Being an umpire or referee in any sport is a tough, and often thankless job. You are constantly assessed and criticised by the vast majority of people that are watching, even if the viewer has little or no idea of what is happening with the game.
These people look at one thing: free kicks. Namely, free kicks that they disagree with, usually for the reason that it went against their team.
On the other end, you often have a coach or assessor at the ground, whose job it is to evaluate your performance. These people look at everything you do; positioning, game control, body language, communication.
There is a whole side to officiating a game that most people only notice when something goes really wrong.
Like a footy club, umpires work as a team. From a junior game with two field umpires, right up to a full panel of 11 umpires (three field, four boundary, two goal, two emergency), everyone works together on the day to minimise the incorrect calls. It is not uncommon to hear another umpire yell “nice bounce” or “good throw” after good execution in a game. Alongside positioning, teamwork is one of the major factors affecting how many incorrect decisions are made in a game.
During the week, just like a footy club, umpires train together. Twice a week, the umpires from the local area will go through drills to improve their fitness and skills.
Also like a club, sometimes everyone will train together, whether you are state league level, or about to do your first Under-12s game as a teenager. Other times, people train separately, so that the session is at a pace that will suit everyone.
The general football population expects umpires to be perfect. On the one hand, I see this as a compliment; that perfection is within reach. If the level of officiating was consistently lower than the expected level, then expectations would be altered to reflect this. However, the expectation is still that there will be so few mistakes in a game, that those mistakes can be individually discussed (and often criticised).
There is a saying around the umpiring world: “The day you have a perfect game is the day you retire.” In other words, there is always room to improve.
But umpires are only human. In one game, a field umpire will make many thousand decisions (or non-decisions), all in real time, with less than a second to process each one. Then you have the distractions: the crowd, the weather, players, runners, trainers, all in the same space as you. All it takes for one of these people to obstruct your view of a contest is to run past at the wrong time. In the blink of an eye, you may have ‘missed’ something, even though you are in perfect position.
Spectators often think they have a free pass when talking about umpires. They believe that it is their ‘right’ to use abusive language, and insult the umpire as a person because of what they do.
In a game I officiated earlier this year, a player going for the ball was crunched in a big (but legal) hip-and-shoulder from a much larger opponent. The opponent who laid the hit was very sportsmanlike, checked that the injured player was okay, and signalled to the bench when the answer was no. The player was helped from the field by his team’s trainers, and the game continued.
A few minutes later, at the three-quarter-time break, the injured player’s mother stormed out onto the field (into the area that is set aside for only umpires), swearing at us, calling us incompetent, and demanding that the player who laid the bump be reported and sent off the field.
A polite explanation of our course of action was met with increased abuse from the woman, who had to be taken away by some of her son’s teammates to settle down.
Another example, and one that I am less proud of, was from earlier in my career as an umpire. A young field umpire was just starting out, and learning very quickly. A group of us were in the stands to provide some support to the umpire (a common occurrence), when again, a player’s mother was complaining about every ‘mistake’ that the umpire made, even though most of the complaints were completely baseless.
A few of the less tolerant in the group (including the young umpire’s brother) quickly figured out who the lady’s son was, moved directly behind her, and started to make comments every time he missed a kick or dropped a mark. The mother didn’t take long to get annoyed at the complaints about her son, and asked why they were singling out her son like that. When they pointed out that she had been doing the same to one of their friends, her response was, “But he’s an umpire.”
After a few minutes to calm down, both groups apologised to each other.
But what happens if you don’t have a group of semi-confrontational people willing to stand up against that ingrained abuse? A lot of spectators don’t even realise what they are saying about the umpire, and some believe that because they are talking about an umpire, they can say what they want.
A shift away from the abuse of officials at higher levels is slowly filtering down through competitions, but there needs to be more people pushing this message right through to the grass-roots level, as that is breeding ground not just for players, but the next generation of officials as well.
Robert Murphy has been a vocal proponent of showing umpires more respect, and a favourite quote of his sticks with me for every game of sport that I watch, officiate, spectate, or am involved in any capacity:
“For anyone going to the footy this week, at any level, raise a glass to the umps. Footy needs them.”
In closing, I have a simple request: imagine the umpire or referee out there giving up their time to run the game is your son, daughter, brother, sister, best friend or teammate. If you wouldn’t say what you are thinking to them, why should someone else have to cop it, just because ‘they are an umpire’?
