It’s NOT okay to abuse umpires

"If we want a genuine funnel of umpires coming through I think we need to change our language and how they're seen in the game.If you have a look at the pipeline coming through, it's bloody tough to get people to sign up to be an umpire because it's even harder at this (lower) level.'' - Ray Hocking April 2019

Umpire abuse must stop, plain and simple. There are few things in this world that grinds my gears more than those who feel that it is perfectly fine to abuse umpires.. either on the ground, or on the other side of the fence.

The above quote from Ray Hocking sums up things nicely, that it is hard to sign people up as umpires, and in order to change it, the language and approach towards umpires needs to be better.

Umpires have been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons in 2019, and in recent times, it has seen umpire abuse at matches have fans removed from the game.

”They need to toughen up!”

”They’re a bunch of snow flakes!”

”This is a PC world gone mad!”

”We should boycott AFL matches by not going!”

”We have been doing it for years!”

Say many on social media who are upset that the AFL is cracking down on their so called ‘chosen right’ to bad-mouth umpires on the sidelines.

I can definitely tell you what has been happening for years, and that is abuse to umpires and turning people away from the game. Kids pick up the habit in the crowd at AFL games, take it to their junior games, grow up to play at Senior level, have kids of their own and continue that behaviour on the sidelines at junior matches while their kids do the same thing. These people are being removed from clubs and umpires are turning away in droves.

Fans at AFL games refuse to accept the fact that what happens in the coliseum on match days does carry down to local level. Kids and adults treat their local football as AFL standard. I remember numerous conversations with young kids who I questioned on the football field about their decision to abuse me and other umpires. Their response was simple, ‘it happens at the AFL.’

The AFL’s decision to crack down on umpire abuse on the ground and on the sidelines is not a knee-jerk reaction. The AFL has had a look at the rapidly declining growth of field umpires coming through the junior, senior, country and metropolitan ranks and have ran surveys on why people give up umpiring. Abuse is the leading cause.

In the same article that Ray Hocking was interviewed for, he also states that there is a quality group of 34 field umpires in the AFL, and if they need to be replaced, attitudes have to change. As in, the quality and numbers in the system below is not so good. If people aren’t happy now with the current batch of officials, those coming up behind them still have a long way to go to replace them.

The AFL is not making this stance for the sake of thrusting itself into the spotlight. It needs to lead from the front in order to change the behaviour for the future of the game and perhaps the attitudes of local players who love the AFL, will follow through.

I have had the pleasure of umpiring since 2006. Like the move to Queensland in the AFL umpire fraternity up here, I contacted my local umpire association in May that year. Back then, I asked if it was okay to sign up and have a run. I was 19.

In my first or second year, I had my first and perhaps long-lasting dark experience as an umpire. Barely a dozen games in. It was a grade where kicking off the ground was prohibited. I was the only field umpire in the game. A player from one team kicked the ball out of the air in the dying moments, and after some confusion, I made it a goal, and that determined the result of the game.

The losing coach was irate. He tore me to shreds after the game, laid into me like no other individual verbally has before. I did not see eye-to-eye with that person for five or six years. What made it worse is that I played my junior football with that club.

I could have easily walked away, I probably should have. I was shy and nervous, who could blame me if I did? I stuck to it.

I later turned my hand to observing young umpires in games before mine, even shadowing them. While watching on the sidelines, I saw 14-year-old kids umpiring Under 16s football, being put on trial by the crowd and the players. It was atrocious. A number of the kids that I watched, gave it up at season’s end. Can you blame them? These disgraceful so-called ‘true fans’ of the game only saw the colour that represents the officials, and disregard the age of the umpire and the difficulty of the role. They were verbally ripping into kids younger than theirs. Imagine if I did that to their kids? They would hate it, and would be the first people on the planet to come up with an excuse not to umpire. The joke is on them, they might just have to in the future.

We have seen clubs and leagues take strong stances on umpire behaviour. The league that I currently officiate in has a minimum two-week suspension for umpire abuse, not a fine, not one week, but two weeks or more. I attended a match recently where a player was suspended more for abusing the umpire for being sent off rather than the reason he was sent off in the first place.

