Footy crisis: ‘Out of umpires’

Andrew Mathieson
GEELONG’S football umpire boss fears that “unqualified” supporters will be forced to officiate junior games and put players’ safety in jeopardy this season.
Umpire ranks have failed to reach anticipated levels just weeks from the start of the football season in three senior and one regional junior competitions. Geelong Football Umpires League expects to retain 100 umpires, about 30 short of last year’s minimum target.
Geelong Football Umpires League general manager Bill Fulton said junior players would suffer if spectators with no umpiring training or experience were forced to take control of games.
“The problem we’ll get is having unqualified people umpiring games when they don’t know the rules and they don’t have the ability to dictate control or apply discipline,” Mr Fulton said.
Umpiring ranks were now struggling to keep pace with the rapid expansion of Geelong Junior Football League, with more than 50 games most Saturdays.
Mr Fulton ruled out cancelling junior football games but predicted an uphill battle for local umpiring during his sixth season in charge.
“Umpiring has never been anything else other than a crisis in my time here but I can honestly say we’ve been able to hold our ground,” he said.
“Local clubs have been forced to appoint their own members to umpire reserve games under a training program from the GFUL.”
Mr Fulton also took a swipe at local clubs, calling on them to push former players to switch to umpiring.
He said the football community also had to stop “abusing and criticising” umpires.
Football Geelong chief executive Lee Hartman said local leagues had little choice but to allow unqualified umpires to officiate, even risking litigation.
“We’ll go along similar lines with club umpires (in reserves). Those people in the past have had limited training and, although they’re now stepping up their training, the last two seasons they have basically put on a shirt and just gone out there and it’s been okay.”