games
Masters Games competitors who join the free sports social networking website, mySport, can display their schedule, results and ladders on your own personal website.

They can also keep a permanent record of their Masters Games experience on their Sports Log and upload photos, slide shows and videos, which they can share with their fellow competitors and friends and family back home.

To join mySport, go to www.my.sportingpulse.com or click on the mySport logo on www.AustralianMastersGames.com
 

The Australian Defence Force WNBL Ambassadors have launched myFiba websites allowing basketball fans on myFiba to add them as a friend and keep up with their latest news, fixtures, results, players stats, photos and videos.

myFiba is the social networking phenomenon connected to the WNBL website and is a way for WNBL Ambassadors to promote women’s basketball and connect with fans and the local community.

The WNBL Ambassadors program raises the profile of the players, the League and their teams, and provides positive role models for young fans.

The League Ambassador for the season is Rohanee Cox and the team Ambassadors are Tracy Gahan (Adelaide), Tess Madgen (AIS), Kristi Harrower (Bendigo), Shelley Hammonds (Bulleen), Abby Bishop (Canberra), Emily Mclnerny (Dandenong), Cassie Smith (Logan), Deanna Smith (Perth), Eva Afeaki (Sydney) and Cherie Smith (Townsville).

WNBL fans with a myFiba website can add the Ambassadors to their friends and can opt in to receive emails when they have updated their Sports Log.

WNBL League Ambassador Rohanee Cox said: “It’s really exciting to be on myFiba. All the girls are looking forward to sharing our news with all the WNBL fans. We hope everybody checks out our websites and let us know what they think.”

WNBL Communications Officer Kimberley Lewis said: “Having the WNBL Ambassadors on myFiba is a great opportunity for WNBL fans to connect with the players they come to see at games or on television.”

myFiba is free to join and is part of the mySport network, created by SportingPulse, the technology and website partner for the WNBL, and Australia’s biggest network of grassroots sports websites.

The eleven WNBL Ambassadors join Opal and former WNBL star Erin Phillips, Boomer Patrick Mills, Tall Black and NBL star Kirk Penney and Tall Fern Jess McCormack, and brings the number of basketball stars on myFiba to 15.

SportingPulse CEO Nick Maywald said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome the WNBL Ambassadors to myFiba. SportingPulse is proud to provide the technology for the WNBL website. FIBA Live Stats has been a big success and the addition of the Ambassadors on myFiba will be another attraction for basketball fans.”

With myFiba website, members can:

•    Leave comments and send messages to the WNBL Ambassadors
•    Access WNBL fixtures, results, ladders and player stats, as well information from any SportingPulse website (including BigV, SEBL, VJBL, MEBA, Kilsyth, as well as hundreds more)
•    Be part of your WNBL’s team’s myCommunity
•    Receive news and email game reminders
•    Display your own videos and photos
•    Participate in games, competitions, forums and polls

To join or login to your myFiba website, click here.

To visit the WNBL Ambassadors’ websites and add them as a friend, click on the links below.

WNBL AMBASSADOR
Townsville Fire
Rohanee Cox

CLUB AMBASSADORS
Adelaide Link Lightning
Tracy Gahan

AIS
Tess Madgen

Bendigo Spirit
Kristi Harrower

Bulleen Boomers
Shelley Hammonds

Canberra Capitals
Abby Bishop

Dandenong Rangers
Emily Mclnerny

Logan Thunder
Cassie Smith

Perth Lynx
Deanna Smith

Sydney Uni Flames
Eva Afeaki

Townsville Fire
Cherie Smith

If you’re footy training has just got underway and you’re breaking in a new pair of boots then make sure you don't throw out your old boots but donate them to Boots For All.

Boots For All is an independent, not-for-profit organisation which aims to put footy boots on the feet of everybody who wants to kick a ball.

The organisation collects quality, second-hand footy boots, new footballs and ball pumps for redistribution to footy clubs and programs.

Boots For All founder Joanne Rockwell started collecting second-hand boots after speaking to women in northern Australia who lamented the high cost of buying boots for their children.

Many children and adults miss out on playing footy because they can't access boots. Boots For All is like a boot and equipment 'bank' where sporting clubs can make donations or request equipment.

Essendon Football Club has teamed up with Boots For All to help by helping them to collect boots at the Bomber shop at Windy Hill.

If you have any spare boots around your home and club rooms, you can take them there or donate them at your local Brotherhood of St Laurence store. Or you could become a Boots For All volunteer to help process the donated boots.

For more information and to find your nearest Brotherhood of St Laurence store, click here to visit the Boots For All website.

To add Boots For All to your mySport friends, click here.

SportingPulse software is being used to generate fixtures, results and ladders for the events, which means Games competitors can join mySport and display their event information on their mySport website. They can also create their profile, upload videos and photographs and share their news with family and friends back home.

Australian basketball star and mySport Ambassador Patty Mills is also an ambassador for the 2008 Pacific School Games and Games competitors and mySport members can add Patty to their friends.

As well as the competing in sporting events there are also opportunities for students to officiate at events, carry out volunteer duties and get involved in performing arts displays at the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony will involve 1600 ACT students and will tell Canberra's story through song and dance. Around 10,000 spectators are expected to attend.

To visit the 2008 Pacific School Games website, click here.

To visit Patty Mills mySport website, click here.

Australia’s leading online community sports network, SportingPulse, will partner Kilsyth Basketball over the next three years as the association’s Official Technology Partner.

Kilsyth Basketball is the largest basketball association in Australia with around 1,000 teams competing every week. Competitions include juniors through clubs, schools and representative teams, and for adults in men’s, women’s, mixed and veterans.

SportingPulse will provide Kilsyth Basketball with the Fiba Organizer suite of software products to manage their organisation and competitions, publish websites and communicate with players and supporters.

SportingPulse communications manager Justin Nelson highlighted the development and ongoing success of Fiba Organizer and myFiba as key factors behind Kilsyth Basketball’s rise back to the top of grassroots basketball.

“Kilsyth has been an active participant in ensuring grassroots basketball is administered professionally and that all members are provided with access to software, online results and new technology at no cost,” said Nelson.

“In conjunction with Basketball Australia and its Basketball Network, the team at Kilsyth is leading the way. They are progressive and always looking for the best technology to produce positive outcomes for the sport. That’s why they use SportingPulse and Fiba Organizer.”

Kilsyth Basketball general manager Grant Wallace praised the work SportingPulse has been doing with community sport. “We are excited to continue our relationship with SportingPulse. They have worked with us side by side to develop technology solutions for the association since 2005,” said Wallace.

“Basketball has become a leader in adopting the latest sporting technologies. We look forward to partnering SportingPulse and leading the sport with the implementation of new solutions.

“SportingPulse CEO Nick Maywald is a former Kilsyth Cobra’s SEABL player. We are always keen to have past players back involved with the club. Nick has grown SportingPulse from a small technology company in 1998 to become a complete technology solution for grassroots sport,” said Wallace.

Kilsyth Basketball will continue working closely with SportingPulse over the coming months to develop the latest design systems and technologies for community basketball including electronic courtside scoring.

To visit the Kilsyth Basketball website, click here.

To join myFiba, click here.

mySport members have been signing up in their thousands to the five sport-specific mySport networks – myFootyweb (AFL), myFiba (basketball), myHockey, myTouchFooty and myLawnBowls.

The mySport network is for grassroots sports players and supporters - an online home for them to show their allegiance and passion for their sport.

myRugbyLeague and myNetball are set to launch soon, while plans are in place for similar networks to cover tenpin bowling and motorcycling.

The current number of members for the sport-specific networks are:

                  32,317

          22,296

         12,449

          8,634

              744


By joining mySport and one of the sport-specific networks, members have a more secure environment to view their fixtures, results, ladders and statistics. They are also helping their sport to provide better communications directly to them.  

As a member you receive a free personal website where you can keep a  Sports Log, display  your favourite photos and YouTube videos, chat with other members and participate in games, competitions, forums and polls.

Members can add friends from other mySport networks and add popular ambassadors like AFL legend Glenn Archer, basketball’s Patty Mills, Erin Phillips, Kirk Penney and Jess McCormack, hockey’s Jamie Dwyer and Kobie McGurk, Touch Football’s Jason Stanton, and lawn bowl’s Kelsey Cottrell and Samantha Shannahan.

To join your sports’ mySport network, visit your fixtures, results and ladder pages and click on the banner ad at the bottom of the page.

One of Australia’s largest grassroots cricket associations has launched a unique Dream Team competition which challenges its members to pit their wits against each other based on their match stats throughout the season.

The SportingPulse-developed game is a first for grassroots cricket and is already proving to be a big success with the players and supporters of Ringwood & District Cricket Association (RDCA) in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

The RDCA uses Sportzware software to generate its fixtures, results, ladders and player stats. This information has been used to create the online Dream Team cricket game which challenges participants to pick their best team of RDCA players who have been ranked according to their average scores over the last two seasons.

Participants pick a team of batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders and wicketkeepers and are allowed to make 20 trades throughout the season. They must also select a captain who can earn double points, depending on the number of wickets, catches and runs they score.

Dream Team is the latest online game to be integrated with Sportzware’s Tipping module, which has been used extensively for more than five years by grassroots sporting leagues through to FIBA’s own tipping on the Olympics in Beijing earlier this year.

To visit the RDCA website, click here.

To find out more about Sportzware Tipping, click here.

If you were under the impression that bowls is purely the domain of the blue rinse brigade - think again!

Bowls Australia has recently launched its exciting new website which uses the latest SportingPulse technology to bring up-to-minute fixtures, results and ladders, news, videos, photo galleries, myBowls and an interactive club finder.

On the website you’ll also find player profiles of Australia’s top bowlers and it’s clear that many exciting young players are breaking into the sport and reaching the top.

Teenage bowling sensation and myBowls Ambassador Kelsey Cottrell is the youngest bowler to represent Australia and was the Queensland Open singles champion in 2007.

Another teenager on the way to the top is new myBowls Ambassador Sam Shannahan, who has shot up the national rankings following her recent victory at the Travelex NSW Open in September.

myBowls and mySport members can keep up with Kelsey and Sam's news on their Sports Logs by adding them to their friends list.

As well as the introduction of the latest sports management software, the deal with SportingPulse has also seen the launch new websites for state associations and free websites for all affiliated clubs.

Half of the revenue raised by SportingPulse through advertising and sponsorship will be given back to the sport.

To check out Bowls Australia website, click here.

To check out Kelsey's mySport website and add her as a friend, click here.

To check out Sam's myBowls website and add her as a friend, click here.

The Australian Defence Force WNBL is back and better than ever, and myFiba members can follow all the action as it happens on FIBA LiveStats and keep up-to-date with fixtures, results, ladders and player stats on their myFiba website.

SportingPulse’s FIBA Live Stats software was introduced at the start of last season and has been a huge success with fans not able to make it to the games. Scores, fouls, assists, turnovers, substitutions and much more can be viewed online in real time from anywhere in the world.

myFiba members can also get in on the action by adding fixtures, results and ladders for any WNBL team to their myFiba website. All they have to do is click on the ‘Add to myFiba’ graphic. They can also add their favourite players’ stats giving them easy access to the WNBL information they want.

There are plenty of exciting features on the WNBL website, where you can watch games highlights on WNBL TV, check out player profiles, download podcasts, sign up for email newsletters, vote on the weekly poll, buy merchandise and enter the WNBL Tipping Competition.

You can also check out the websites for all the WNBL teams. This season the league has a new team, bringing the total to 10. Logan Thunder is the first team from south east Queensland to play in the WNBL since Brisbane bowed out in 1998. In the past, potential young players from Queensland have had to head north to Townsville or out of state to chase WNBL contracts.

Thunder started its first season with a great win against Perth Lynx but have found the going tougher since that win.

As well as following the action on myFiba and Live Stats, check out ABC1 and ABC2 for TV coverage of the games.

To visit the WNBL website, click here.

To follow the latest games live on FIBA Live Stats, click here.

• Ask your parents or carer before you give anyone on the internet your name or address, your phone number, or any other personal details. This also includes the name of your school, your photo or any personal information about your friends or family.
• Meeting people online might be fun, but remember the people you meet online may not be who they say they are. Someone claiming to be teenager like you may be a 40 year-old man.
• If you want to meet someone you have so far only met online, ask a parent or another adult to go with you and always meet in a popular public place, preferably during the day.
• Keep your password a secret, never give it to anyone (even your best friend).
• If someone writes something rude or something that makes you feel uncomfortable in chat or email, leave the chatroom and don’t respond to the email.
• Be very careful about the kind of information you put in a blog, or post to a message board - it doesn’t take much to give away your identity.
• Tell your parent or another adult you trust if you see upsetting language, nasty pictures or something scary on the internet.
• Always ask a parent or adult before you fill out any forms, or give out money or credit card details.
• Don’t accept any offers that seem too good to be true - they probably are.

Download the application form by clicking here

One Day - Four Sports - The Result? - Priceless!

Watch a preview of Glenn Archer (aka Arch) and Trout Mouth (aka The Yapper) going head-to-head in a battle to end all battles. Who will win this mighty contest as the Shinboner of the Century takes on the biggest mouth in town? With thanks to Ringwood Action Indoor Sports, sit back and enjoy some highlights of Arch vs The Yapper!

Do you want to rub shoulders with the stars after the AFL Grand Final on Saturday September 27? Don't miss out on the biggest Grand Final after-party in town where past and present champions, plenty of celebrities and footy fans converge on Feddish at Federation Square to enjoy a huge night of entertainment.

Time On kicks off at 6pm and will keep you celebrating and partying through to 10.30pm. Rocker, Jon Stevens, will be leading the way up on stage while you get to mingle with the biggest names in town and enjoy premium food and drinks.

For more details on the best night out after the Grand Final, call Stride Sports Management on (03) 8623 2810 or go to

www.stridesports.com

SportingPulse is proud to announce the launch myTouchFooty, another sport-specific mySport channel dedicated to improving your sport’s online offering and communications, and help raise much-needed revenue.

Through myTouchFooty, leagues and associations are able to offer all its players and supporters a better and safer online experience. It also helps them to deliver new features, such as online registration and email and SMS communications, as well giving members secure access to all content across the Touch Footy network, including fixtures, results and ladders, video, forums and tipping.

myTouchFooty members also have the option to create their personal website to manage their Touch Footy sporting life. With a myTouchFooty website you can add Fixtures, Results and Ladders from any SportingPulse website, as well as adding videos, match reports and pictures and sharing them with your teammates, family and friends. You'll also be a friend of top Australian Touch player, Jason "Stanto" Stanton.

myTouchFooty will also help raise much-needed revenue to help grow the sport. Touch Football leagues are able to use SportingPulse sports management and website software for free, which works out as a real cost saving of around $2 per player.

In addition to free software, the sport shares in the revenue raised through sponsorship and advertising. This will help provide extra funds to improve facilities, run development programs and improve your enjoyment and experience of playing and supporting your sport.

The launch of myTouchFooty follows SportingPulse’s successful roll-outs of myFiba (basketball), myFootyweb (AFL), myHockey and myBowls.

Visit your league’s fixtures and results pages to join myTouchFooty. To find your league, click here.

To turn your mySport website t a myTouchFooty website, click here.

It's been an exciting 2008 Olympic Games and the mySport Ambassadors competing in Beijing have been doing mySport proud.

In the basketball, Patty Mills and the Boomers reached the quarter finals, before losing to the all-conquering USA ‘Redeem Team’.

Patty’s performances throughout the Boomer's campaign have shown he has superstar potential.

He top scored in the Boomers' loss to defending gold medalists Argentina, contributing 22 points, and in the thrashing of Iran, Patty had his long-range radar on, contributing 15 points, including 4 three-pointers.

Against Lithuania, he displayed his versatility and formidable vertical leap, leading the Boomers in rebounds - not bad for one of the shorter players in the Boomers line up.

