It’s a tough gig, there’s no mistaking that. The umpires in our great game are never going to get everything right, and often they’re going to give a few dodgy decisions here and there.
Yes, it’s just part of the game, but there are ways of helping the situation.
The AFL could start by employing the umpires full-time.
Currently, there are 110 people that make up the entire umpiring crew. Without these guys, there wouldn’t be a game. But they also have are jobs outside of umpiring. They umpire on the weekends, train two nights a week and undertake rigorous coaching, but by trade the umpires vary from school teachers to solicitors.
It’s understandable that the umpires need a life away from football, but if the AFL wants to get serious it must employ them full-time.
Currently, field umpires can earn as much as $80,000 a year while the top-earning goal and boundary umpires can earn up to $40,000. For a part-time gig, it’s not a bad coin.
But why not make the umpires full-time and pay them more? This is a radical plan that the AFL has looked into for the future, but this needs to start sooner rather than later.
It would mean these guys become genuine professionals at what they do. They would have their whole focus on their umpiring, and in turn can improve themselves to become better umpires. Just what us fans are always asking for.
And it’s not as though the AFL isn’t financially capable of providing this; Big Andrew is running a sporting giant here.
The AFL players are full-time professionals, so why not make the umpires full-time too? Give the umpires a clear career path, giving them the same opportunity the players get. The men in the lime green work hard, and like the players, they are dedicated, high-performance athletes.
In the modern game, we are seeing it become a more professional sport, and this is the next step for the AFL. You never know, it might encourage younger people to undertake the challenging task.
And who knows, maybe the AFL embarking on such a change could mean less centre-bounce re-calls, holding the ball decisions that are inconsistent, and also means that marking contests are less confusing to understand.
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