Brock Landers wrote:Neville Bartoss wrote:Cheese Twisties wrote:Neville Bartoss wrote:I would like peoples thoughts on the issue of clubs supplying referees for gaelic footy.
Clubs are required to supply a ref or be threatened with fines and points deductions. I know of no other competition that threatens such action. Clubs play a match fee of around 120 per match to cover referees, plus a registration fee of around 30 dollars per player. Surely the fact that clubs pay such large fees should prevent them from having to provide a referee.
There has to be enough soccer and football umpires out there twiddling their thumbs in the summer looking for some extra cash. Why not contact the relevant authorities and make some enquiries?
It is like rocking up to a recreational basketball game at a rec centre, paying your game and registration fees and then being asked to umpire another teams games, its ridiculous and would never happen!
I have to disagree there NB, where do you think these new Gaelic umpires are going to come from? Aussie Rules and Soccer? I dont think so, the majority of people that umpire those sports do so for the love of the game (aussie rules or soccer) not the love of umpiring! And if you play Gaelic Football - you know how odd and different the rules are to both those sports!
I do agree its certainly tough to supply an umpire - we at St Brendan's are certainly struggling to find one for this season - but if you look at the umpires who do the job now like umpiring extraordinaire Tommy Javor, they are all previous State League Gaelic Football players, not randoms who are keen to earn some cash just umpiring.
Tho i wish it was like basketball and as easy as finding a few high school kids who want the extra cash to umpire a few games!
I guess the new referees would go through the free refereeing course offered by the association and have the same training as every other current umpire?
Their previous refereeing experience would definitely help them and I done see how not playing the game would affect your ability to referee?
I think the financial aspect could definitely encourage a few of these referees to undertake the course, they definately dont umpire footy and soccer for free!
Wasn't the recently planned umpiring clinic postponed or cancelled?
With a wide range of understanding of the rules in the comp, it is more imperitave than usual that anyone who refs understands the subtleties and nuances of the game, which I believe only comes from playing the game, a la Richie Benaud's stellar cricket commetary!
One of the main criticisms of the umpires in the AFL is that they have never played the game themselves, at any level, which gives an individual a good understanding of how some infringements of the rules don't effect a contest, and to let those infringements go so the game flows.
IMO any Aussie Rules or Soccer ref who wants to ref Gaelic should have to play a few games, maybe in the midweek comp.
Can't agree with you here brock, going back a few years the comp held at GAZA had alot of footy people/ umpires in the middle with the whistle, and apart from the games been slightly rougher, which was mainly due to the players not the refs, they were no worse than some of the refs that have been going round for the last couple of years, not allowing people to ref who have not played is a terrible way to expand the comp, it may work for the women but they are different as they are a very close knit community on the most part.
As for this weeks games - We (Flinders) have some new players having their first ever run out in Gaelic this week so it may take a week or two before we hit our straps, but fingers crossed, should have a fair bit of pace throught the middle though, Western Ireland are always pretty tough and also are not lacing in pace or skill but then again it's gaelic on a Friday night so I'm just hoping half our players rock up with under a 6 pack already downed!