Following the loss to the USA, Patty got a huge compliment from USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, the legendary boss at Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse Duke University. 

"I'm glad my Duke team don't play St Mary's," Krzyzewski said. "Patty is a great guard and he will be an NBA guard."

Erin Phillips and the Opals have reached the final of the women’s basketball and will once again face the USA for the gold medal.

The Opals had a convincing 90-56 victory over China last night without injured star Penny Taylor.

After losing the past two Olympic gold medal deciders to the USA, the Opals will be going all out for gold in the final in the early hours of Sunday.

In hockey, Jamie Dwyer and the Kookaburras suffered a semi-final loss to Spain and will battle it out against the Netherlands for bronze later this evening.

In the game against Spain, Jamie scored in the opening minute and the Kookaburras made it 2-0 just after the half-time, but Spain bounced back and scored the winner right at the end.

Jamie has featured strongly in Australia’s other matches: he scored twice in the10-0 thrashing of South Africa, scored from a penalty corner to reign in Pakistan 1-3 after they took an early lead, and he gave Australia the lead in the draw with Great Britain.

In the Men's Team table tennis, David Zalcberg, and William Henzell teamed up in the doubles match against Austria, taking a game from the Europeans before going down 3-1.

Against table tennis superpower and gold medal winners China, William went down with a fight, winning the opening game against Liqin Wang.  

William was in great form against Algerian Idir Khourta, winning in five games and was on a roll when he came up against Sweden's Jens Lundqvist, winning 4-2.  

In the next round he played Jae Young Yoon of Korea in an epic, 48-minute battle. William took the first two games and the fourth, only to see a spot in the third round slip away as Yoon took the final three and the match.

Women’s table tennis player Miao Miao had local support from family in Beijing and managed to take Japan’s flag-bearer, Ai Fukuhara, to five games in the opening Women's Team match.

Against eventual bronze medalists Korea, Miao showed her determination in a third game fight-back, winning 17-15, but going down 3-1 in the end. After a loss to Spain, the Australian women finished in a respectable ninth place. 

In the Women's Singles, Miao dispatched Nigeria's Cecilia Otu Offiong. Then, in a grueling 53-minute struggle, overcame Russia's Irina Kotikhina after seven games. Again the Koreans proved too strong and Miao lost to Ye Seo Dang in four games. 

In the swimming, Melissa Gorman reached the semi-finals of the 800m freestyle and finished 15th in the final of the Women's Open Water Swim, which was being contested for the first time at an Olympic Games.

Melissa completed the 10km course at the Shunyi Rowing and Canoeing Park in two hours and 33.6 seconds.

Competing in only her second major international event, Melissa has a bright future in open water swimming.

"I'd love to keep swimming open water," she said after the race. "The more experience you get with pack swimming, the easier it gets.

"You cop a few hits to the head every lap and the turns are definitely an experience out there, so the more races you do, the better you get at handling that kind of thing."

"It was hot out there - 10k when you're going as hard as you can go is definitely not easy."

Congratulations to all the mySport Ambassadors at the Olympics and look out for Sports Logs on their Olympic experience on mySport very soon.

To add the Olympic mySport Ambassadors to your friends and leave a message of support, click on the links below.

To visit Patrick Mills' website, click here.

To visit Erin Phillips' website, click here.

To visit Jamie Dwyer's website, click here.

To visit William Henzell's website, click here.

To visit David Zalcberg's website, click here.

To visit Miao Miao's website, click here.

To visit Melissa Gorman's website, click here.

The Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) Premier Division Grand Final, taking place on Sunday 24 August at the Trevor Barker Oval, Sandringham, and is shaping up to be the best ever.

Darebin Falcons play Melbourne Uni Mugars, with the Falcons aiming to emulate Brisbane Lions and win three consecutive Grand Finals.

The Falcons have not been defeated since the semi-finals in 2006 and go into the game as firm favourites, but the match is far from a foregone conclusion.

The Mugars are appearing in their eighth consecutive Premier Division Grand Final and have won three from seven previous appearances.

This season, Melbourne Uni came within ten points of Darebin in the home and away season so anything can happen come Grand Final day.  

Both teams go into the game virtually at full strength and many of the players have experience of the big occasion. Darebin’s Sarah Hammond represented Australia in handball at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and Melbourne Uni’s Cecilia McIntosh is a Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the javelin at the 2002 Manchester games.

VWFL President Debbie Lee anticipates that Sunday will be a terrific day for football and footy fans.

“Sunday is what it is all about for us. Clubs strive to win that elusive flag, and the Darebin V Melbourne Uni clash has the potential to be the best women’s Grand Final ever seen," says Lee.

"All lovers of football are encouraged to come along and see the best players in the country go head-to-head for the ultimate prize.”

In the reserves, East Burwood will appear in their first Grand Final against reigning premiers Darebin.

VWFL Premier Division Final
Sunday 24 August
Trevor Barker Oval, Sandringham
12pm: RESERVES – Darebin Falcons V East Burwood Devils
2.30pm: SENIORS – Darebin Falcons V Melbourne Uni Mugars

To visit the VWFL website, click here.

To check out the Arch Vs The Yapper promo video, click here.

It’s being billed as a daily blockbuster! Two opinions each day on the latest sports topics, head-to-head, fire and fury, no holds barred. Welcome to Arch vs The Yapper.
 
Coming to SportingPulse shortly, one of the toughest men in sport (Arch) will square-up against our resident motor-mouth (The Yapper) for a battle of the minds! Hmmmm?
 
Each day, Arch and The Yapper will provide a different opinion on a sports topic from anywhere in the world. They’ll stop at nothing to prove their opinion is right. Then it’s up to online viewers to pick a winner.
 
However, going one step further, online viewers will also be able to give their opinions via the Arch vs The Yapper message board. And don’t hold back, tell us what you really think.
 
You can even forward topics to our combatants and win prizes if they decide to battle it out over your topic. So strap yourself in and get ready for a war of words that you can interact with. Watch, vote and comment.
 
As the tagline suggests, these two are worse than a married couple. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Arch vs The Yapper - coming soon!

To check out Arch's mySport website and add him as a friend, click here.

To check out The Yapper's mySport website and add him as a friend, click here.
 

Sports Without Borders is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds integrate into local communities through participation in sport.

Sport plays a vital role in Australia, helping newly arrived migrants and refugees develop a sense of belonging.

Sports Without Borders provides multilingual resources and services, training and mentorship programs, and direct financial support to young people from refugee communities.

The foundation has assisted more than 250 young people, which can mean paying a player's registration fees or travel to providing funding for new kit or sponsoring Gippsport's fun swimming day for members of the Sudanese community in the Latrobe region.

“We recognised that if new migrants could participate in sport then they would be more amenable to participating and integrating into their communities,” said Sports Without Borders  chairperson James Demetriou.

Sports Without Borders enables young people to play sport in the local community but can also offer support at an elite level.

Essendon midfielder Bachar Houli is a supporter of Sports Without Borders and although Bachar's parents migrated from Lebanon to Melbourne more than 30 years ago, he is the first practising Muslim to play in the AFL and knows some of the challenges young people from migrant communities face.

When Bachar was younger, he says he felt embarrassed to tell his teammates and coaches he was religious, but now it's something he's proud of.

Bachar says the game has included him, not made him feel different. He has the respect of his Essendon teammates and supporters, and is a hero to many young muslims in Australia.

"I am confident that other young muslims will start playing the game. I want to talk with them and take them through how I went about reaching the top level. My aim is to help send that message."

Bachar is also aware on a personal level how sport can bring people closer together.

"When I told my parents that I was playing Australian football they wanted to know more and now I can't keep them off the TV. I mean, these were people who watched the Arabic channel 24/7, and now they're changing the channel to Fox Footy. They're always asking me questions."

The mySport Team is proud to welcome Sports Without Borders to mySport.

To check out the Sports Without Borders mySport website and add them to your friends, click here.

 

Nobody who plays sports likes being injured. With Smartplay information you'll find out how best to avoid and reduce the incidence and frequency of sport injuries. In this post, we look at the importance of stretching before and after sport.      

Warm Up
Why Warm Up?
To increase heat throughout the body
To reduce the risk of tearing or straining muscles by increasing their suppleness

How to Warm Up
Your warm up should gradually build up and the intensity should be within your capabilities
The type of activity done in the warm up should include major muscle groups that will be used in your sporting activity
Your warm up should begin with a low intensity activity such as brisk walking or jogging

Tips for Warming Up
Cooler conditions may require longer warm up periods
In warmer conditions a shorter time may be adequate
Ensure heat is not lost following a warm up. This can be achieved by wearing warm clothes or gentle movements when not directly taking part

Cool Down
Why Cool Down?
To help remove muscle waste products
To reduce muscle soreness and stiffness
To enable you to compete again at the same level within a short period

How to Cool Down
2 - 3 minute light jog or brisk walk immediately after activity
5 - 10 minutes of stretching (emphasise the major muscle groups you have used during your activity)

Stretching
Why Stretch?
The major purpose of stretching is to increase flexibility and maintain muscle balance on either side of a joint. Without stretching, muscles will gradually lose their flexibility and may fail to respond effectively during sporting activity. Stretching enables both physical and mental preparation for an upcoming activity or event. It can also reduce tension to relax the body, enhance body awareness, promote circulation and assist with co-ordination by allowing free and easy movement.

When to Stretch
Stretching should be performed once the muscles have been warmed, as the stretching of cold muscles is less effective. It is also important to stretch after activity as well to assist recovery.

Some Stretching Tips
Only stretch to a feeling of tension but never pain
Stretch before and after exercise
Stretch slowly and gently
Do not hold your breath when stretching
Hold each stretch for 10 - 20 seconds
Entire stretching session should last for 15 - 20 minutes
Stretch each muscle group 2 - 3 times
Do not bounce or stretch rapidly

Previous Smartplay posts
Facts on Australian Football injuries

This information is taken from Smartplay - Sports Medicine Australia
For further information, visit www.smartplay.com.au

During most sport your body will steadily burn a fuel mixture of carbohydrate (as glycogen) and fat. If your sport is no longer than an hour, you will perform well without having to replace those fuels until you have finished. Your next meals, if well chosen, will replace all the fuel you have used. On the other hand, you will be sweating and losing fluid very soon after you start any exercise. This fluid must be replaced as soon as possible during exercise, because even minor dehydration can impair your performance.

If your sport or training takes longer than an hour then you may benefit from consuming some carbohydrates during sport in addition to fluids eg sports drinks. The decision will depend on the:
• intensity of the exercise (higher intensity burns glycogen more quickly);
• duration (the longer the event, the more glycogen burned);
• ambient temperature (the hotter it is, the quicker glycogen will be burned); and
• how well you have eaten before sport (more pre-event carbohydrate means more available glycogen).
Carbohydrate consumed during an event may improve endurance by:
a) sparing muscle glycogen. In low intensity exercise the carbohydrates taken during the event can be re-made into glycogen for later use.
b) keeping blood glucose (sugar) levels normal during moderate to high intensity exercise and providing extra fuel for empty muscles, so delaying fatigue.
 
Fluids
There is no doubt you need them. Water is good for replacing fluid losses. However, sports drinks have a number of advantages, including a taste that encourages better fluid intake, and the addition of carbohydrates for glycogen fuel replacement. Glycogen replacement is beneficial if the event is an hour or more. Drink before, during and after exercise. Don't wait until you are thirsty. If you feel thirsty then you are already too dehydrated to perform at your best.
 
Sport less than 90 minutes
Most team sports and individual events are completed within 90 minutes of action, eg: netball, squash, football, soccer, hockey or a 10 km jog. Fluids are always very important in any exercise. 
A sports drink provides some carbohydrate as sugars and can help delay fatigue in a short event or team game. It should not be necessary to eat any solid food in sports less 90 minutes duration, as eating well before the event will have a big impact on sports performance, and a sports drink provides plenty of opportunity to refuel during the event. If you fatigue during the event then you probably haven't:
• eaten enough carbohydrates beforehand;
• taken enough sports drink;
• trained enough; or
• you have overtrained
You will perform better by rectifying these problems and refuelling and re-hydrating during the game.
 
Sport longer than 90 minutes
Generally, these are endurance events. Most fit people can exercise for 90 minutes or more if they are well fuelled with carbohydrates before they start. Unfortunately, there isn’t a never ending supply of glycogen fuel, so in endurance events it is recommended that extra carbohydrate is consumed, usually in the form of a sports drink or easy-to-eat food bar or sugar confectionery.
The sugars found in a sports drink will help delay fatigue and allow you to compete at your optimal pace for a longer time. If you eat solid food to supply additional carbohydrate, then it will need to be a choice that you feel comfortable with. For example, jelly beans, jelly snakes, muesli bars (low fat, of course) and bananas are popular solid foods with long distance cyclists. Studies of athletes show that around 30-60g of carbs per hour should be consumed in an endurance event to delay fatigue. This is the equivalent to 500-1000 mL of sports drink or 10-20 jelly beans. You should experiment to find a fuel replacement schedule that suits your individual needs.
 
Ultra-endurance events
For events over four hours, the ultra-endurance athlete trains and competes at a lower intensity than short-distance events and most team games. During exercise at less than 70% maximum heart rate digestion can still occur, so the athlete can consume high carbohydrate foods with small amounts of protein and fat eg muesli bar, breakfast bar, sports bar, jam sandwich and hot soups (if the event is held incoldconditions).
Commercial liquid meals are popular with ultra-marathoners. Ultra-endurance athletes should invest the help of an experienced sports dietitian due to their very high energy and nutrition requirements. Many will need over 20 000 kJ (4 800 Calories) a day just to maintain their body weight and get enough carbohydrates.
As glycogen stores get low, protein is used as a muscle fuel. Even if glycogen stores are reasonable, a small amount of protein is used as a fuel source near the end of endurance events, therefore endurance athletes need more protein than sedentary people (see fact sheet #6 on protein).
 
Why should I eat and drink after exercise?
When you have completed a training session or an event you will have used:
a) muscle glycogen;
b) body fat (usually a small amount);
c) some protein (mainly in endurance events or weight training); and
d) lost some fluids
Most importantly, fluids and carbohydrates need to be replaced soon after exercise. Muscle glycogen is likely to be depleted and these are restored by consuming food or drinks containing carbohydrate. Fluid must be replaced as quickly as possible because being even slightly dehydrated will affect your performance, your recovery and your daily activities, such as thinking and driving a car. Fortunately, even if you are quite lean, you will likely have plenty of body fat stores for endurance work, and these can be replaced at your next meal. Protein is another nutrient that can easily be replaced at your next meal (note that many carbohydrate foods also provide protein eg breads, pasta, rice, legumes).

When should I eat and drink after exercise?
To take advantage of the body’s desire to replace glycogen stores after exercise, we recommend that a post-event snack be eaten within two hours after exercise, although the first 30 minutes may be the most crucial time. The body replaces glycogen at the quickest rate when carbohydrate foods and drinks are eaten soon after exercise. This becomes very important when an athlete trains or competes two or more times a day and they need to replace glycogen quickly. A larger meal can be consumed later when an athlete has cooled down and feels more comfortable. Muscle glycogen can generally be replaced at 5% per hour, so it takes about 20 hours to replace an empty glycogen fuel tank.
 
What should I eat after sport?
As a guide, your choice of meal or snack should be:
• high in carbohydrate;
• moderate protein;
• include plenty of fluids; and
• food & drinks you enjoy
Don’t fall for the trap of eating anything you fancy because‘you deserve it’. For most events, the emphasis is on replacing carbohydrates and fluids. Athletes who find it difficult to eat solid food after exercise should try liquid sources of nutrition.

