Our AFL-sponsored annual Umpire Appreciation Round takes place this weekend, and, as usual, the SFNL is keen for all clubs to support this great initiative. Before each of our matches this weekend, the coaches are encouraged to join the captains before the coin toss in shaking hands out on the field with the participating umpires so that all players and spectators can see that the clubs are serious about respecting the athletes in green. After each senior match, all umpires are strongly encouraged to stay for at least one drink (soft or heavy) with the captains and coaches so that they can get to know each other better.
This week is an excellent time for us to raise the profile of umpiring both within the SFNL and with our friends, school-mates and work colleagues. If you are socialising at the ground after your match today, tell the players and officials why you umpire. Hopefully it is because you are involved in the greatest game on earth, because of the many friends you have made through umpiring, because it keeps you fit and because you get paid to do it! Some of the players who are approaching the end of their careers may be persuaded to join our ranks because they can stay actively involved with senior football for much longer than they could as players.
Our younger umpires can tell their fellow students about the money that they earn through umpiring, as well as how many umpires have become involved at a much higher level of football as umpires than they could ever have achieved as players. The SMJFL is a great training ground for young people looking for a career in umpiring. Tell your mates about how much you enjoy umpiring (and of course the pay rates) and then send them along to RSEA Park on a Wednesday evening or put them in touch with Cam Watts, Nick Bergman or Nick Ritchie who will be able to explain exactly what is involved in being a SMJFL umpire. The SMJFL has a Monday evening training group at Elsternwick Park from 6pm to 7.15pm for younger umpires who live in that area, so that they don’t have to get to RSEA Park each Wednesday so if you know potential umpires who live near the Bay, this may make umpiring more attractive.
This week was our first night at Linton St, this will be our home for the next five weeks. At training the goal umpires were lucky enough to have two AFL goal umpires come down and put our goalies through there paces. Thanks to Dylan Benwell and Matthew Dervan for coming down and talking to the guys. We’re sure they got a lot out of the session. Pictured above with our goal umpire coach Craig
Our close relationship with the SMJFL continues to enhance our umpiring ranks with Joe Aloi one of the most recent young guns to join us. Joe commenced his umpiring careers with the SMJFL in 2013, while still playing with St Peters Juniors. He played up to Under 17s winning a final but unfortunately not a Granny along the way, while umpiring on the same day. He joined the SFNL last year but suffered a stress fracture in his leg which restricted him to only four games with us. He has come back fitter than ever this year and is running very well with a first senior appearance not very far away. He is a massive Hawks fan, is studying to be a paramedic and loves attending music concerts.
Over the weekend one umpire was a little over excited for there game, turning up a day early for their match. Arriving at Dandenong a day early to find no one else there. A frantic call to his coach saw him being told to double check his appointment to ensure he had the correct time and place. This is a good reminder to everyone read your appointments carefully to ensure you arrive at the correct day, time and place.
We suggest that you pack your bag the night before, as one goal umpire found out this doesn’t just ensure you are ready for your game but stops any pets from getting to your uniform and having accidents meaning you don’t have your shirt for the day. He was trying to do the right thing and had his uniform laid out ready for the next day, however before he got a chance to grab his shirt in the morning his puppy decided that his nice green shirt looked like grass and decide to relieve himself on his shirt. Luckily he had his jacket to wear the next day. He has learnt that the shirt goes in the bag the night before and is kept out of reach of his puppy.
At 3/4 time break at Keysborough there was quite the entertainment in the middle with a few boundaries trying to figure out how to use a water bottle. It was interesting watching them turning the bottle this way and that, squeezing it, turning it upside down, passing it between the two of them trying desperately to get a drink before they had to run again. It was decided in the end the best way was to just take the lid off the bottle and get a drink that way.
The senior match replays available on the SFNL website are a great innovation by the League. Umpires are encouraged to watch the replay of their match each week to see what they have done well and what they could do better. While it is a little embarrassing sometimes to see the mistakes we have made, the most important outcome is that we learn from them. If we analyse the percentage of errors that we make per 100 decisions compared with the percentage of errors players make, on almost all occasions, it is our umpires that have a better percentage of correct decisions. The match replays also allow us to revisit any major incidents where we believe that we may have missed a reportable incident, and we can forward these incidents on to the match review panel for investigation if this is warranted.
This week we reviewed the reporting process. Thanks to SFNL CEO Lee Hartman coming down and talking to us. We were also introduced to our new umpire prosecutor Kim Brimelow who took us through his job and how we can best prepare for the tribunal. We look forward to working with Lee and Kim in the future.