Rod Miller
Guest
I umpire in a number of high profile leagues in Victoria and I have to go to the football alone because my wife and kids cannot stand listening to the abuse that is directed towards me as an umpire. What gives these people the right to speak to me in this fashion? I am expected to speak to the players respectfully and maintain a high standard of behaviour towards officials and spectators. Should I not be given the same respect.
dave
Guest
As an umpire who retired this year after 24 years boundary and goal,I totally agree with all your sentiments.I still yell at afl umpires but I have been in a similar position and afl umps cant hear the abuse. How do I print your article for use as a speech?
Cris Fitz
Guest
Great article Daniel - couldn't agree more. I have umpired junior AFL for the past 6 years, and throughly enjoyed the experience. Best seat in the house! But the abuse does wear you down sometimes. You just have to believe in yourself and have the confidence to say ' I called it how I saw it, and I'm doing the best I can' I also believe the AFL commission do not do anywhere near enough to support umpires, from grass roots to league. Umpire abuse is tolerated by the commission, despite the (rare and often muted) comments made by them. A spectator at an AFL match hurls abuse at the umpires as they leave the ground - move on, nothing to see here. Do it to players walking down the race it's back page of the Herald Sun, press releases and even bans. Same problem, different action. If the commission was serious about retaining and supporting umpires they could do much more.
Dave
Guest
Hi Daniel, I came across your little piece via a an umpiring mate on Face Book. I normally wouldn't offer comment on articles like yours but feel I must as I am sick of the "Poor me, I'm an umpire please leave me alone, this is a tough gig jargon". As a former player, coach and umpire, al 3 are open to negative comments from spectators, players etc. Fellow umpires are no angels on this matter either (which H I'll get to later). My experience is that umpiring is by far the easiest of the lot, provided one has the right attitude. All you are as an umpire is a spectator with a whistle. By that I mean if you only pay the obvious frees and never guess (pay what you actually see), you'll get it right most of the time. As far as crowd abuse goes, I found that I very rarely heard it. When I was appointed my first senior GF, my wife was pretty proud & brought along my two young sons to watch. After the game they were no where to be seen so I rang my lovely wife to ask her whereabouts? She replied that the abuse that I was receiving from the crowd was appalling and she didn't want the kids to hear it. Fair enough, but me out in the middle didn't hear any abuse. The game was close all day and the crowd noise in the middle was just a muffled roar in the background. The hardest job out of the 3 by far is the role of the coach. Everyone has an opinion on what you're doing, you have to sell your plan to the team, the club, committee & supporters. You are a psychologist, a mentor, a leader, a disciplinary, an organiser etc. most nights are spent planning training, game plans, player management etc. When you go to bed your mind is still ticking over about something you could do better....you can't switch off. Back to being an umpire, I took it up to challenge myself at age 34 & I did it for 10 years & was lucky enough to officiate in 6 GF's. I've experienced being knocked out by an accidental bump to the head whilst I was running backwards (I have no memory of what happened), had spectators try to break down the change room door to get at us after a pre lim (that was scary) & I've been reported by a club which was thrown out later after investigation. I'm saying this to agree that there are some tough times to umpiring as there is a cross all eras of sport. But that's life mate, toughen up & get on with it. I really can't stand this poor me I'm a victim attitude. I found that in most games where the umps got together to watch the senior guys (most prevalent during finals) that they would be the worst offenders of knocking their mates decisions. "Bloody hell, what did he pay that for?", "What was he thinking", "Check out his poor positioning" etc. The worst part is leading into finals when umpires are competing for finals games, you all turn on each other. Publicly hang shit on each other, try to get your partner to make mistakes on game day whilst being observed. In conclusion, umpiring can be fun, keeps you fit, teaches you the laws and interpretations of the game, gives you confidence to handle conflict, etc. It's not a hard job at all but yes, you will face the odd hardship (again, that's life). Please, no more poor umpires crap.
jax
Guest
I enjoyed the article Daniel. I'm not one to abuse the ump but I know that many view it as their right for the price of admission. I have a few questions. * would more field umpires reduce umpiring mistakes? It's the missed and soft frees that annoy most fans (and any inconsistencies) and with 3 field umps you expect (rightly or wrongly) that if one misses it (for whatever reason) another should pick it up. * How much can/does a home crowd influence a decision? I'd encourage you to keep writing (and also commenting) throughout the season and share the umps perspective. It will only help in the long run. I'm glad that you stepped up and wrote this article, well done!