Liquid meals, such as commercial high carbohydrate drink supplements and home-made fruit smoothies (a blend of milk and fruit), fruit juice and sports drinks help an athlete to
both refuel and replace fluids even when they are not as hungry. Try to eat 1-2 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight in the two hours after exercise. This will equate to around
50-160 g carbohydrate for most people. There may be some good reasons for choosing carbohydrate foods that are also good sources of other nutrients such as protein
and vitamins or minerals. Speedy intake of these nutrients may assist in a variety of recovery activities, such as rebuilding protein or assisting the immune function. Nutritious carbohydrate foods and meal ideas are provided below.
 
Post-exercise snack ideas
• Sports drinks
• Banana sandwich
• Fresh fruit, canned fruit
• Fruit juice
• Sweet muffins
• Fruit bar
• Breakfast bar, muesli bar
• Sports bar
• Low-fat flavoured yogurt
• Fresh fruit salad with low-fat yogurt or low-fat dairy dessert
• Smoothie, based on reduced-fat milk, low-fat yogurt and banana/mango/berries
• Soy smoothie, based on reduced-fat soy beverage and blended fruit.
 
Example high carbohydrate meals and snacks
 Baked potato (1 med) + baked beans & mushrooms = 30 g carb
 200mL low fat yogurt + 1 Tbsn dried fruit  = 35g carb
 Fruit smoothie (200 mL low-fat milk + banana) = 37 g carb
 Breakfast cereal (1 cup) + 150 mL low-fat milk + tinned peach (1 whole) = 40 g carb
 Raisin bread (2 slices) + ricotta cheese + jam  = 45 g carb
 Ham & salad roll + fresh fruit = 50 g carb
 Spaghetti or baked beans (1 cup) + 2 slices toast  = 55 g carb
 Breakfast cereal (2 cups) + 200 mL low-fat milk + tinned fruit (1/2 cup) = 70 g carb
 Toast (2 slices) with honey, jam or marmalade + fruit juice (1 glass) = 70 g carb
 Steamed rice (1.5 cup) + stir-fried vegetables  = 85 g carb

Summary points
• During sporting activities, it is important to replace lost fluid as soon as possible
• In longer activities, both fluids and carbohydrates will need to be replaced to enhance endurance ability
• Consume 30-60 g carbohydrate per hour during endurance events.
• For the quickest replacement of glycogen stores, eat 1-2 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight soon after finishing exercise

Previous Fuelling Fitness posts
Fighting Fatique
Body fat control and making weight
What to eat and drink before playing sport

The mySport Team is proud to welcome four of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team to mySport.

mySport members can now be friends with distance swimmer Melissa Gorman, who will be representing Australia in the 800m Freestyle and the 10km Open Water Marathon events, and three of Australia's table tennis team - William Henzell, David Zalcberg and Miao Miao.

Along with Australian basketball players Patrick Mills and Erin Phillips, and hockey player Jamie Dwyer, the four new Ambassadors bring the total number of mySport Ambassadors competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to seven.

Once mySport members have added the Ambassadors to your friends list, you will have exclusive access to first-hand accounts of what it's like to compete at the highest level and keep up with the athletes' news on their Sports Logs.

But not only that, you will also be able to connect with the athletes themselves by leaving comments and posting messages of support.

Melissa won a silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and will be competing in her first Olympics. "To compete at the Olympics is something I've always dreamt of and now I'm going it's truly amazing! I'm looking forward to seeing great moments unfold for Australia."

William and David were doubles partners in the 2004 Athens Olympics and will be competing in the singles and team events in Beijing, along with 19-year-old Kyle Davis, who is competing in his first Olympics.

“I think we’ve got an exciting team," said William. "There are two guys including myself who have been to the Games as well as young gun Kyle Davis, who is making his debut."

"I'm excited to be on mySport and connect with grassroots table tennis players and other mySport members."

Playing table tennis at the Olympics in China is a daunting task, but not all of the fans in Beijing will be cheering for the home team.

Top Australian women's player Miao Miao is returning to the country of her birth for the Beijing Olympics and will have support from family and friends.

“I am very excited about competing at the Beijing Games and very proud to be selected in the Australian team,” said Miao.

“My uncle, aunt and cousins live in Tianjin, which is only 120km away from Beijing. I hope they come and cheer me on at the Games.”

Not only will table tennis players and supporters on mySport be able to connect with William, David and Miao, they can also join the Table Tennis Australia myCommunity and display fixtures, results and ladders from TTA events on their mySport website.

TTA has launched a new website where you'll find a whole range of exciting new features and sections. The new-look website is part of TTA and SportingPulse's vision to keep table tennis players and supporters informed and improve the online experience and enjoyment of the sport.

The mySport Team would like to wish all the Ambassadors the best of luck in Beijing.

Something remarkable is happening in Australian sport and it has nothing to do with cash-rich sports on television and overpaid professional sports stars.

This is about the grassroots sports community. This is about you and your teammates, club coaches and volunteers, family, friends and supporters - and your passion for your clubs and sport. This is about the great Aussie underdog punching above its weight...

SportingPulse is on the verge of becoming Australia's most viewed online sports network. Thanks to you and the 30,000 grassroots sports websites you visit for your fixtures, results and ladders our monthly traffic is about to pass that of all the major players.

As of today, the SportingPulse network is only 100,000 page impressions behind the top spot in the official Nielsen//Netratings chart.

SportingPulse provides websites to more than 52 sports but unlike the big guys who pay professionals to provide content, the content on our websites is generated by league and club volunteers, and by mySport members.

It's these committed people who enter the results and stats after every game and update the league and club websites with news and pictures, and the mySport members who add their fixtures, results and ladders to their mySport website, who update their Sports Logs and take part in the forums and polls, who have put grassroots sports in this position.

With your continued support we can make the SportingPulse network the number one sports website in Australia. Here's how you can help:

1) Visit your club or league website regularly to check your fixtures, results and ladders. Read the news and features and participate in forums and polls. Every little bit helps.

2) Join mySport and update your Sports Log, add your fixtures, results and ladders, invite you teammates, family and friends to join, participate in forums and polls or add some of the other fantastic features available.

It’s down to you. If you love your club and your sport then do your bit and tell all your teammates, family and friends to do the same.

Don’t sit on the sidelines - get online and make grassroots sports number 1. Visit your club and league website now!

For all the latest grassroots sports news, Sports Logs and to find your league and club, visit www.sportingpulse.com.

To search for your league or club, click here.

To join mySport and update your mySport website, click here.

Are you ready to add your favourite sports venue to The Global Arena? Do you have a favourite gym or an oval you enjoy playing on? Add it to the hottest new feature on mySport – The Global Arena.

It’s just one of five new additions to the mySport platform, which includes myFiba, myFootyweb, myHockey, myTouch and myBowls. The handful of great changes includes:

The Global Arena is a place for you to show the world where you play sport or your favourite sports venue. It can be indoor or outdoor, big or small, professional or grassroots. You can load as many photos as you like to The Global Arena and visitors to your page can leave comments and rate it.

myPoll is also now available on your page. Ask a question, list up to five alternative answers and let your friends be the judge. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions and change it as many times as you like.

Forum Posts are one thing that many members enjoy, and now you can list your most recent (five) posts on your page. With the click of a button you can also check on every post you’ve made across the network, which comes in handy when you’re locked in a debate with a friend.

myFavourite Player is now available on myFiba pages and will soon be launched across the mySport platform. Currently, you can add a NBA or WNBA player profile (widget) to your myFiba page, complete with a photo and statistics.

Player Stats have arrived. You can select any player in the SportingPulse Network from any competition that keeps stats, and then upload them to your page. Simply go the stats section, click on a player’s name and then click the Add to mySport button. Show your stats, a friend’s stats or your favourite player’s stats.

A handful of great changes. Get into it!

To add the new features to your mySport website, click here or on Add New Sections under Edit Sections.

Website traffic for grassroots basketball has registered record figures this week at the National Junior Championships in Ballarat, thanks to the latest Live Stats technology from SportingPulse.

The prestigious under-18 event features the best junior basketball teams in Australia and is on course to register more than one million page impressions by the end of the week-long competition - more than double previous totals.

SportingPulse is Basketball Australia's technology partner and provided the competition management, results and website software for the event, and one of the reason for the big increase in traffic is that its Live Stats was used for the first time.

Live Stats is SportingPulse's real-time courtside results interface, which brings professional coverage to junior basketball, enabling supporters to follow their team's games online in the same they can in the NBA.

Basketball Australia business development manager Geoff Tripp said: "By using SportingPulse's Live Stats product, the Australian National Junior Championships has taken a big step forward this year. This latest real-time technological innovation brings Australian basketball directly to supporters all over the world."

“It’s amazing that players' family and friends can follow every play as it happens simply by clicking on the Live Stats links on the Australian Junior Championships website."

SportingPulse communications manager Justin Nelson is delighted with the traffic figures and reckons it's one of the biggest results for grassroots sports in Australia.

“Over the last decade, SportingPulse technology has helped build a huge grassroots online community. These figures for the Nationals are fantastic and highlight the enormous amount of work Basketball Australia is doing to take their sport online,” said Nelson.

“With the introduction of Live Stats, supporters can sit in their lounge on the other side of the world and watch the results and statistics update in real time. It’s another great SportingPulse innovation for grassroots sport.”

"With the focus switching to the Under-16 National Junior Championships in Perth next week, we expect online traffic will top two million page impressions, making it the biggest two weeks for basketball on the internet in Australia"

To visit the National Junior Championships website and check out Live Stats, click here.

mySport Ambassador and AFL legend Glenn Archer came out of retirement to make a triumphant return to AFL when he played for Lyndale Pumas in a memorable four-goal victory over Caulfield on Saturday at the Barry Powell Reserve.

Click here to check out Glenn's video diary of the day - The Return of The Arch - exclusive to mySport!

Glenn retired from AFL at the end of last season after playing a club record 311 games for the Kangaroos, but he agreed to play a one-off game for the club where his footy career began more than 30 years ago.

Lyndale Seniors play in the Southern Football League Division Two and had only one win from 10 before Saturday's game and when the two teams last met in April, Caulfield won the game by 90 points.

Glenn's four-goal haul and on-field presence inspired the Pumas to overcome a Caulfield side that included former Fitzroy, Sydney Swans and Hawthorn player Darren Kappler.

Glenn had predicted he would be feeling some pain after the game but was happy to sign autographs for all the Lyndale and Kangaroos fans. "I was struggling towards the end and started to cramp up a little bit but I feel better now," said Glenn.

"I'm absolutely rapt. It was a great result. The boys had a real crack out there. They had lost to Caulfield earlier in the season so it was a good turnaround for them.

When asked if a comeback for North Melbourne was on the cards, Glenn was quick to rule it out, saying: "Not a chance! That's it for me."

Glenn's four goals weren't enough to make him Lyndale's top scorer on the day. Pumas forward Adrian McCracken scored five bringing his season's total to 25 and aknowledged the influence of Kangaroo legend. "When you've got Arch delivering it to you it makes things a bit easier.

"You couldn't asked for more from the team. Everybody played well and came together as a team. If the boys can take something away from how we played today, we can go on and win many more games from here."

Lyndale senior coach Matt Caples was delighted with the victory. "Although we lost to the top team last week, the endeavour has been there and the team have being going about it the right way," said Matt. "With Glenn coming down it obviously gives you a big spur and it's a fantastic result."

Club chairman Murray Collard admitted he wasn't expecting the win. "It was a fairytale ending. Glenn played inspiring footy and we got a very unlikely victory over a team that had beat us by 90 points earlier this year. We showed today we can play good footy. Hopefully we carry this form on."

The celebrations carried on into the evening with a sportsman’s night with a memorabilia auction and reminiscing on the agenda. The event would help raise funds for the club but Murray was quick to point out this wasn't just about the money.

"Today has been real good for the area and the people around here. We've got a lot of loyal supporters and it's been great for them and great to see some old faces here today. Hopefully they'll get down a lot more often. We're here nine times a year and we're a friendly club. Everybody is welcome at Lyndale."

Lyndale 3.3 8.3 13.4 15.4 (94)
Caulfield 1.2 3.4 7.4 11.4 (70)

For full detailed results of the game, visit the Southern Football League website.

Look for a exclusive video report on the game this week on Glenn's mySport website.

mySport Ambassador and AFL legend Glenn Archer is getting off his throne and making his return to AFL this weekend.

Glenn retired from AFL at the end of last season after playing a club record 311 games for his beloved Kangaroos. But as much as Roos fans would love to see him pull on the familiar blue and white jumper to play against St Kilda on Saturday night, it will be the maroon and gold of the Lyndale Pumas that Arch will be wearing on Saturday afternoon.

Lyndale FC is the cub where Glenn made his AFL debut more than 30 years ago, when he wasn't quite five years old.

"You had to be six to be registered and I was terrorising my dad to play, but he told me I wasn't old enough," remembers Glenn.

''In the end he got sick of it and went to see the club. I hadn't quite hit five yet and somehow they slipped me in. I signed my life away and spent four years in the midgets and loved it."

Lyndale Seniors play in the Southern Football League Division Two and are currently second from bottom on the ladder with one win from 10 games. On Saturday, Lyndale and Glenn will face Caulfield at 2pm at the Barry Powell Reserve, Noble Park North.

Glenn is looking forward to returning to the club where it all began, but is dreading one part of the game. "I’m not looking forward to the pain afterwards,” said Glenn.

“I played at Lyndale for 10 years, and I’ve always had in the back of my mind that I’d go back there at some stage.

“I had a walk around the ground a while back and it brought back some childhood memories. It will be a bit surreal to play there again."

On Saturday evening, Arch will be hosting a sportsman’s night at the club with memorabilia auctions, raffles and reminiscing on the agenda.

“I’m probably looking forward more to the after-match goings on. Obviously, it’s about giving something back to the club, and if it can help the young blokes out and help make some money for the club, that’s great,” said Glenn.

Lyndale Pumas president Murray Collard (pictured above with Glenn) played cricket with Arch at Silverton and said the Roos' champion had never forgotten his football roots.

''Arch is genuinely looking forward to it. It's further proof that he hasn't forgotten where he came from. I think it's also about him honouring and thanking all those people at the club who helped him as a junior.

''Hopefully, it will also spur our players on to see a bloke who used to play for the same club and what he's achieved - it might inspire them to become the best footballers they can be.''

If you're in the area, why not go down and see if Arch can inspire the Pumas to an victory. If you can't make it down, look out for an Arch On The Throne video special - exclusive to mySport!

Lyndale v Caulfield, 2pm, Barry Powell Reserve, Noble Park North.

Check out the latest Arch On The Throne with the staff of SportingPulse and find out if The Yapper ever stops talking...

“It’s an amazing story and one all grassroots sports clubs should take an interest in. So simple, yet incredibly effective.” – Justin Nelson, SportingPulse Communications Manager.

In a sign of just how powerful grassroots sports is, Basketball Geelong recently celebrated a growth in online traffic matched by few others anywhere in the world. Recent changes to the way in which the successful association operates resulted in a staggering 547 per cent increase in website traffic in just one month.

Since then, traffic continues to double each month. But how did they do it?

Basketball Geelong went green! They said goodbye to paper and hello to the Internet, boosting visitor numbers overnight and increasing member satisfaction. Without exception, they now do everything via their website – www.basketballgeelong.com.au

Instead of printing fixtures, results and ladders, management decided to do it all online. They informed their members that everything they need, including the latest news and information, would no longer be printed, instead everyone would need to visit the website.

The results were incredible. Coupled with stats and individual scoring going online, and fully supported by Basketball Australia, Basketball Geelong used its FREE SportingPulse website as a part of The Basketball Network to become the hub of its entire operation. There were no complaints, rather total support from members.

They now save hundreds of reams of paper each year and hundreds of hours of work, gone are excessive photocopier expenses, plus they have built their website into an attractive commodity for sponsors and advertisers.

An added saving comes in the way of SportingPulse providing them with all of their software and bandwidth at no charge. The numbers add up. The savings are real.

If every club followed Basketball Geelong’s lead, more than 10,000 reams of paper would be saved every season, not to mention millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours.

One small change can make a world of difference.