And it has been said that attitudes around clubs have changed, it has to. It is a way for clubs to remove bad behaviour that makes them more welcoming, and avoid any discretions from the powers above. We are perhaps seeing better people around clubs because there has been some history of people who are not only bad towards umpires, but carry that to other areas of the club.

Umpire numbers are rapidly declining at a scary rate. One group I have been associated with saw a drop off of more than 30-percent in membership in the off-season alone. This association lost a number of key umpires to the VFL development program.

At country football, we are seeing club volunteers forced to officiate at Reserve Grade and under in some competitions because there isn’t the numbers from the local association to fill the numbers. I’ve watched many of these games, many who have limited experience in umpiring but have a go. I’ve seen a number of these games where these volunteers are being torn to shreds from players on the ground and supporters on the sidelines. It is absolutely disgraceful. And these same people would not have the courage to have a go themselves.

An argument is being tossed around that umpires get paid well, they should not be subjected to criticism. I’m going to de-bunk that pretty easily - good enough money needs to be offered to potential umpires because there is no way, with current attitudes towards field umpires that anyone would do it for the love. A high-figure needs to be offered for many to consider it. Would you umpire a game of football for free and still cop the abuse from the sidelines and players? I enjoy my umpiring, but if the money wasn’t as appealing, I would reconsider it until attitudes changed.

The rise in popularity in female football is amazing for the overall competition but is killing the numbers at local umpire associations. With an already decreasing list to struggle to match the numbers required without female football, the addition of female matches stretches the association’s list even greater. We are seeing multiple umpires each week umpiring more games to facilitate the need, and making it difficult for officials to continue to back up with focus and fitness for more games each weekend. The supply and demand simply isn’t there and if you’re going to have more people play the game, you need more umpires to officiate.

It really grinds my gears for people to think that it’s okay to abuse umpires at any level, as a player or otherwise. These people believe it’s their right. The AFL is working towards stamping out racism, and promoting gender equality. It is doing so much work in the mental health space, particularly for men. Despite this and the growing support from the football fraternity, when the AFL decide to put steps in place to punish bullying, they feel like their whole supporting rights have been removed, and want to disassociate themselves from the game. We are talking about mental health. We want a society where people are comfortable to speak up.

”You’re either part of the solution, or you’re part of the problem,” and many of these people are part of the problem. They need to understand that what is happening at the top is part of the bigger picture. We are seeing club numbers struggling at local levels, but a greater, inclusive attitude change towards people involved with the game might encourage more people to get involved.

Umpires are going to make mistakes, much like the players. It is easily the hardest, most difficult game to officiate. It takes a split second for someone to walk in front of you to alter your view to change the outcome of a decision.

In my years involved in football, I have had my good days and bad days. Your bad days get worse when you lament on a decision that should have been paid five-minutes earlier, resulting in more bad decisions paid. Players, spectators are quick to point out a mistakes you make when in reality, you have made many decisions between the alleged act and the conversation taking place. You need to move on with it.

I have had my days where I’ve pulled the whistle out of my hand and forced it into the player’s hand and tell them to do better. I’ve had players stand there and complain about a non-decision when the ball is next to them. I get my white line fever and tell them off for focusing on me and not the ball.

I’ve had my good days in football where players have a laugh with you on the ground and shake your hand at the end of the game. When I’m out there, I’m a footy fan. I applaud the players when they kick a big goal or take a great mark. I will constantly check on players if they are playing hurt or received a bad bump. I love working in a team with the other umpires. I prefer Under 18s/Colts/19.5s football because you can educate players on the ground about your decision making and you can build a connection with them. I have the best seat in the house to all the great marks and all the great goals. I would say as a true footy fan, being on the sidelines is a waste, being an umpire is the best seat.

I will never tolerate any excuse for why anyone feels that umpire abuse is a good thing. I think of the young kids that get treated like adults, I think of the people who have the courage to give it a go, and as an AFL fan, I go and watch and admire the efforts of the players and the umpires, because it’s all part of the game. Everyone makes mistakes. Umpires will make their fair share, but of the thousands of decisions they personally make each game, they get so much more right.

Before you complain, have you had a go yet?