Anybody here put on the uniform, held the ball up in the air to get the timekeepers to blow the siren, and umpired a full game of Aussie Rules footy?
I think it would do the entire Aussie Rules community a tremendous amount of good if every passionate fan were to umpire one, even just one, game of local footy - be it U10s, U16s, Ressies or Seniors (obviously you'd want them starting at the easier end of the scale so as not to harm the outcome of a more important match, but you get my drift).
I'm not playing footy this season as I am still overcoming some long-term soft tissue niggles which have been plaguing me. Decided to keep involved and earn some cash by taking up umpiring. I was hoping to mainly do goal umpiring to save the legs but they asked me to do some junior field umpiring as well so, next thing you know, after well over 150 matches of footy at underage and reserve/senior level, fairdinkum is a field umpire.
Anyway, they threw me in the deep end and my first few matches have all been by myself. Mostly U12s so far. Let me tell you, it is a whole different thing to actually be out there doing the adjudicating and everything else that goes with the gig. Here's a few things:
1) Prematch responsibilities. Talking to the coaches/managers. Checking players' boots etc. Sorting out the timekeepers. More to it than simply rocking up and running around a bit.
2) Decision-making. I've said for a while that our game has too many grey areas. Yeah, well, try actually umpiring this shit. One man's 'in the back' is another man's 'fair tackle'. One man's 'holding the ball' is another man's 'no prior opportunity'. And so on and so forth in so many areas. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Our game will never ever take off around the world so long as it has so many grey areas - which it likely always will.
3) Vision. If you are umpiring by yourself, it is so hard to make sure players don't do stuff off the ball. A player kicks the ball down the line and you naturally want to look to the next contest but you have to make sure he isn't slung after the kick etc. Two eyes are not enough.
4) Keeping control. If you want to let the game go rather than ping each little indiscretion, players can easily start to push the boundary and next thing you know you have to basically draw a line mid-game. For instance, if you want to reward the player getting to the ball first and picking it up by not pinging him if he is immediately tackled and he fails to dispose of it properly, before too long every player is taking on every tackler and you have to basically scapegoat one of them to bring the rest into line.
5) Putting up with mug spectators. Sure enough, when one player goes that bit too far and tries to take on a tackler after having more than enough time to get rid of it and you ping him, there's some idiot on the boundary line yelling, 'you weren't paying holding the ball before'.
6) Not getting invested in the game. Maybe it is because I played for so many crap sides growing up but it is hard not to feel for the players (especially the real triers) on the losing side if it is a big margin starting to build. Also you can just tell some players are good, honest footballers and it is harder to ping them than some other players who you just know are either shit blokes or will be when they grow up.
7) Communication. You are focussed on the ball, constantly analysing player movements/actions/etc, and you need to (if you are doing your job properly) continually yell out 'play on - no prior', 'play on - nothing in it', etc etc. Sometimes I simply stuff up and say, for instance, 'play on - good tackle' when what I meant was, 'play on - good tap'. Only a little thing but it is still annoying, but I'm getting better.
8) Giving votes. Dead-set, after one match I basically had to pick a random player to give the final vote to because I had little idea who to give it to during the match. Sometimes a player will catch your eye and you think, 'Yep, #5 for the home team, he's going alright', and I try to think about the decent players at 1/2 and 3/4 time, but you are just too focussed on the play to take much notice of the individual players while the contest is on.
9) Post-match responsibilities. You get home, all you want to do is sink a can and watch the final match of the round on an illegal stream, then you remember you have to fill out the paperwork to post the next day and email the results (incl. votes) that night. Eugh.
Particularly with regards to 2-5 above, if you haven't umpired a game of footy before, you simply don't know what you are talking about when it comes to what the job entails and how difficult it can be. Also, I care a lot less about League B&F's now that I know how hard it is to give votes. Probably a lot easier when you have two or more umpires (and certainly a lot easier at AFL level when umpires tend to know every player by name) but still, it can be a lottery.
If you've never umpired a game of footy and consider yourself an expert on Aussie Rules, or if you are somebody who is quick to criticise the umpires when you are sitting at home in front of the telly or at the match itself, do yourself and everybody else a favour and give your local footy league's umpiring dept a ring. Depending on how many umps they have on their roster, you could probably get a game within a fortnight.