Daniel Willcox
Roar Rookie
Hi Simmo, There are protocols that occur in for AFL. Umpires have the ability in junior footy to use a sin-bin style send off, and in senior footy, report a player to a tribuneral that will decide the penalty handed down. There are Match Managers at every match from the home team, that are the umpires first point of call for any instances of crowd misbehaviour. In all levels of footy up until the AFL itself, serious instances of abuse towards umpires can (and almost always do) result in the player being sent off for the rest of the game, and sent to the tribuneral as well. I have been umpiring AFL for 10 years now, as well as many seasons of soccer, cricket and futsal, and agree that needing to remove abusive spectators from the playing area is an unfortunate, yet necessary part of our jobs, and relies on the cooperation of the clubs and Match Managers appointed, to support the on field officials to ensure this runs as smoothly as possible.
simmo green
Guest
The concerning issue that arises in this article is the seeming lack of AFL protocols when it comes to abusive spectators/players. Rugby, from U5s through to senior competition has a very strict set of rules when it comes to behaviour. Ground Marshalls are compulsory at all junior/school matches, while Clubs may be subject to significant fines if the sideline lacks composure. Abuse is not tolerated and swearing at a referee provokes an immediate red card. Non negotiable. I've been refereeing for 10 seasons and not only sent players from the field, but had spectators ejected from venues. Most refs will accept some banter, but abuse means serious outcomes
Daniel Willcox
Roar Rookie
Hi MJ! There will always be different levels of respect in different grades throughout Australia. The large positive that I see there is a competition full of 12 and 13 year olds that are setting a good example and respecting the umpires! It is frustrating to be on the other end of the scale, and hopefully the women realise that they need to change their attitude next season. The times this year that I was mentoring younger umpires in the junior/youth girls/women's competitions, I was pleasantly surprised with the conduct of the players, so let's hope there is more good conduct over the next year! The welfare of the players is always the number 1 priority. As you mentioned, you have the responsibility to ensure that the injured player gets care that is needed at that situation. It is worth cutting a game short to ensure that a player with a possibly serious injury gets the medial attention needed. It's good to hear that the player was okay. Umpiring really is a thankless task, and you have shown your commitment to AFL in action. Umpiring two games, and playing another is a huge day, and doing this over a full season would be a lot of time away from your family and friends. Sport cannot occur to the level that we know it without the sacrifice similar to what you have, and what you look like continuing with. For that I thank you, and wish you all the best with your future in footy, whether that be umpiring, playing, coaching, or any other avenue you pursue.
Daniel Willcox
Roar Rookie
Hi Frank! With the advances in technology, and more and more forums like this available for discussion of current events, AFL isn't an exception. Mostly this is great for footy, as people can share their opinions with like minded fans. Unfortunately, there will always be people believing they have the right to abuse the umpires. It was with good cause that the vilification of Adam Goodes was condemned, racism has no place in today's world, and footy is no example of that. In the same vein, being an umpire should not allow a free pass to receive abuse from other supporters. We, as AFL fans, are better than that! My solution that has worked okay (and is similar to the second story above) is to call the person out! Mention that their comments are not acceptable in a public forum, and that umpires are people as well, At the higher levels (AFL, State Leagues, First Grade competitions), the respect for the umpires is generally increasing, and with a greater awareness, this will slowly filter through to the other grades!
Daniel Willcox
Roar Rookie
It is a story that I enjoy, but still am a little embarrassed that it went that way! Those reactions are more common than you might think, a lot of people forget that the umpires/referees are people as well! I spent most of this year umpiring in the AFL Canberra first grade competition, and at the grand final, a group us umpires in the stands got into a little good-spirited banter with one teams supporters, and they were surprised that we would do that!