For more information on how your club can do it, contact SportingPulse Communications Manager Justin Nelson at j.nelson@sportingpulse.com

Basketball Geelong went green!

Footy has been around for 150 years and we're sure it will be around for another 150, but what if the game we love no longer existed?

The mySport Team and Glenn Archer are making a short film as part of the AFL's celebrations of 150 years of Australian football and need help from the mySport community.

The theme of the film is “What Australian Football means to me or my community”. We want you to imagine that you woke up this morning and the nightmare of no more footy had come true...

Tell us in less than 50 words, what would you miss most if footy no longer existed. Leave your comments below and you never know, you may seen them on the silver screen...

Has your sports club activated its FREE SportingPulse website? If not, your club could be wasting thousands of dollars each year. Start saving money – today.

SportingPulse - Australia’s Largest Grassroots Sports Network - is growing at an amazing rate, as evidenced by an 80% rise in online traffic in the first quarter of 2008.

Following a decade of helping sports clubs build online communities, SportingPulse is now urging all clubs to join Australia’s biggest network and activate their free website.

Under new commercial agreements with national governing bodies, SportingPulse is providing software and websites to sports clubs at no cost, saving grassroots sport millions of dollars.

SportingPulse chief executive Nick Maywald is understandably proud of the huge amount of online traffic being generated by grassroots sports, but more importantly he’s delighted that clubs are saving substantial money.

“Websites and software cost clubs thousands of dollars each year, an expense that can lead to higher membership fees for participants,” said Maywald. "Our offer of free websites and administration tools is a saving that every club should consider.”

More than 30,000 clubs across Australia have activated their SportingPulse website, making the network one of the largest in sport anywhere in the world.

While SportingPulse is keen to hear from clubs not within its current network, Maywald believes that many clubs actually have a website ready for them to use, all they need is an administrator to get the ball rolling.

“We look after more than 50 sports and cater for four million participants and supporters, but there are still a few clubs out there not aware of this offer,” said Maywald.

“We don’t want clubs missing this opportunity and welcome contact from them.”

For leagues, clubs or teams looking for further information about SportingPulse, its products and the availability of free tools and websites, click here or contact the Customer Support Team directly on 1300 139 970.

AFL and North Melbourne legend Glenn Archer has taken his Arch On The Throne video review of the weekend's AFL games on location.

Following his visit to Park Orchards Primary School, Arch calls in on his good mate and former teammate, North Melbourne captain Adam Simpson.

Arch says they tried to film Arch On The Throne from Adam's toilet but the two of them couldn't fit, so they settled for a good chat on the couch.

The Arch & Adam Show gets off to bad start with a review of North Melbourne's defeat at Adelaide, but the boys soon cheer up and get stuck into some of the other teams and players.

There is a funny discussion on goal celebrations, you can find out who Adam chooses for the Weekly Flush and look out for the screen debut of one of Adam's kids, who tries to get Adam and Arch to play on the jumping castle. Unfortunately, it's raining so that's a video that will have to wait for another day...

To see Arch and Adam in Arch On The Throne - On Location and leave a comment, click here.

It's time to show your colours, pump up your sporting passion, chew the fat and talk the talk - the mySport Forum has arrived and it's your gateway to all the sports banter you've been looking for.

To join in and be a part of the fun, all you have to do is be a mySport member, which is free and easy to join - just click here.

On your mySport website you will see a green 'mySport Forum' button (right) in the top right-hand corner, simply click on this and away you go.

But be warned, the forum is addictive stuff, so be prepared to talk it up with other mySport members, some of who you will agree with, while others you might find the banter lasts a little longer.

Best of all, you can talk about any sport or any sporting issue you have an opinion on. You'll always find someone out there who wants to join in on a topic, so don't be afraid to speak your mind.

Enjoy the mySport Forum, now available to all mySport members, 24/7.

Bring it on!

It's the big AFL talking point from the weekend and the debate rages on - no where more so than on mySport.

If some of you haven't been following, in the crucial dying moments of the game between North Melbourne and Sydney Swans, Sydney fielded 19 players when Darren Jolly stayed on the ground for 30 seconds after the interchange with Jesse White. In those 30 seconds Jolly helped get the ball to Kirk, whose kick gave the Swans the point needed to draw the game.

AFL legend Glenn Archer always finds it hard to see his beloved Kangaroos lose out, but when they're playing against a team fielding 19 players, he's not a happy man.

In Glenn's most recent Sports Log he states his case and has started a big debate on mySport. As well as lots of comments in response to Glenn's post, there have been three other Sports Logs relating to the incident.

Check out the Sports Logs and join the debate:
Glenn Archer - The 19th-man debacle!!
The Yapper - Points Stay With Swans
Pink Kangaroo - Why does my first MySport blog post have to be a grumpy one???
Andy Collins - 19 men and extra time - what can we learn?

Nothing makes the mySport Team happier than coming across a fantastic looking mySport website. There's lots of you out there who have added your fixtures, results and ladders, photos and videos and update your Sports Log. But there's also lots of you who haven't. Here's a list of 8 things you can do to get the most out of your mySport website.

1) Display the Fixtures, Results and Ladders for any team on the SportingPulse network
When you're looking at your team's fixtures, results and ladder you might have noticed a mySport graphic (right) in the top right hand corner. When you click on that graphic, those results are added to your mySport website. How easy is that? You can add as many different teams' info from as many different sports as you like. To search for your Team, Club or Association/League on the SportingPulse network, click here.

2) Join your team's myCommunity
myCommunity is a great way to show your support for your team and club, receive news and game reminders, and connect with your teammates and supporters. When you add fixtures, results and ladders to your mySport website, you can also join your team's myCommunity or just click on the myCommunity link and follow the instructions. If your myCommunity is not visible, ask your club or team website editor to add it to your website.

3) Embed a YouTube video in your Sports Log
You might already know you can add YouTube videos and playlists to your mySport website, but did you know you can also embed a YouTube video in a Sports Log? To do this, create a new Sports Log and click on the 'Toggle HTML Source' icon on the top right hand corner of the tool bar. Paste in the YouTube embed code, click on 'Toggle HTML Source' again, then click 'Preview and add image'. When you publish your Sports Log all your friends will be notified that you've posted a new video, and will check it out and leave comments to tell you what they think of it.

4) Include links on MessageBoards and Sports Log comments
Thanks to a new development you can now add a link to a website to MessageBoards and Sports Logs comments - and it will be hot! Leave a message for your mySports friends to check out your team's website - or any website you like.

5) Invite your teammates, family and friends to join mySport be your friend
There's no point in getting your mySport website looking great if nobody is going to check it out. You can invite your teammates, family and friends - and anybody whose email address you have - to join mySport and be a friend of your website. Just click on the red 'Invite' link in the right side of the menu bar and follow the instructions.

6) Make friends with top sports stars
You might have noticed AFL and Kangaroos legend Glenn Archer on mySport, but did you know you can also be friends with Australian basketball players Patrick Mills and Erin Philips, hockey superstar Jamie Dwyer, Touch Football stars Jason Stanton, Tony 'Tash' Eltakchi and Garry Sonda, Lawn Bowls teenage sensation Kelsey Cottrell and Netball star Sharelle McMahon. And there will be more big names to come...

7) Get creative with a Website Links box
You can add any number of Website Links boxes to link to your favourite websites. But you can also use them to link to your stats on your team's website, or create a box with links to your teammates' mySport websites or create a Top Friends box and link to your top mySport friends.

8) Send The mySport Team your ideas and suggestions
mySport is your website. If there is anything you'd like to see added to mySport then let us know. If there is something you can do on Myspace that you'd like to be able to do on mySport, then we'll get our highly skilled and eager team of developers working on it. Also, if there are any of your favourite sports stars that you'd like to see on mySport, then let us know and we'll see what we can do. We want to hear from you.

Please leave a comment or send us your feedback.

AFL and North Melbourne legend Glenn Archer has been reviewing the weekend's AFL games for mySport from his home "studio", but this week Glenn has gone back to school to get the opinions of the Grade 5 kids from the Park Orchards Primary School.

Glenn's videos have been a big hit on mySport, but he was fed up of going through the games on his own so he thought he'd find out what the kids had to say. And Glenn reckons it's the funniest one yet.

In Arch Goes Back To School, Glenn talks with the kids about the weekend's games, the best players and even discusses Barry Hall's punch and Brendan Fevola's self-imposed drinking ban.

"I thought I'd get one or two kids who had watched a game or knew the scores, but they all had opinions, knew who the best players were and what had been going on in the game," says Glenn. "The hard part was stopping them all talking at once."

Glenn says he was relieved to be talking to the kids after his beloved North Melbourne's win over Collingwood on Saturday, and he even bags the Pies fans about the win and defends the umpire's bounce that resulted in a disputed Kangaroos' goal.

"I wouldn't liked to have faced this lot if the Kangaroos had lost - I'm sure they would have given me a hard time," laughs Glenn.

"It was great fun to film with the kids and do something different for my review of the games. I'd love to hear what my mySport friends think of it - they can leave a comment on my Sports Log."

Make sure you add Glenn as your mySport friend and keep watching his videos - there will be a few more surprises coming soon...

To watch Part 1 of Arch Goes Back To School, click here.

To watch Part 2 (and find out who gets flushed), click here.

The SWATCH FIVB Beach Volley World Tour takes place in Adelaide from 25-30 March and mySport members and SportingPulse users can register for free tickets to see the world's best beach volleyball athletes as they converge on Glenelg Beach for the Adelaide Australia Open.

In an exclusive offer to mySport members and SportingPulse users, all you have to do is register for your two free tickets to one of the main draw events on March 27, 28 and the morning of the 29 by clicking here. Once you've registered, you can pick up your tickets from the ticket office in Mosely Square, Glenelg.

The Adelaide Australia Open kicks off the SWATCH FIVB Beach Volley World Tour before it moves on to venues such as Austria, Italy Japan, Russia and Brazil.

Fit, bronzed athletes from 36 nations will take to this iconic Australian beach to compete not only for $US350,000 in prize money but important qualification points for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Adelaide Australia Open is the biggest beach volleyball event since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and is your chance to see why it is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, both in participants and spectators.

Television viewers from 177 countries will turn to Glenelg as 700 tonnes of sand, a 3000-seat stadium and spectacular backdrop will transform Moseley Square into the focus of international beach volleyball for six days.

Seeing an international event of this calibre is not expensive with all general admission tickets under $25 - even the gold medal matches!

Tickets are still available from Ticketek, simply visit www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849. One of the event sponsors, Climate Friendly, also allows you to off-set your carbon emissions for the event.

For more information, visit www.wtadelaideopen.com.

A few small - but hopefully useful - mySport developments have just gone live. You can now edit your images, gadgets, videos and slide shows when you're in the 'Edit Sections' mode - instead of having to delete and replace them.

You can also now add your own title to Website Links sections so you can create different links sections for anything from your Favourite Team Websites to your Favourite mySport Members. You can link to any website page - even your own Sports Log entries.

Oh, and nearly forgot... we've also redesigned the 'Add Sections' page and the 'Invite' link is now red so you'll notice it and invite all your teammates, family and friends to join mySport. Click on it now and get inviting!

More mySport developments coming soon...

The mySport Team

He may be on the other side of the world, but this month's mySporter is definitely an Aussie sports fan. Meet Mick Momot, one of mySport's regular and favourite users - always up for a chat and a writer of great Sports Logs.

Mick's favourite sports include Inline Hockey and Softball. He's also a dab hand when it comes to coaching and is presently working with field hockey goalkeepers and coaching girls junior division indoor league hockey. Mick's had playing experience in the men's division in my past. "I've still got a devastating flick and can put a pass anywhere," says Mick with a laugh.

Mick enjoys sports of all types and is one to try things he hasn't done before. "It's the adventurer in me," he quips. Though born and raised in the USA, fate took Mick to Australia early on where a part of his family still resides.

He shares citizenship with the US and Australia, and has served proudly in the armed forces of both countries. "I maintain close ties to Australia and though I presently reside in the USA, my heart remains in Australia. mySport has made me feel at home again. It's a great way to keep in touch, share ideas and just talk sport!"

Now that the years are beginning to ravage the body, Mick says it's his competitive spirit that keeps him active as a sports participant and a coach. "I'm a physio by profession so I believe in the mind/body concept. This applies in sport. When you get down to it, we are educators.

"Coaching has been a great joy for me, especially at the youth level and in particular, the girls. My coaching philosophy is really quite simple. Listen and learn.

"I don't like to put a lot of pressure on kids. My goals are to develop fundamental skills and the concept of team play. I implement a simply outlined plan that is shared with the parents and their children before the season starts so as to avoid the pitfalls one can often find in coaching kids. And the problem is not the kids!

"Wins and losses are irrelavant, points and individual stats don't impress me; unselfishness, team play, mutual respect, and sportsmanship are what I try to instill. You can often learn more from your losses than your wins though let's not kid ourselves. Everyone likes to win! There's that competitiveness again!"

Thanks again, Mick. You are a great friend of everyone on mySport and it's a pleasure to have you as this month's mySporter!

To visit Mick's mySport website and add Mick to your friends' list, click here.

Previous Meet The mySporters
David Roberts
The Yapper
James Bourke

In a new series in association with Sports Medicine Australia, mySport looks at the ways of preventing sporting injuries. With the new AFL season looming, we look at what injuries can occur while playing Australian Football and what can be done to reduce the risks.

The causes and types of injuries
• Common causes of injuries are being tackled, hit/struck by another player, hit by the ball and falls.
• Injuries are more likely to occur in the first four weeks of the playing season.
• 40% of hospital-treated injuries are wrist, hand, finger and forearm fractures, dislocations and sprains.
• Injuries to the thigh, knee, lower leg and ankle are most common in non-hospital-treated injuries.
• Overuse injuries occur frequently among higher level and older players.
• Sports medicine clinics most commonly treat knee and ankle sprains.

Factors increasing your injury risk
• Having had a sports injury in the previous 12 months.
• Being aged 25 years or older.
• Playing in midfield positions.
• Persistent back problems diagnosed by a health professional.
• Increasing age and decreasing quadriceps flexibility, for sustaining hamstring injury.
• A history of two or more injuries to the lower body, in the previous football season.

Factors decreasing your injury risk
• Playing football in the last 12 months.
• Excellent stamina.
• Cooling down after training sessions.
• Playing a modified rules version at junior level.
• Participating in one or more hours per week of weight training during the season, to decrease the risk of lower body injury.

Safety tips for footballers
Good preparation is important
• Undertake training sessions prior to competition to ensure readiness to play.
• Undertake pre-season training to improve strength, flexibility, stamina, agility and balance. A trained coach or fitness advisor can guide you in the right direction.
• Before playing competitively learn, practise and use correct skills and techniques.

Providing a safe environment
• Check the ground to remove or cover hazardous objects e.g. broken glass or sprinkler heads.
• Cricket pitches should be covered with a soft surface.
• Fences should be a minimum of three metres from the boundary line.
• Goal posts must be padded with high-density foam, at least two metres high and with 35 millimetres
thickness. Padding should be in good condition and replaced when worn or damaged.
• Qualified first aid personnel, first aids kits, ice packs and a stretcher should be available at all times.
• Telephone access, to contact emergency services, is essential.

Pre-game safety
• Complete a warm up including stretching, slow jogging and running activities, with and without a football.
• Eat a balanced, nutritional diet.
• Drink water before a game or training session.
• Avoid drinking alcohol 48 hours before a game.
• Seek professional advice about the most appropriate boots to wear for playing conditions.
• Wear sunscreen and re-apply during breaks on sunny days.
• Be aware of game rules, play fairly and respect opponents and umpiring decisions.

Game safety
• Wear a mouthguard, preferably custom-fitted, at all times.
• Protective headgear, ankle braces and thigh protectors can protect players with a history of head, ankle or thigh injuries.
• Drink water during and after a game or training session.
• Umpires should enforce game rules at all levels.
• Avoid drinking alcohol after a game.