Go on, just do one game. I highly recommend it.
I think it would do the entire Aussie Rules community a tremendous amount of good if every passionate fan were to umpire one, even just one, game of local footy - be it U10s, U16s, Ressies or Seniors (obviously you'd want them starting at the easier end of the scale so as not to harm the outcome of a more important match, but you get my drift).
I'm not playing footy this season as I am still overcoming some long-term soft tissue niggles which have been plaguing me. Decided to keep involved and earn some cash by taking up umpiring. I was hoping to mainly do goal umpiring to save the legs but they asked me to do some junior field umpiring as well so, next thing you know, after well over 150 matches of footy at underage and reserve/senior level, fairdinkum is a field umpire.
Anyway, they threw me in the deep end and my first few matches have all been by myself. Mostly U12s so far. Let me tell you, it is a whole different thing to actually be out there doing the adjudicating and everything else that goes with the gig. Here's a few things:
1) Prematch responsibilities. Talking to the coaches/managers. Checking players' boots etc. Sorting out the timekeepers. More to it than simply rocking up and running around a bit.
2) Decision-making. I've said for a while that our game has too many grey areas. Yeah, well, try actually umpiring this shit. One man's 'in the back' is another man's 'fair tackle'. One man's 'holding the ball' is another man's 'no prior opportunity'. And so on and so forth in so many areas. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Our game will never ever take off around the world so long as it has so many grey areas - which it likely always will.
3) Vision. If you are umpiring by yourself, it is so hard to make sure players don't do stuff off the ball. A player kicks the ball down the line and you naturally want to look to the next contest but you have to make sure he isn't slung after the kick etc. Two eyes are not enough.
4) Keeping control. If you want to let the game go rather than ping each little indiscretion, players can easily start to push the boundary and next thing you know you have to basically draw a line mid-game. For instance, if you want to reward the player getting to the ball first and picking it up by not pinging him if he is immediately tackled and he fails to dispose of it properly, before too long every player is taking on every tackler and you have to basically scapegoat one of them to bring the rest into line.
5) Putting up with mug spectators. Sure enough, when one player goes that bit too far and tries to take on a tackler after having more than enough time to get rid of it and you ping him, there's some idiot on the boundary line yelling, 'you weren't paying holding the ball before'.
6) Not getting invested in the game. Maybe it is because I played for so many crap sides growing up but it is hard not to feel for the players (especially the real triers) on the losing side if it is a big margin starting to build. Also you can just tell some players are good, honest footballers and it is harder to ping them than some other players who you just know are either shit blokes or will be when they grow up.
7) Communication. You are focussed on the ball, constantly analysing player movements/actions/etc, and you need to (if you are doing your job properly) continually yell out 'play on - no prior', 'play on - nothing in it', etc etc. Sometimes I simply stuff up and say, for instance, 'play on - good tackle' when what I meant was, 'play on - good tap'. Only a little thing but it is still annoying, but I'm getting better.
8) Giving votes. Dead-set, after one match I basically had to pick a random player to give the final vote to because I had little idea who to give it to during the match. Sometimes a player will catch your eye and you think, 'Yep, #5 for the home team, he's going alright', and I try to think about the decent players at 1/2 and 3/4 time, but you are just too focussed on the play to take much notice of the individual players while the contest is on.
9) Post-match responsibilities. You get home, all you want to do is sink a can and watch the final match of the round on an illegal stream, then you remember you have to fill out the paperwork to post the next day and email the results (incl. votes) that night. Eugh.
Particularly with regards to 2-5 above, if you haven't umpired a game of footy before, you simply don't know what you are talking about when it comes to what the job entails and how difficult it can be. Also, I care a lot less about League B&F's now that I know how hard it is to give votes. Probably a lot easier when you have two or more umpires (and certainly a lot easier at AFL level when umpires tend to know every player by name) but still, it can be a lottery.
If you've never umpired a game of footy and consider yourself an expert on Aussie Rules, or if you are somebody who is quick to criticise the umpires when you are sitting at home in front of the telly or at the match itself, do yourself and everybody else a favour and give your local footy league's umpiring dept a ring. Depending on how many umps they have on their roster, you could probably get a game within a fortnight.
Go on, just do one game. I highly recommend it.