Daniel Willcox
Roar Rookie
Thanks Vocans! This was the first time that I have tried writing something like this. I happened to be sitting in Melbourne Airport in transit and just felt the urge to write a lot of random thoughts down, which ultimately became this! I'm glad to see that you enjoyed the insight, being out on the field is well and truly the best view of the footy! The AFL have taken some steps this year to get the view of the Umpires as a whole out to the public, through the "Whistleblowers" Podcasts with Nat Edwards/Hayden Kennedy/Luke Ball each week, explaining why some of the calls were made each week. It is good to see the difference in perspective from an umpiring (Hayden Kennedy umpired almost 500 AFL games, and is the current AFL Field Umpires Coach) and players (Luke Ball - Former Player on the Laws of the Game committee). If you are looking for a little more perspective, I would definitely recommend watching this if you get the chance each week! On another note, this is becoming more commonplace in sport lately. During the week, Ben Williams, an A-League referee (who also refereed at the 2015 FIFA World Cup) apologised for not making the correct call on a penalty decision, and explained the reason why he made the other call. Also, have a look at the article linked above from Robert Murphy (as well as a few other pieces he has written about AFL Umpires) to hear a little of his experiences while training with the umpires. I'm hoping to do a few more of these if I ever get any more impulses or experiences umpiring. It's been a great first 10 years of umpiring for me, so there are many stories to be told if it comes to it.
Daniel Willcox
Roar Rookie
Hi Wayne, I'm sorry to hear that, being called a cheat is one of the worst thing to say to an umpire that is out there doing their best! Luckily, with every instance similar to this that I have encountered has been well dealt with. The structure of the rules allow for a send off, or sin-bin in Junior footy, and filing a report or incident report with the league in senior footy. The higher ups in most leagues know the importance of umpires, and will do their best to make sure this doesn't happen again! Being an umpire (or any other named official) is tough in any sport. Let's hope that spectators start to realise this, and give all umpires a nicer run, for the good of the future game!
MJ
Guest
Indeed it's often not the blokes i have trouble with when i officiate. Last season every under 13s player I umpired behaved in an exemplary manner. Unfortunately most of the women's matches I was in charge of I had issues with the players thinking they could do better. Sadly Ihad to curtail a game last year when a youngster was crunched by a team mate and complained about neck problems. Whether it was the right or wrong thing to do in my mind is irrelevant, kids his age complaining of neck soreness etc can't be messed around with (ambulance called for, player not moved, at least everyone understood what was happening so nobody complained). If I continued the game I would have been liable if anything really bad happened. Fortunately the lad is OK. Talk about thankless tasks, the Under 13s up here are usually played at 830 AM, the women's at closer to 5 PM, amd I've often played a full game between. Then when all i want to do after the women's game is to have a shower, everyone else wants to pack up and go home, and I can't have a shower if i want to avoid walking about an hour or so back home. I know this year I'll be happy to goal umpire women's games but not field umpire.
Frank R
Roar Rookie
It's not only the abuse copped at the game. Some of the defaming statements made by bloggers unfortunately on this site as well might initially come across as the rantings of a mad person. While this is not my preferred course of action maybe blogs such as these should be banned / deleted from this site as well. The vilification of Goodes is condemned but umpires are named and labelled as cheat and vilified. Being a losing but ardent supporter is no excuse. Yes unless someone comes up with a better solution ban then from the site.
Nicholas Belardo
Roar Guru
Sorry, but I loved the second story. A mate of mine when i was at uni is a referee in the first grade rugby league comp in Canberra, and we were sitting in front of people making all sorts of comments about the referees at a raiders game we went to. Their reaction when he tool off his tracksuit to go help out with the half time stuff with the kids on field in his uniform was priceless!
Vocans
Guest
Great article Daniel. I value this glimpse into the umpire's world. It would no doubt improve the umpire's lot if more of this kind of stuff was disseminated across the media. I'd really like to get the umpire's view on a number of things about which they are well placed to comment. BUT I guess the AFL might not like another uncontrollable variable potentially making waves. Nevertheless, transparency and broadly educational inputs would greatly benefit the game. Fans often don't understand why certain things are done across the game at all levels, and are often frustrated. The Roar often helps here, but it would be great if it was common place. It's good to think the game as well as watch or play it.
Wayne
Roar Guru
I'm an umpire, have been called a cheat while umpiring. Sadly common occurrence, with people forgetting when a player makes a mistake, but not when umpires make one. As a lot of sports are finding, no one wants to umpire. Can't blame them, you cope a lot of abuse.