Modify rules and equipment for children
• Games for children and teenagers should be played in accordance with the National Policy for the Conduct of Junior Football established by the Australian Football League.

If an injury occurs
• Players should seek prompt attention from qualified first aid personnel.
• A health professional should make the decision whether an injured player returns to the field.
• Ensure players are fully rehabilitated before returning to play after injury.

This information is taken from Smartplay - Sports Medicine Australia
For further information, visit www.smartplay.com.au

Feeling tired during a game came happen to everybody at some point, but there are ways in which your diet can help you fight fatigue. In our Fuelling Fitness series, mySport has teamed up with Sports Dietitians Australia to look at how with the proper nutrition, you can increase your energy levels.                

Most people will experience fatigue at some stage in their lives. Causes may be stress related or simply due to a lack of sleep. Underlying medical conditions also need to be ruled out. Fatigue in athletes is often only temporary, caused by an increase in the amount or intensity of training. Tiredness usually disappears as the body adapts to the new workload. However, tiredness can be a chronic condition that needs further investigation. Adequate nutrition is often overlooked as a contributing factor to fatigue. In many cases a simple change in eating habits can increase energy levels and improve performance.

Symptoms of Fatigue
• Elevated heart rate
• Drop in performance
• Increased feeling of effort
• Muscle soreness and pain
• Sudden weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Low resistance to infection
• Loss of enjoyment in training
• Sleep disturbances
• Depression

The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrate is an important energy source for athletic performance. Carbohydrates are stored as muscle glycogen, a fuel store that must be constantly replaced. Many athletes think they eat ‘a lot’ of carbohydrate but in reality are eating well below their needs. Eating pasta the night before competition does not necessarily mean that the whole diet is high in carbohydrate.

An athlete’s carbohydrate intake needs to reflect their daily training load. On high activity days, athletes need to increase their carbohydrate intake in order to match their increased energy demands. The reverse is true for low-activity/training days or rest days. On rest days athletes need to be conscious not to over eat on carbohydrate containing foods as they often have more time to eat and socialise around food. An intake of 5-7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (i.e. 350-490g in a 70kg person) per day is required for the average athlete on any given training day. Athletes undertaking heavier training may need as much as 7-12 grams per kilogram (i.e. 490 - 840 g in a 70kg person) per day.

Low intakes of carbohydrate can result in gradual depletion of glycogen stores and lead to a feeling of prolonged fatigue. Alternatively, an increase in training load or exercise intensity can place extra strain on glycogen stores, while high intensity exercise can result in a loss of appetite. Symptoms of a low carbohydrate intake are muscle heaviness and a lack of energy to train, particularly at high intensities. The athlete may even ‘ hit the wall’ in training and be unable to complete the session. Most people store enough glycogen for 90 to 120 minutes of strenuous exercise; however eating too little carbohydrate can reduce this time to less than one hour. An athlete low in glycogen needs a reduction in training intensity, or several days rest, as well as an increase in carbohydrate to replace glycogen stores.
Very low carbohydrate diets can ultimately lead to chronic tiredness, low muscle glycogen and loss of muscle mass. Some athletes claim to feel less fatigued when first on these diets. This may be because: a) their previous eating habits were worse than the new diet; or b) they obtain a psychological boost from the diet. As carbohydrate is also needed to fuel the brain, low carbohydrate diets can result in poor concentration, depression and mood swings.

Timing of carbohydrate
Many active people have hectic schedules and simply don’t eat enough during the day. This in itself can lead to fatigue. Timing of carbohydrate is very important for muscle recovery, especially when training twice a day. Research shows that the muscle doesn’t start refuelling at a high rate until carbohydrate is eaten, so effective recovery only starts after eating a carbohydrate based snack or meal. One to 1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (ie 70 -84g in a 70 kg person) is needed to kick-start optimal fuel recovery. This should be followed up with a carbohydrate source at the next meal time. A total intake of 5-7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight (ie 350-490g in a 70kg person) over the next 24 hours may be needed for the moderate exerciser with intakes as high as 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram required for athletes undergoing prolonged training programs or extreme exercise.

Examples of post-game snacks
Easy, quick option post-game:
600ml sports drink + cereal bar =50g carbs
Banana + Tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt = 45g carbs
Flavoured milk (300 mL) + muesli bar + apple= 65g carbs
More substantial choices:
Meat/chicken & salad roll + piece of fresh fruit = 50 g carbs
2 Toast with honey or jam + fruit juice (1 glass) = 70g carbs
Spaghetti/baked beans (1 cup) + 2 slices toast = 55 g carbs
Breakfast cereal (2 cups) + 200 mL low-fat milk + tinned fruit (1/2 cup) = 70 g carbs

Low energy consumption
Some athletes restrict their kilojoule (or calorie) intake to maintain a low body weight for their sport (eg gymnasts, dancers, rowers). Many female athletes do so to control their weight and body shape. Low kilojoule diets can eventually lead to a constant feeling of fatigue due to the body having to survive on too few kilojoules, vitamins and minerals. True nutrient deficiency diseases are not common, but the athlete can suffer sub-clinical symptoms like lowered immunity, decreased strength due to loss of lean body mass, impaired bone maintenance and poor recovery between training sessions.

Poor food choices
Active people lead busy lifestyles and often leave little time for shopping and food preparation. Insufficient carbohydrate and too few fruit and vegetables, along with a heavy reliance on takeaways, can quickly lead to fatigue, decreased immunity and general ill health. Fad diets and nutrition supplements are temporary and do not address long-term nutritional problems. An athlete might use caffeine-containing foods to suppress fatigue: e.g. coffee, guarana and cola drinks. This in itself can set up a cycle of chronic tiredness. Caffeine can interfere with sleep patterns, making it difficult for the athlete to get to sleep. Often they are so exhausted that they need more caffeine to start the day. A sports dietitian can help athletes design a nutritious eating plan that will provide the right balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat and sufficient vitamins and minerals to maximise exercise performance at training and competition and promote recovery between exercise sessions.

Chronic dehydration
Many athletes are chronically dehydrated. Although they may drink during and after exercise, they often forget about the rest of the day. Signs to watch for are general lethargy, which is worse in hot weather, headaches, nausea and an inability to concentrate. Dry skin, pimples, cramping during exercise and strongly coloured urine may be related to dehydration. One way to monitor fluid status is to measure body weight on a daily basis (see Fact Sheet #1). Large weight fluctuations from one day to the next can indicate poor attention to hydration. Athletes are often encouraged to drink at training, but forget about consuming fluid throughout the rest of the day. Remember that fluid requirements will be higher during hot weather, if there is an increase in training or after long aircraft flights.

Iron deficiency
Athletes are prone to iron deficiency due to blood loss in sweat, urine and faeces. Females also have increased losses due to menstruation, while those involved in contact sports can have regular injuries that result in bleeding. Drugs such as antiinflammatories can cause gastro-intestinal bleeding, which also increases iron loss. Some athletes have a low iron intake, in particular females and vegetarians. The current recommended daily intake is 5-7mg for men. A female athlete may need 12 – 22mg per day! Iron deficiency anaemia is less common than low iron stores. Full blown anaemia results in extreme symptoms such as shortness of breath, to the point where the athlete simply cannot exercise. Decreased iron stores can result in a more general tiredness with an increase in recovery time, decrease in immunity, cold-like symptoms and depression. A blood test is used to determine iron status. As readings such as haemoglobin and ferritin can be affected by heavy training, it is often difficult to assess from a single blood test whether iron stores are low. Monitoring of changes to iron levels with consideration of symptoms and risk factors will give a better picture of whether insufficient iron is the cause of fatigue. A sports dietitian can alter an athlete’s food intake to optimise iron intake.

Vitamin and mineral supplements – the cure for fatigue?
There is a widely held belief that our food supply is deficient in most nutrients due to poor soil and processing techniques. Many supplement companies claim this is the reason why we should take supplements. However, nutritional analysis of Australian foods shows this is not the case. Fatigue and ill health is more commonly caused by an imbalance of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Taking a supplement will do little to rectify this problem beyond giving a psychological boost. Of course, if a vitamin or mineral deficiency is present, taking a supplement may be necessary to rectify this. A broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral may also act to protect those who are travelling and cannot eat their normal meals, or have to limit their food intake to reduce their weight. Elite athletes with a heavy competition schedule and disrupted meals may also benefit from a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral.

Reduce your risk of fatigue

• Eat for health. Avoid crash diets & poorly balanced diets.
• Take time to eat enough food. Enjoy your meals.
• Avoid fad diets and those that eliminate carbohydrates or whole food groups (eg no dairy products).
• Choose wisely when eating on the run. Sandwiches, rolls, flavoured milks, yoghurt, fruit and low fat muesli bars are some of the better food choices.
• Don’t be obsessed with eating ‘good’ foods, avoiding anything containing fat, or limiting fat intake to 20grams or less per day.
• If you are vegetarian, include meat substitutes like nuts, seeds and legumes.
• Ensure you are well hydrated every day.
• Constant travel can wear you out. Plan your ventures and take your favourite foods such as cereal, sports drink, liquid meal supplement, dried fruit and nuts, cereal or muesli bars and sports bars.

David Banfield is the senior coach for Vermont FC in the Eastern Football League in Victoria. The Eagles have won the EFL Division One premiership for the last three years. mySport caught up with David and chatted to him about coaching AFL.

How long have you been coaching and how did you get into?
I've been coaching for ten seasons- three of those were as an assistant coach. I played for Box Hill in the VFA and VFL and in my late twenties, I started to think about what I'd like to do after I finished playing AFL. I had always been involved with leadership groups and being a school teacher, coaching seemed like an obvious choice and a natural extension of my football career. My first coaching job was an assistant coach with East Ringwood and then the following year I was a senior coach at Doncaster in Second Division EFL.

What's your weekly routine?
During the season, I have face-to-face contact with the players on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm a full-time teacher and a parent, but I'm still involved in planning and preparation seven days a week. On match days, I like to watch the second half of the under-18s and the Reserves game. Then I take my place in the coaches' box for the seniors. After the game, we have a rundown with the coaching staff about their thoughts about the games and talk to the players as they're warming down, trying to get them focussing on next week's challenge. At Vermont, we always present awards after a game, and I try and spend some time chatting with our supporters. My Sundays are often spent watching VFL footy and going over the stats of Saturday's games.

Does your routine ever vary?
I spend a lot of time on the telephone pre-season, trying to keep a handle on our own player list and chasing information about other players and teams.

What other preparation do you do?
Every week I prepare handouts to give to the players, giving them their instructions for the weekend, opposition analysis and the specifics of what I want them to focus on during the game.

How is preparation put into practise in actual game situations?
Coaching is a team effort. At Vermont, I have Julie Hunter looking after the trainers, Ash Hamilton looking after fitness and conditioning work, Jeff Rudd coaching the Reserves, a group looking after statistics... every one of them, in their own way, contributes a great deal of time, effort and energy into the preparation, which has great affect on the performance of the team.

'Gone are the days when the coach was the sole figure
of authority and whatever the coach says the players do.
A player's performance level is much higher when
you're able to work with them side-by-side'

What is the most important aspect of coaching?
You need a lot of time for coaching - it's a very time-consuming role. You also need to have passion for the job and you need to have energy to keep doing it.

What kind of relationship do you have with the players?
I try and find out what the players want and create an environment where they are able to express themselves. Gone are the days when the coach was the sole figure of authority and whatever the coach says the players do. A player's performance level is much higher when you're able to work with them side-by-side. Obviously, you need somebody to guide the process, but listening to the players' needs is important. We have a new captain at Vermont, Ryan Mullet, and a new vice captain, Chris Bardon, and I constantly seek them out for their ideas, feedback and opinions. Ryan sets a very good example to the other players – on and off the field. In terms of football years he his still relatively young, but he is experienced and has a good relationship with the players. That helps to get across the right messages across to the playing group.

Do you have any coaching mentors?
My elder brother, Peter [former Essendon and Brisbane Bears player, later assistant coach at Melbourne FC, coach of Casey Scorpions in the VFL and current Old Scotch coach] has coached in the AFL and I speak to Peter on a regular basis. An old teammate of mine, Simon Dalrymple, is the development coach at Western Bulldogs and I also talk with Simon a lot.

How has your coaching style been influenced?
When I played at Box Hill, John Murphy was my long-time senior coach and John taught me that there is a lot more to coaching than just teaching players how to get a kick. John was the man for all jobs - he was passionate about the game. John would organise training drills, but he would also be making phone calls, preparing football stats for match days and he always looked after his assistant coaches and valued their input. John had a very good relationship with his senior players and the leadership group. He would get us involved in all the things going on at the club and built a good team spirit.

What would be the one club or team you'd choose to coach for a day?
It would be the Australian cricket team. They have managed to perform at the top level for a long period of time – which is what we're trying to achieve at Vermont. It would be a great learning experience to work within a different sport and to take the ideas and experiences about how they work with players and apply them to AFL. I think Ricky Ponting is a very astute and well prepared cricketer and be saying to Ricky to keep up the good work.

What experiences in the game stand out for you?
There was a moment last season when a young player, Luke McDermott, came up to me and thanked me for the kind words I'd said to him after he played in the Premiership. These things mean a lot to a coach.

What single piece of advice would you give young players?
Hard work paves the way to success.

To visit the Vermont FC website, click here.

To add Fixture, Results and Ladders for Vermont FC to your mySport website, visit the EFL fixtures and results pages and click on the mySport graphic.

A new basketball tournament for junior domestic teams will take place in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne this Labour Day weekend from 8-10 March - and you can follow all the action on your mySport website.

The Great Southern Classic has been created by an exciting partnership between Kilsyth Basketball and Knox Basketball, two of the largest basketball associations in Australia, and will be one of Australia's largest domestic competitions.

It is open to all teams ranging from from Under 8s through to Under 23s, competing to determine who is the best domestic team in Australia for each grade.

The Great Southern Classic website is powered by SportingPulse, which means mySport members can add the Fixtures, Results and Ladders for any team to their mySport website. Simply find the team Fixtures, Results and Ladders you want to add on the tournament website, then click on the mySport graphic (right).

Kilsyth President Mal Allison said: "We have needed a quality tournament for domestic teams for a long time. The Great Southern Classic will finally put to rest who is the best club in Australia."

Greg Oakford, Knox Marketing & Communications Coordinator said: "Knox are extremely excited about the partnership we have formed with Kilsyth for the Great Southern Classic."

"The majority of basketball tournaments are aimed as representative teams; this is a great opportunity for domestic teams to get amongst the fun atmosphere that basketball tournaments bring as well as playing some competitive matches against teams they haven't played before."

To visit the Great Southern Classic tournament website and add the Fixtures, Results and Ladders to your mySport website, click here.

It seems like only yesterday that Kangaroos hard man Glenn Archer retired from AFL football, yet six months have passed and, as you would expect, the Shinboner of the Century has not been idle.

Having signed to star on Channel Nine’s popular Monday night football chat show, Footy Classified, the man simply known as ‘Arch’ is about to take up a position of royalty on the Internet.

Since late last year Archer has been working with SportingPulse, helping to build a new online social network known as mySport. The Kanagroo legend has become a very popular person on mySport, attracting hundreds of friends and receiving messages from supporters on a daily basis, but his fans are about to get closer to Arch in more ways than one.

In the coming weeks Glenn will star in a weekly video on his mySport website titled Arch On The Throne.

It doesn’t take much of an imagination to picture where this is headed... A man’s best thinking time often happens whilst sitting upon his throne in the little boy’s room - and Glenn is no different. With newspaper in hand and a mind full of football opinions, Arch will be recording his deepest thoughts on the throne.

There’s sure to be some fun and games, including the 'Weekly Flush’ for someone in the sporting world who has lost the plot or made a blunder, but you can be assured that Arch won’t hold back when it comes to telling it like it is.

Why does Arch want to talk to us from his throne each week?

“I’m really enjoying mySport and the whole online social networking phenomenon and I thought this would be a little bit left of centre,” says Glenn smiling.

“We all know some of the best thoughts and opinions come to us on the throne, so why not share them via my mySport website? Don’t expect to see me doing something I shouldn’t be, it’s just me, my newspaper and my thoughts.”

Arch On The Throne will start shortly on Glenn's mySport website, visit www.my.sportingpulse.com/glennarcher now for a sneek preview.

To join mySport and add Glenn as a friend, simply go to www.sportingpulse.com

Australia’s new Moto GP champion, Casey Stoner, has taken top honours in the 28th Australian Sport Awards announced today.

Stoner has won the Dawn Fraser Award, the pre-eminent sport award in Australia, in recognition of his outstanding international achievements and his contribution to Australian sport. Stoner is the youngest recipient ever in the history of the Award.

The Australian Sport Awards are the only awards in Australia to recognise achievements across all sports in all areas of the sporting sector. The Awards were announced via a special online video presentation in conjunction with media partner SBS Television at www.australiansportawards.com.au and www.sbs.com.au. Video presentations of the Gold Award winners are able to be viewed from today on both websites.

The OAMPS Insurance Brokers Male Athlete of the Year Award went to Cadel Evans. Evans recorded Australia’s first ever podium finish in the 104 year history of the Tour de France and ended the year as the world’s number one cyclist on the UCI Pro Tour.

The SportingPulse Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Libby Lenton, for her remarkable feat of winning five world championship Gold medals at the 2007 FINA World Swimming Championships. Lenton’s success, in a field where every nominee was a world champion or ranked number one in the world, points to the remarkable year 2007 was in sport.

The Australian Cricket Team was named Sportscover International Team of the Year with their World Cup victory in the Caribbean and their 5-0 whitewash of England in the Ashes series.

The Geelong Football Club took out the OAMPS Insurance Brokers National Team of the Year after their dominant AFL season culminating in their first flag in 43 years. It was a double victory for the Cats with CEO Brian Cook being named Sports Executive of the Year.

For the second year in a row, Kurt Fearnley has taken out the Sportscover Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. Fearnley had a spectacular year winning the New York Marathon as well as the Seoul, Chicago and Paris Marathons and an IAAF World Championship to boot.

Cheryl Salisbury’s dramatic last minute goal to send Australia through to the quarter finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup was voted Australia’s favourite sporting moment for 2007 in the SportingPulse 2007 Australian Sporting Moment of the Year People’s Choice Award with 28% of the total vote

In a fantastic result for cycling, the Young Australian Male and Young Australian Female Athlete of the Year were taken out by cyclists, Travis Meyer and Josephine Tomic. The Young Australian Team of the Year was another trophy for cycling with the Junior Track / Road Cycling World Championships Team winning the award with results that included eight Gold, three Silver and two Bronze medals in at the World Junior Championships in Mexico last August.

Further information on the Awards is available on the Awards website at www.australiansportawards.com.au

This year marks a wonderful milestone in Australian Football – its 150th year - and the entire football community has the opportunity to celebrate on Australian Football 150 Years, Community Football Weekend on 10-11 May.

Community Football Weekend is not about the highest level of the game - it is a celebration of grassroots footy around Australia. On this weekend, no AFL matches have been scheduled, providing the opportunity for Australians to get back to their original or local community football club and celebrate this historic year.

Leagues and clubs around the country have scheduled a Rivalry Round on this weekend and are hoping to break all-time attendance records for community football matches.

To help people find out what's going on at their local club, an Australian Football 150 Years, Community Football Weekend website has been set up for all clubs to display their planned celebrations for the weekend. Fill in the simple registration form and your club's events will appear on the website.

This a great opportunity to celebrate together with the people who are involved or have been involved in your club - everyone from the star full-forward, to the mums who serve in the canteen, to the fellas on the gate. It's a time to acknowledge outstanding long-serving volunteers and meet up with past players and club legends.

Essendon legend Kevin Sheedy is the Australian Football 150 Years, Community Football Weekend ambassador and is encouraging everybody to get involved. “This weekend is not just for players – it's an opportunity to celebrate the game with all the people who support your community club.”

To set up your Clubs Australian Football 150 Years Community Website, click here.

Grassroots Greats
mySport wants to hear about the local heroes of your club. Post an entry on your Sports Log with "Grassroots Great" in the title and tell us all about them. Entries will be collated into a Grassroots Greats section and linked to from the new mySport home page.

To find out more, click here.

Since 1980, the Australian Sport Awards have marked an annual celebration of outstanding achievements in Australian sport, and now, for the first time, you can follow the awards online.

You can also vote for your Australian Sporting Moment of the Year in the SportingPulse-sponsored People’s Choice Award. Register your vote for the chance to win exclusive Sydney 2000 Olympic memorabilia.

SportingPulse is delighted to announce its new partnership with Football NSW and the launch of Football NSW's new website.

Football NSW is the largest state sporting organisation in Australia, with more than 220,000 registered players and around 800 clubs competing in more than 30 competitions from local associations to semi-professional and professional leagues.

Football NSW's Premier League is the top tier league of men’s football in NSW, and kicks-off on 23 February. Fans can keep up-to-date with all the fixtures and results from the league and all the other competitions on the new website (below).

Visitors can also try out the many new exciting and interactive features, including video footage from the Football Stars Of Tomorrow show, a Premier League tipping competition and polls, as well as signing up for Off The Crossbar, the Football NSW newsletter.

A search facility allows visitors to find their local football association by postcode and the website offers easy access to other Football NSW information and resources, as well as keeping visitors up-to-date with the latest national and international football news through a FourFourTwo magazine news feed.

The SportingPulse agreement with Football NSW means that all member associations and clubs are entitled to use the full Sportzware suite of software - with SportingPulse help and support - at no cost. Sportzware is the leading competition management and website software, that also includes membership databases and online results entry.

The Sportzware products are not only fully integrated with each other but also with mySport, the personal social networking website that allows members to display fixtures, results and ladders, connect with the teams and leagues they play for and support, and keep a Sports Log of their sporting life. mySport members are able to add the fixtures, results and ladders from any Football NSW competition to their mySport website by clicking on the mySport graphic on the fixtures, results and ladders pages.

The partnership with Football NSW follows SportingPulse's deal with New Zealand Football (NZF) and launch of the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC) website.

The NZFC website is already proving to be one of SportingPulse's most popular sites, and along with Football NSW and the Oceania Football Confederation is a significant step in increasing SportingPulse's presence in the world game.

Football NSW CEO Michael Quarmby is delighted about the deal with SportingPulse and excited about possibilities the new website offers.

“The overall display of our new website is fantastic. Our objective in bringing as much professionalism as possible to our game in this state is typified via the new and improved website which promises to deliver the best information possible to all lovers of the game in NSW.

“Football NSW is constantly searching for new and improved ways to communicate with football administrators, participants and supporters. Our new website and mySport are great examples of how we’re making it easier for people to manage and enjoy their football experience online.”

SportingPulse commercial director Umberto Righetti is also looking forward to the partnership and stresses the benefits it will bring to local associations and clubs. “Football NSW is one of the largest sporting organisations in Australia and one of the most forward-thinking. The deal with SportingPulse to distribute its Sportzware software free to all its affiliated associations and clubs will be a big saving to leagues and clubs, and bring about fully integrated system.”

To visit the Football NSW website, click here.

Australian parents can keep track of all their children’s sporting activities thanks to mySport. Parents - and children - can create their personal mySport website in seconds to help them keep track of fixtures, results and league standings.

Gone are the days of plastering schedules on the fridge to keep track of the family’s weekend sporting activities. Many parents whose kids play AFL, rugby league, basketball, football, netball and hockey have already jumped online and created a mySport website.

In addition to keeping track of their teams' games, like Myspace, mySport members can create their own profile, upload images, add friends, write a Sports Log (blogs) and keep an online record of their sporting lives.

“I used to print out three bits of paper to keep track of when and where my three sons were playing each week,” says SportingPulse commercial director Umberto Righetti. “Now I use my mySport website as my homepage and can instantly see where my kids are playing and keep track of their results and league positions - all on one website.

"I also use my mySport website as the gateway to my favourite sports websites, and have even joined the blogging phenomenon for the first time, choosing to write about the sports and teams that are dear to my heart.”

Football NSW is the latest sporting organisation to become a part of the SportingPulse sports community, joining the likes of the AFL, Australian Rugby League, Basketball Australia, Hockey Australia, Touch Football Australia and more than 30 other sports.

Football NSW CEO Michael Quarmby says: “Football NSW is constantly searching for new and improved ways to communicate with football administrators, participants and supporters. mySport, together with our new website, are great examples of how we’re helping people manage their football lives.”

To search for your kids' fixtures, results and ladders by league, club or team, click here.

To add any fixtures, results and ladders to your mySport website, click on the mySport graphic (right) on the fixtures, results and ladders and choose your team.

One of the world's largest junior basketball events is taking place this weekend and you can keep up with all the action on SportingPulse and mySport.

The Eltham and Dandenong Tournament involves more than 800 teams and around 6,500 participants ranging in age from under-10s to under-20s.

As well as local teams from the Melbourne Metropolitan competitions and Victorian country areas, teams from Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, South Australia and Tasmania will compete against each other on 74 courts spread over 23 venues.

The event tips off tonight (Friday 25 January) and goes on until Monday. Family, friends and supporters wanting to follow the action should check out the tournament website. Results will be constantly uploaded throughout the event.

mySport members can keep their eye on the action by adding the fixtures, results and ladders for any team taking part to their mySport website. When you see the mySport graphic (right) on fixtures, results and ladders pages of the teams you want to follow, simply click it and select the name of the team. mySport members can also join the Tournament and their favourite teams' myCommunity at the same time.

To visit the Eltham and Dandenong Tournament, click here

Each month, we take the opportunity to meet a mySport member, and to kick-start 2008 we thought it best to put our favourite mySport guru from Gippsland, David Roberts to the test.

A project officer with GippSport (Gippsland’s Regional Sports Assembly), David coaches the Latrobe City Energy women in Division 1 of Victoria’s BigV basketball competition. He also coaches the club’s Under-18 Womens team in the state’s junior league, the VJBL.

A lover of all sports, of which basketball is his favourite, Dave has quickly become a regular across mySport, often posting Sports Logs, leaving messages for members and talking sport with as many members as possible.

During a recent trip to America, David made sure he kept his mySport friends up to date with his trip with constant articles, all of which were both entertaining and informative.

As a valued member of his grassroots club, David has also set up a mySport page for Latrobe City Energy, so make sure you check it out and support the club by following the fixtures, results and ladders that David has uploaded.

With nearly 150 friends, David is one of the most popular mySport members and is usually available to return a message most days. He’ll also usually keep a top of each member’s Sports Logs, so don’t be surprised if he makes a comment on your next update.

It’s great to have Dave onboard at mySport. He’s another dedicated supporter of grassroots sports, which is why he’s a mySport member.

To see David's mySport website, visit my.sportingpulse.com/david

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The Yapper
Bourkie

Continuing our Fuelling Fitness series, mySport has teamed up with Sports Dietitians Australia to look at controlling your body fat and making the ideal weight for your sport.

What is my ideal weight?
Body weight is a poor indicator of fatness in active people. Changes in weight can be due to fluid losses as sweat, food still being digested from the last meal and changes in the level of muscle glycogen (every gram of glycogen is stored with approximately 3 g of water). Since training, especially weight training, increases muscle mass, skinfold measurements are a better guide to fatness than body weight. When you are training two or more times a day, shifts of fluid and glycogen stores can result in daily weight fluctuations of around 2kg.

Elite athletes strive to achieve low body fat levels for competition. There are clear performance benefits to being light and lean in sports like triathlon, marathon running, swimming and gymnastics. However, body type is under genetic control and each person has a different capacity for leanness. In sports like figure skating, gymnastics and diving, elite performers are naturally small and light.

In sports where athletes compete in weight divisions (eg lightweight rowing, boxing, weightlifting), there is often pressure to manipulate body weight and fat levels to make a lower weight category.

In desperation, some competitors resort to rapid weight loss methods prior to ‘weigh in’ on the day. Strategies to make weight, such as severe food restriction, excessive exercise and dehydration are dangerous and in the longer term can result in poor health, psychological problems and eating disorders.

The ideal weight for an athlete needs to take into account:
• their height and frame size
• their natural body weight
• scientific evidence for a competitive advantage by achieving a certain body weight or body fat
• An athlete’s own experience of how easy is it to achieve and perform at a new body weight or fat level.

A smart athlete will choose a sport or category better suited to their physique, where they can concentrate more on performance and feeling good than becoming pre-occupied with weight and fat loss.

Do kilojoules count?
Over the past decade there has been increased emphasis on dietary fat intake. There is no doubt that too much fat in the diet increases the risk of overweight. Fats are energy dense (37 kJ/gram) compared to proteins (17 kJ/gram) and carbohydrates (16 kJ/gram). The fat we consume is also stored more efficiently in the body than either protein or carbohydrate. Clearly, reducing dietary fat intake is one of the most effective strategies in promoting weight loss. Does that mean we can eat unlimited amounts of low fat foods? That depends on how active you are. Most active individuals can eat as much low fat food as they like and stay lean. For the ‘couch potato’, it is still important to get up and get moving. Eating a lot of low fat food when inactive will not help weight loss. Energy balance (kilojoules or calories consumed vs burnt) is still an important factor in fat loss for sedentary or moderately active individuals. Although they don’t need to count calories, less active people need to eat a moderate, rather than a large, amount of low fat food. The same applies to athletes who need to maintain their body weight below what is natural for them e.g. jockeys, light weight rowers, boxers, gymnasts, and dancers.

Dangers of Dehydration
Dehydration is often used as a quick way to ‘make weight’. Fluid loss of as little as 1% of body weight will decrease performance, especially in sports like light weight rowing or boxing where a combination of strength and endurance is needed. Other side effects of dehydration include:
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Cramping
• Poor co-ordination and reaction time (can result in serious injury depending on the sport)

With significant fluid loss (greater than 2% of body weight) effects include:
• Increased body temperature resulting in heat stress/exhaustion
• Muscle breakdown
• Impairment of kidney function
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Circulatory and eventually heart failure

Dehydration to make weight has been associated with a number of deaths in otherwise healthy, fit individuals

Exercising for Fat Loss
Although low intensity exercise is recommended for those starting an exercise program (or with a medical problem), fitter, healthy individuals gain more benefit by increasing the intensity as their fitness improves.

Higher intensity exercise burns up more calories, promoting fat loss. Although lower intensity exercise (say about 50% maximum aerobic capacity or maximum heart rate) uses a higher percentage of fat for fuel, the total amount of fat used is less than for high intensity exercise.

A comfortably challenging pace optimises both fat and calorie use, burning more fat in less time. Remember, untrained people need to start slowly. There is also benefit in accumulating three 10-minute periods of low intensity physical activity a day for those less interested in exercise.

It is often assumed that to burn fat, exercise intensity must be kept low. However, the bar graph shows that the amount of fat used is higher at 65% of maximal aerobic capacity (65% VO2max) than at 25%. At 25% VO2 max, fat accounts for almost all the energy used during exercise. However, the total number of calories expended over 30 minutes, is substantially lower (190 calories) than at 65% of VO2 max (420 calories). Although only 50% of the energy expended at 65% VO2 max is derived from fat, over the 30 minutes of exercise, this is a much greater amount of fat (210 calories of fat) than what is burnt at 25% VO2 max (150 calories of fat).

It is important to remember that aerobic training improves the body’s ability to burn fat, even when working at moderately high exercise intensities (around 60-70% VO2 max or maximal heart rate). To optimise fat loss, you need to work continuously for at least 30-60 minutes. As you get fitter you can exercise harder and still be in the ‘fat burning’ zone.

A comfortably challenging pace optimises both fat and calorie use, burning more fat in less time. Remember, untrained people need to start slowly. There is also benefit in accumulating three 10-minute periods of low intensity physical activity a day for those less interested in exercise.

Moving more by increasing incidental exercise (eg: taking the stairs, walking to work) is a key weight control strategy

Essential strategies for weight (fat) loss or making weight
• Choose a body fat/weight that keeps you healthy in the long term
• Choose a balanced diet, emphasising a low-modest fat intake
• Eat a little less energy (kilojoules/calories) than you burn in training or competition to achieve a slight calorie deficit, and therefore a healthy weight (or body fat) loss. Don’t crash diet
• Learn how to handle eating out socially and include treats. You should not become obsessed about, or even frightened of, the occasional splurge
• Have a training program that complements your weight (fat) loss strategies. If you need to make a specific competition weight, heavy weight training may need to be reduced or balanced with aerobic training
• Be wary of times when weight (fat) levels may fluctuate more, for example ‘off season’ or injury. Monitor these changes and adjust your dietary intake and training to suit.
• Gradually reduce weight (not more than 0.5-1.0 kg per week) or 2-5 mm of fat each week if using skinfold (the pinch test) measurements
• Train not more than 2.0 kg away from your optimal competition weight.
• Seek professional advice from a sports dietitian on dietary requirements for your sport, or whether a weight category or body fat level is realistic for your physique.

Low carbohydrate diets – just another low kilojoule diet
Just when most people appreciate that high carbohydrate foods like bread and potatoes are not fattening, a new era of carbohydrate controversy has emerged. A range of reduced or low carbohydrate diets has captured the imagination of athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike.

These diet plans commonly restrict the choice of foods you can eat and make meals more difficult to arrange because there are so many rules to follow.

The end result is that they all become a low calorie diet in disguise. At the start followers do not notice that they are eating much less, sometimes as low as 4000 kilojoules per day! This is less than half the calorie needs of a sedentary adult female.

It is no wonder short-term weight loss occurs. The claim made by low carbohydrate diet pushers that “fats are not fattening” is not supported by scientific research that provides a strong link between dietary fat intake and excess body fat. Following any low kilojoule and low carbohydrate diet, increases the risk of muscle loss and fatigue.

Warrick Giddy is the first assistant coach for the NBL's Melbourne Tigers and the head coach of the Werribee Devils in the BigV. In the first Coach Talk for mySport News, David Hocking talks to Warrick about what it takes to coach two teams, his weekly routine, pre-match preparation, coaching mentors and advice for young players.

How long have you been coaching basketball?
My playing and coaching roles crossed over in the later stages of my playing career. During my last two years playing for the Melbourne Tigers I was coaching the Werribee Devils. In 2001, I became the second assistant coach at the Tigers and for the last three years I’ve been the first assistant coach under Al Westover. This is my third year as head coach at the Devils, and before that I coached the Tigers in the BigV.

Did you always plan to coach?
In the latter half of my career I saw coaching as an option. If I'd had a few more skills I might have made enough money to sit back, but I was a hard worker and thinker on the court so I saw coaching as an option after my playing career. I was always into the tactical side of basketball and was also involved with coaching the Tigers Juniors.

What's your weekly coaching routine?
It's pretty full on with the Tigers. We coach in four-and-a-half hour blocks: 8-9am is weight training; 9-9.30am is walk-throughs of offensive and defensive structures; 9.30-10am is usually video reviews of games and at 10am training commences through till 12.30pm. On Wednesday we have a shooting session at the State Netball Hockey Centre at Royal Park in Melbourne. We put the players in groups of two for a couple of hours - shooting with a partner makes it more competitive. Training sessions work around games. If we have a game on Wednesday we won't train the day prior or the day after. We have a lot of video sessions, media sessions, walk-throughs and opposition analysis. I also come in to the office to do a bit of work there.

Does your routine ever vary?
In November we have the Werribee tryouts, and there are times when the two seasons coincide. The start of the BigV overlaps with the end of the NBL in February and the pre-season of the NBL overlaps with the end of the Big V. When both competitions are running, I go to two hour sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, with the games on the weekend. The BigV games start up the week after the NBL finals. Unfortunately, there won't be a family holiday this year - it's a bit tough on the missus and kids.

What off-court preparation do you do each week?
My off-court role entails video reviews and presenting analysis of offensive and defensive plays. We spend a lot of time studying how teams are going to defend us and how we'll defend them. With the last few games of the NBL, particularly against Sydney, we prepared a lot for pressure. We expect the opposition to double team us and use tactics like that to break us down. So from both a coach's and player's standpoint, we fully expect these things and know what the opposition has planned for us.

How does preparation work in actual game situations?
Whilst we can prepare for it and put plans in place, unless you actually execute it on the night, it doesn't always show. Against Perth recently, we just didn't execute what we'd planned; we didn't shoot the ball very well. When you analyse it on the video it probably doesn't look as bad as it does first-hand. We try and give the boys confidence. If they're shooting at the right time and taking the shots we want them to, then there's no problem. We've just got to hope they get the chances and are good enough to hit them. We practice enough so there's no reason why they shouldn't...

"I want players to give it absolutely everything. Don’t stop
running and you can never work too hard is my philosophy.
It's the thing I’ll reinforce over and over again"

What is the most important aspect of coaching?
A coach wants commitment from your team and you want them to have the end goal as the team goal - rather than the individual's. You don't want players thinking, "Okay, this is the launching pad for my career." We always say the team is number one, the individual number two, which means players are asked to make sacrifices. The key to having a deep side is having blokes at number 7, 8 or 9 who would be 3, 4 or 5 on another team. Those players are sacrificing themselves to a certain degree. They get less game time, but are part of a stronger team. There are also lots of players whose roles prevent them shooting as much as they'd like. You obviously try to go to your star players, but also maintain a healthy balance. You have to place the team first and hopefully pick the right times for the individuals to contribute.

What kind of relationship do you have with the players?
As an ex-player and coach I've been with these teams for 15 years so there are some strong friendships. It becomes difficult at times because you're still considered one of the boys, but you've got to distance yourself to establish your authority as a coach. You have to make sure you aren't keeping a player in the team just because he's a good friend. I help the younger kids by giving them an understanding of their role in the team and help them deal with things in general. I also try to tell players what to look out for, when to socialise and when not to. There is a bit of knack to dealing with these issues and life skills generally. You give them the advice and hopefully it helps them make a sound judgment, on or off the court.

Did you have any coaching mentors?
The coach I played under most was Lindsay Gaze. I played all my 400 games with the Tigers under Lindsay. He was a great coach. It had more to do with what he did and what he ran structurally. My approach to the game and philosophy is based a lot on what I learned from Lindsay. Al Westover has now taken that to the next level with the modern game and the changes that have taken place.

How has your coaching style been influenced?
The offensive structure Lindsay had in place was as good as any in the world. The Tigers have been running that for a long time. A lot of it is stock standard basketball: pick, screen and roll cuts. But in saying that our offense has a lot of motion. Probably the one thing Lindsay didn't put as much emphasis on was the defensive structure. That's something I've learned from Al. Understanding the different defensive styles and how to defend screen and roll situations are good examples. Al also stresses the different ways you can run defensive structures. Lindsay and Al have been my two big mentors. The irony is I'm now the offensive coordinator. That's our forte and has been since Lindsay was coach. The other irony about me coordinating the offense is that I wasn't a brilliant shooter.

What would be the one club or team you'd choose to coach for a day?
For me, there would be nothing like taking over the Tigers, but other than them, a club like Brisbane or Sydney. They've both been quite successful and are talented groups of players who tend to play hard and give it everything. That isn't to say other teams don't play hard, but I guess the more talented the group the easier it is to get things done. I like the way Sydney take care of the ball and are sound defensively and offensively.

What basketball experiences stand out for you?
As a player, it would be Melbourne Tigers' first Grand Final win in 1993. It was game three in Perth and for all but one player it was the first time we had won there. I'd been playing since 1987 and Andrew Gaze since 85 and had never beaten the Wildcats at home until that game. Unfortunately, I haven't won a championship yet as a head coach so I'd have to say when the Tigers won the final in my first year as assistant to Al Westover. As a head coach, taking a Werribee team to the semi-finals of the Big V stands out. They were a young bunch with some all-Australian players. We ended up losing game three of the semis to the eventual winners. We were up by 13 points going into the last quarter, so a disappointing end result but a great campaign all the same.

What single piece of advice would you give young players?
As a coach, I want players to give it absolutely everything. Don’t stop running and you can never work too hard is my philosophy. It's the thing I’ll reinforce over and over again.

Visit the Werribee Basketball Association website and the BigV website.

Visit the Melbourne Tigers website and the NBL website

Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) continues to take giant leaps forward during the 2007/08 season, delivering innovative marketing, outstanding game presentation and fresh media coverage for supporters.

The latest development is the league’s new website, which was launched on January 10 and has already received strong acclaim for its many new features.

Designed by Basketball Australia’s technology partner, SportingPulse, the new WNBL website has a great look and feel, successfully enhancing the competition’s status as a vibrant and popular national league.

Included on the website is an exciting new development for this season, Live Stats, which is already receiving substantial online traffic, Live Stats takes website visitors courtside, where they can follow the game through real time scoring, play-by-play reporting, player statistics and shot charts.

As a part of the SportingPulse development of the WNBL website, all 10 clubs have also unveiled new websites, complete with the latest club news and up-to-date statistics on each player.

Other features of the WNBL and club websites include WNBL TV, a tipping competition, podcasts, newsletter, weekly polls and ticket information, as well all the latest schedules, results and ladder.

“We are extremely happy with the look and feel of the new website and we hope that fans of the WNBL as well as the media will utilise and enjoy the improvements,” says ADF WNBL general manager Lorraine Landon.

“SportingPulse has done a tremendous amount of work in developing, implementing and now managing the new website and we sincerely appreciate their effort.”

SportingPulse chief executive Nick Maywald is delighted with the final result and is confident the league’s supporters and participants will be pleased with the sharp new direction the WNBL has taken across its online properties.

“Everything we do at SportingPulse is about enhancing sport, in particular for those viewing the sport online,” says Nick. “The WNBL has stepped up to a whole new level this season with successful new teams Bendigo Spirit and Christchurch Sirens, a competitive competition, a new live stats package and new club websites for the whole league.

“The team at SportingPulse is very happy with the result and looks forward to continuing our strong relationship with the WNBL and Basketball Australia, and indeed the future growth of the Basketball Network.”

To visit the WNBL website, click here.

SportingPulse is the home of grassroots sport and social networking website mySport, and, thanks to an exciting redesign, www.sportingpulse.com is now the place to go for the latest grassroots sports news.

The SportingPulse home page now brings together the latest news from leagues, clubs and mySport members, and showcases the mySport ambassadors and popular members, as well as still giving easy access to the SportingPulse's vast grassroots sports network, SportingPulse and mySport news, and information on SportingPulse's award-winning software.

The latest news feature means that when leagues, clubs and mySport members publish a news story or Sports Log on their websites, it will also appear on the new SportingPulse home page, creating a one-stop shop for the most up-to-date grassroots sports news.

Other features of the website include a list of the most popular league and club websites, as well as the latest competitions to update their fixtures, results and ladders.

mySport members feature prominently on the new-look SportingPulse home page with a special section for mySport ambassadors, linking to the websites of Kangaroos legend Glenn Archer, and Aussie hoops stars Patrick Mills and Erin Phillips. Other mySports members are featured under our Popular Members section and the latest members' Sports Log entries are published with links through to stories and websites.

Visitors to the website can still easily access SportingPulse's vast network of grassroots sports websites by choosing their sport or by using the new search facility which allows them to look for their league, club or team.

Information on SportingPulse's award-winning sports management and fitness software is still there, as well as links to the SportingPulse Support website and contact information.

At the bottom of the page there is a Feedback link and we'd love to hear from you about what you think about the new SportingPulse and mySport home page and if you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see featured.

Visit www.sportingpulse.com

Two of Australia'€™s hottest basketball stars have joined mySport. Patrick Mills and Erin Phillips are two rising talents that already share many awards and achievements, including representing their country.

Touted as a future NBA prospect and a starting point guard for the Australian Post Boomers, Patrick (known as Patty) has joined mySport to keep in contact with his friends and supporters while attending Saint Mary's College Gaels, Moraga, near San Francisco in the United States.

"I'm hoping to keep my mySport page updated with blogs and stats from my games in the US, along with insights into the basketball scene as I make my way through it,"€ said Patty.

A world championship winner with the Australian Defence Force Opals in 2006, Erin has recently returned from injury and is currently playing in the Australian Defence Force WNBL with Adelaide Lightning. She is looking forward to talking all things basketball with players and fans on mySport.

"€œI love basketball, what more can I say? I'm back on court and loving it. Now I'm looking forward to talking with all of my friends on mySport, so please make sure you leave me a message on my MessageBoard,"€ said Erin.

mySport is free to join and has already made a large impact with more than 100,000 members, including Kangaroo legend Glenn Archer.

mySport'€™s communications manager, Justin Nelson, believes that mySport ambassadors like Archer, Mills and Phillips are perfect for sporting fans and participants of all ages.

"€œThe chance for players and fans to speak online with some of Australia’s best sports people is a fantastic opportunity, but mySport goes far deeper than that,"€ explains Nelson.

"€œThose who love sport can now talk with friends and other sports lovers online anytime they want. I talk sport with people from around the world. It'€™s a great forum, the banter is fun and we share common interests.

"€œPlus, where else would you get the opportunity to communicate with the likes of Patrick and Erin, two stars of Australian basketball? mySport is for all sports enthusiasts. There are no boundaries."

To add Patrick as your mySport friend, click here.

To add Erin as your mySport friend, click here.

The Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA), the body representing the sporting goods industry and the founding member of SportingPulse’s Community Sport Network, has launched a campaign to make Physical Education compulsory in Australian schools to assist in the fight against childhood obesity. And it wants your views and support.

ASGA's 'Get With The Program' campaign gives you the chance to express your opinion about the PE currently offered in schools and what can be done to encourage more. Your feedback will help ASGA in its campaign.

Currently, State and Territory Governments require schools to provide at least two hours a week of physical activity in the curriculum in the compulsory schooling years, but many schools appear to be failing to achieve these targets.

“Public schools in Australia are not providing adequate PE, despite receiving funding from the Federal Government to do so,” said ASGA’s executive director Sean Cary.

Childhood obesity has traditionally been seen as primarily the responsibility of the parent, but ASGA believes that more needs to done by governments and schools.

“The public needs support in tackling obesity. Three one-hour sessions of physical activity in the curriculum each week would go a long way towards solving the problem,” said Cary.

“State Governments are blaming principals, and principals are blaming the State Governments for failing to provide adequate facilities and our children are suffering, as a result. It’s time to step up and take action,” he said.

“While having more kids in sporting gear benefits our members, ASGA also has a stake in ensuring a sustainable future for Australia’s world-renowned sporting culture," said Cary.

€œPhysical activity assists with stress relief, and improves overall health. PE also teaches important life skills such as teamwork, how to win and lose with grace,” he said.

ASGA formed an alliance with SportingPulse in May to provide additional funding and support to grassroots sport through the targeting of brand messages to sports participants.

By becoming a corporate partner to SportingPulse’s Community Sport Network, ASGA will provide its members with highly targeted and personalised direct marketing opportunities. It will also provide sporting goods companies with a new way to conduct market research online.

“ASGA has provided its members with the unique opportunity of having two-way communications with the players, clubs and associations that make up our Community Sport Network,” said Nick Maywald, CEO of SportingPulse. “We are delighted to be working with ASGA to provide its members with the opportunity to communicate with sports participants on a targeted and personalised level."

To show your support for the campaign, click here.

The Touch Football season has just got underway and with SportingPulse software running websites for more than 400 associations and 5,000 clubs, touch players who are mySport members can have instantly updated fixtures, results and ladders displayed on their personal sports website.

mySport and Touch
To add your touch team's fixtures, results and ladders to your mySport website, go to your league's website and click on the mySport graphic in the top right hand corner or bottom of the fixtures, results and ladders pages. You'll then be asked to choose your team and add your ladder and click 'Submit'. It's that simple! And once you've done that, you can sign up for free email game reminders and notifications when your league updates its website and join your league's myCommunity.

On your mySport website, you can write about games on your Sports Log and upload photographs, then invite your teammates, family and friends to check it out and become your mySport friends. It's great fun to share your sporting experiences and leave messages for friends on their MessageBoard.

To invite your teammates, family and friends to join mySport, click here.

What is Touch Football?
Touch Football is the largest mixed-gender team sport in Australia. The game was used as a training technique for Rugby League teams in the 50s and the first official competition was played in 1968.

As well as having male, female and mixed competitions, there is no age limit and many competitions have divisions ranging from under-8s to over-40s. The game involves minimal contact and requires little equipment - a patch of grass, beach or gym and an oval ball.

For further information on Touch Football, visit www.austouch.com.au.

Touch Football in Victoria
In Victoria, there are more than 5,000 participants and it’s got a whole lot bigger after Touch Victoria introduced ‘Come and Try’ events in the lead up to the start of this season.

Touch Victoria has started up new competitions, including Bairnsdale Nagle, Box Hill, Endeavour Hills, Hamilton, Hume, Melton, Mornington, Portland and Wangaratta, and even more are planned.

Touch Victoria operations manager Nick Mooney believes that touch is becoming more popular because it’s social, fun, safe and easy to learn. “The game is mostly played on weekday evenings and involves little training or preparation, so it suits people’s busy lifestyles," says Nick. "It is an excellent summer sport to retain fitness for people who traditionally participate in winter sports."

For more information on where and when you can play Touch Football, visit www.victouch.com.au

VT League
Touch Victoria has also recently set up the Victorian Touch League or VT League as it is branded, which is an elite competition which takes the sport to new and existing audiences.

The four teams competing are Casey Cougars, Bayside Vipers, Melbourne City, University Blues. There are three major trophies up for grabs: the Licence Minor Premiership (highest combined points of both women's and men's teams at the end of the VT League regular season), Men's Championships and Women's Championships.

The grand final will be played on Saturday 1 December at Sharks Soccer Club, Port Melbourne.

For further information on the VT League games, click here

The mySport "Win an iPod" competition has just been drawn. In order to be in with a chance of winning an 80GB iPod, mySport members had to have more than five mySport friends.

And the winner is...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Mallory from NSW. Congratulations to Mallory. There's an 80GB iPod on it's way to you shortly.

Don't worry if you've missed out - there will be plenty more exciting competitions coming up soon on mySport.

Making friends with mySport is fun and easy. To invite your teammates, family and friends to join, click here.

To get the best performance out of your body, you have to put in the right fuel. mySport has teamed up with Sports Dietitians Australia to bring you expert nutrition advice that will improve your physical and mental performance and make sure you're not running on empty.

Here's a quick summary of the main points, or read on for further information.

1. Choose high carbohydrate, low fat foods that are familiar and well tolerated.
2. Experiment in training with the timing and type of meals and snacks to suit individual preferences and your sport
3. Practice different pre-exercise eating ideas in training, not during competition.
4. Develop a good pre-exercise drinking strategy to start exercise well hydrated.
5. Try a liquid or low fibre meal if pre-competition nerves or other factors cause GIT upset.
6. Monitor the effects of food and drink choices on your performance

Eating and drinking before sport

Why should I eat and drink before sport?
To perform well your body needs to have adequate carbohydrate fuel stores in the muscles and liver. Carbohydrate is stored in the muscles as glycogen to provide an important fuel source for sport. Carbohydrate is also stored as glycogen in smaller amounts in the liver. This glycogen reserve helps maintain blood glucose levels, and becomes very important during prolonged workouts or endurance sports. The normal overnight fast (during sleep) will lower liver glycogen stores, which in turn can reduce your endurance performance.
If you are training or competing each day, particularly if you do more than one session, it is crucial that you constantly replenish your muscle glycogen levels. The carbohydrate foods eaten in the last hours before sport can help to top up this important fuel. If you are training or competing a couple of times per week your carbohydrate requirements will be different to someone who trains daily. Carbohydrate requirements should be individualised to meet energy and activity levels.
Eating a carbohydrate rich meal or snack before sport gives you a much better chance of maintaining normal blood glucose levels and enhancing both physical and mental performance. Don’t forget the enjoyment of a favourite pre-sport meal can be a great confidence booster!
Dehydration in sport can ruin both your pleasure and performance. In most situations sweat loss during exercise is much greater than the amount of fluid an athlete can replace during a session. It therefore makes good sense to start any exercise session well hydrated to minimise the fluid deficit that will inevitably occur. This may mean drinking plenty of fluid with your pre-event meal or snack and having another drink 10-15 minutes before starting exercise. A small weight gain of 0.5-1kg above normal may occur with good hydration prior to exercise. However all athletes should be aware of their usual body weight and fluid requirements to avoid excessive fluid intake that could lead to significant weight gain and hyponatremia (low blood salt levels) during exercise.

What should I eat before sport?
As a guide the choice of meal, snack and fluids should be:
Easy to digest
Rich in carbohydrate
Low in fat
Foods and fluids that are familiar and enjoyable
Including plenty of fluids

The menu chosen should comfortably meet your training or competition needs, and be based on foods and fluids you know will be well tolerated. Experimenting with your competition plan during training is highly recommended. Trying new foods or fluids on the day of an important competition or event is unwise!

Stomach Upset
Athletes who easily get stomach upsets, runner’s diarrhoea or who have sensitive bowels may find it difficult to eat solid food before exercise. Reduced blood flow to the gut, dehydration and being nervous may all cause stomach upset. These athletes should try choosing low fibre carbohydrate foods, drinks or liquid meals and consider the timing of food intake. A reduced fibre intake can help prevent bloating, diarrhoea and stomach discomfort.
Liquid meals such as commercially available high carbohydrate drink supplements and home made fruit smoothies allow an athlete to fuel up without the full feeling. Eating solid meals earlier and switching to a liquid meal supplement or sports drink closer to exercise may help to avoid problems. In some athletes, legumes, spicy foods, excessive amounts of fruit and vegetables (especially if the skin is left on) and foods high in fat cause problems. See the smart pre-exercise eating ideas for low fibre suggestions.

Is Glycemic Index (GI) important?
High carbohydrate foods are great for topping up liver and muscle glycogen stores. It has been suggested that eating carbohydrate foods that are more slowly digested and absorbed (low Glycemic Index) may provide a sustained energy release that may help endurance exercise performance. Examples of low GI foods are baked beans, pasta, oats and most fruits.
Glycemic Index is discussed in the fact sheet number 7. Most studies have not shown a greater performance benefit of either low GI or high GI carbohydrates as a pre-event meal provided carbohydrate intake is adequate

Can I eat sugar before exercise?
Many athletes are concerned that eating sugar or sugary foods and drinks in the hour before exercise will affect performance. Eating carbohydrate foods including sugar will raise blood glucose and insulin levels. When these levels are elevated just prior to exercise there is potential for a rebound drop in blood glucose levels (hypoglycaemia) and an increased use of carbohydrate stores during exercise. This may not be good for an athlete’s performance and endurance.
However recent research indicates that for most people the drop in blood glucose levels is short lived. In most cases any metabolic changes are corrected within 15-20 minutes of exercise. Furthermore the athlete may actually benefit more from a glycogen boost from the extra carbohydrate.
Nevertheless it appears that a small group of athletes suffer from a pronounced reaction to carbohydrate intake in the hour prior to exercise. Therefore individuals should experiment with food intake before training to find a plan that works for them.
For some athletes this may mean avoiding carbohydrate containing foods and drinks in the hour before exercise, maintaining hydration with water. For others low GI carbohydrates in the hour before exercise might minimise unwanted side effects.

When should I eat and drink before exercise?
It is recommended that the pre-event meal is consumed 2-4 hours before competition. The decision will vary according to the type and timing of the event and needs to allow enough time for the meal to be emptied from the stomach. Anxiety can slow stomach emptying so if nerves are a problem you need to allow more time. It is important that the timing is right for stomach comfort – neither leaving you too full at the start nor hungry late in the session.
Some athletes can tolerate food closer to training or competition especially if there is only a limited recovery time. In this case carbohydrate containing fluids such as sports drink or liquid meal supplements can also be used effectively to meet pre-competition eating goals.
For events in the morning, an athlete might schedule their breakfast 2-3 hours prior. In the case of a very early start a larger supper the night before and a lighter snack or fluids only 1-2 hours before the event might be more appropriate. Those competing later in the day may choose to eat their normal meals in the earlier part of the day and then have a light snack 1-2 hours prior to the event.

Should I eat before exercise if I am trying to lose weight?
Many athletes believe that if they want to lose weight they should not eat before training sessions to burn more energy from fat. However the basis of any weight loss plan in athletes is modifying daily energy balance while maintaining training performance. Maintaining training performance means a greater energy use overall which will help with weight loss. Therefore an appropriate sized meal or snack eaten before training will help to maintain training performance. A sports dietitian can advise on eating well to maintain training and lose weight.

Smart pre-exercise eating ideas
The following foods have a good balance of Carbs, Fat and Fibre

Breakfast cereal + reduced fat milk + fruit

Porridge + reduced fat milk + fruit juice

Toasted muffins or crumpets + honey/jam/syrup

Toast with honey/jam/marmalade/Vegemite

Baked beans on toast

Low fat creamed rice + tinned fruit

Pasta topped with low fat tomato based sauce

Jacket potato + creamed corn

Low fat cereal bar/muesli bar/sports bar + banana

Roll or sandwich with banana & honey

Fresh fruit salad + low fat yoghurt or low fat dairy dessert

Smoothie with reduced fat milk + low fat yoghurt + any fruit

Soy smoothies with soy drink + blended fruit

Thanks to everyone who added The mySport Team to their friends list. So far, there are 477 of you, which makes us feel very popular and a little worried about remembering everyone's birthday.

Now that we're friends, we'd love to hear from you on what you like about mySport - and what you don't! mySport is your personal sports website to share your sporting experiences with your teammates, family and friends. If there is anything you'd like to see on mySport, then let us know by leaving a comment on our Sports Log, writing on our MessageBoard or through the Feedback link at the bottom of every page.

We really enjoy checking out all your mySport websites and reading your Sports Logs. We're planning to launch a mySport home page soon, where we will feature the best Sports Logs and the most active members, so keep writing about your sport, team and clubs and you might be famous (well, famous on mySport).

If you can't think of anything to write about on your Sports Log, you could always enter our Grassroots Greats competition and tell us about a somebody at your club who is a local hero. It could be a player, coach, volunteer, mum or dad - somebody who gives their time, commitment and passion week in and week out, season after season.

To enter all you have to do is add The mySport Team to your mySport Friends list and post a new entry on your Sports Log with "Grassroots Great" in the title. All entries will be collated into a Grassroots Greats section on the new mySport home page.

Talking of competitions, there are only two weeks left in our "Win an 80GB iPod!" competition. If you want to be in with a chance of winning, then all you have to do is have five mySport friends and you're in the draw. If you don't have five, then get busy inviting people to be your friend. You can add mySport members by clicking on the "Add to friends" link or you can invite anybody you like by clicking here.

See you on mySport!

The mySport Team

If you've not logged on to your mySport website recently, you're missing out on a whole host of exciting changes. mySport is still your free personal sports website, but now you can share your mySport website with your teammates, family and friends. And that's not all...

mySport is now a 'social networking' website capable of connecting every grassroots sports player and supporter. mySport members are connected through a common passion for grassroots sport, the clubs they play for and support, and the leagues they play in.

As a member of mySport, you can update your mySport page with your profile picture and choose your own mySport URL. Once you've done that you can invite everybody you know to join mySport and view your website, or you can search for other mySport members by name, club or interests and request to add them to your Friends list.

Another way of connecting with mySport members is by joining myCommunity on your league and club websites. From here you can add other members of myCommunity to your Friends list and you can choose to receive email communications from the league or club or sign up for email match reminders and or email notification when the website is updated.

Another major change to mySport is the introduction of Sports Logs. By keeping a Sports Log, you can have an online record of your sporting life or just a place to blog on whatever you like. You can write about a particular match you've played in or watched, or on an upcoming grand final involving your club. And you can upload photographs to be included in your Sports Log and illustrate your entry.

We hope the changes to mySport will give you the opportunity to share your passion for sport with your teammates, family, friends and the whole of the mySport community. We also want to hear from you if there are any features you'd like to see on mySport or on ways we could improve.

mySport is your own personal sports website. We hope you like it.

The mySport Team

When you join mySport you can invite teammates, family and friends to become your mySport Friend. Once you have more than five mySport friends, you will be entered in the draw to win an 80GB iPod Video, capable of storing up to 20,000 songs.

To enter this competition, login to your mySport page, click on invite and ask your friends to join.

Making friends with mySport is fun and easy - and could win you an 80GB Apple iPod Video. Once you have added five friends to your friends list - and everyone must have at least five friends from their team, club, family and friends who would like a mySport website and the chance to win an iPod - you will automatically be entered into the draw.

To get you started, you can become friends with a true AFL legend by logging into mySport and clicking here.

The competition closes on 31 October and winners will be announced in the mySport Newsletter (see Terms & Conditions below).

mySport Win an iPod Competition Terms & Conditions

By entering the competition you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions.
1. To enter the competition all you have to do is be a member of mySport and have five friends on your mySport friends list.
2. The opening date for the competition is 22 August 2007, and the closing date is 30 October 2007. Winners will be determined (from valid entries) by SportingPulse.
3. You agree that proof of registration to mySport shall not be proof of SportingPulse's receipt of any entry.
4.The competition is only open to mySport members. Employees of SportingPulse and their families may not participate in the competition.
5. Prizes are subject to availability and may be altered or varied at SportingPulse's entire discretion and substituted with prizes which, in SportingPulse's sole opinion, are suitable alternatives. No cash alternative is available.
6. Winners will be notified of their success within 90 days of the closing date. Winners agree to take part in post-competition publicity at the request of SportingPulse.
7. SportingPulse shall own the entire copyright and all other rights in and to all submitted entries.
8.The promoter of this competition is SportingPulse

mySport members who display any Fixtures, Results and Ladders from the SportingPulse portal can be connected to those leagues and clubs as a member of their myCommunity - if they choose to make their mySport websites public.

By clicking on the link to the league or club in your myCommunity section of your mySport website, you can state your connections to that organisations and display these connections on your mySport website.


myCommunity is a 'social network' of players, past players, coaches, staff, supporters and friends. You can choose to receive communications from your leagues or clubs and add myCommunity members to your mySport Friends list.

mySport members are already part of myCommunity if they display the fixtures, results and ladders on their mySport website, or receive email match reminders and results upload notifications, from your league or club, but their name and profile picture will not be displayed unless they make their website public.

If they do make their mySport website public, they will be displayed in the myCommunity page which lists all public members.

For every sporting champion who reaches the top of their chosen sport, there's an army of unsung heroes playing, coaching or working behind the scenes to keep clubs and leagues going. Grassroots sport provides the strong roots for stars to flourish and is filled with people who give their time, commitment and passion week in and week out, season after season.

mySport wants to hear about the unsung heroes of your club or league. To enter all you have to do is add The mySport Team to your mySport Friends list and post a new entry on your Sports Log with "Grassroots Great" in the title. All entries will be collated into a Grassroots Greats mySport website.

Here's to the real heroes of sport
SportingPulse commercial manager Justin Nelson salutes the army of volunteers who dedicate themselves to their sport and talks to SportingPulse CEO Nick Maywald on how SportingPulse software is helping save volunteer time.