Umpiring Behaviour

[Iwasthere84]

Im not here to defend the umps but the biggest problem we are having is that only 60% of them are coming to training. The admin are rewarding the umpires that do attend , higher grades, which is fair and the same policy as Football clubs. Unfortunately, the ones that do not train, are missing out on fitness and knowledge, not to forget positive feedback. Observers cannot be at every game, so it is unfortunate that every bit of criticism that has been on the forum today, bar one game has come from Div 5 Div 6 and u/18, from a guy who does not train.
And just a small point, we get paid peanuts compared to some players and you dont see us getting on here when a player misses a shot on goal or drops a mark.

[piccachu]

i take it you are an unpire, not having a crack at you in this post at all i want to get that out the way, surly there is a rule or something in place that umpires cant swear are not to indage in discussions with spectators and surely the not aloud to YELL out offensive language, if a report about it was made which i am unsure if there was, who would he have to answer to if he does?

[Iron Fist]

Could a club appeal a report if a player was reported for swearing but the umpire that sent him off also swore at the crowd?
little unfair on the player if u ask me!!

[Q.]

Sheesh, if players got sent off everytime they uttered a swear word there'd be noone left on the ground by half-time. So an umpire accidently slips the F-bomb, stone the crows

[Iwasthere84]

Sheesh, if players got sent off everytime they uttered a swear word there'd be noone left on the ground by half-time. So an umpire accidently slips the F-bomb, stone the crows

Unfortunately I can only talk for myself. I would not swear at a player because, Id probably deserve a smack if I did. There is a code that you do not swear, which is taught very early. Playing the game for a long time does help in understanding the pressure cooker situation that is out in the middle. I will always have a chat and encourage good play at all times, but never talk down to a player.If Im not seen, Ive done my job

[Iron Fist]

Sheesh, if players got sent off everytime they uttered a swear word there'd be noone left on the ground by half-time. So an umpire accidently slips the F-bomb, stone the crows

This was no accident Quichey
and he sent a bloke off for doing it
thats the shit and unfair thing!!

[SATCHEL]

Saturdays umpiring was okay but i am starting to see the focus of netball starting to creep in to our game. Meaning the contact thing. May have just been a sh!t day for us I don't know. I do how ever want to say that the ump supplied by Walkies was a little man crying out to be a bigger one. After a couple of indiscretions a few kicks were awarded against me and I did get angry with him. He did tell me that he would call against me all day.I asked him why and then he said I was going put my name in the book. Great words coming from an ump don't you think

[Iron Fist]

Saturdays umpiring was okay but i am starting to see the focus of netball starting to creep in to our game. Meaning the contact thing. May have just been a sh!t day for us I don't know. I do how ever want to say that the ump supplied by Walkies was a little man crying out to be a bigger one. After a couple of indiscretions a few kicks were awarded against me and I did get angry with him. He did tell me that he would call against me all day.I asked him why and then he said I was going put my name in the book. Great words coming from an ump don't you think

the umps on saturday were fine marbles
except for the bloke who couldnt throw the ball up right a few times!
apart from that I would say they were alright!
it was sunday I had the problem with!!

[boozehound]

I have a question....

If you are not swearing or yelling at an umpire in any way at all can they send you off?

Scenario, free kick given against a player. umpire says hanging on. This being one of several bad calls. Player says "give us a chance" and "that was not a free kick" in a completely non threatening manner. umpire threatens to send off. player argues he is not swearing or being abusive, before realising that it doesn't matter what he does or does not say, if he p*sses this bloke off he will get robbed for the rest of the day. Player shuts up before being sent off by angry little umpire.

Player left wondering are umpires a law unto themselves?

[SATCHEL]

Saturdays umpiring was okay but i am starting to see the focus of netball starting to creep in to our game. Meaning the contact thing. May have just been a sh!t day for us I don't know. I do how ever want to say that the ump supplied by Walkies was a little man crying out to be a bigger one. After a couple of indiscretions a few kicks were awarded against me and I did get angry with him. He did tell me that he would call against me all day.I asked him why and then he said I was going put my name in the book. Great words coming from an ump don't you think

the umps on saturday were fine marbles
except for the bloke who couldnt throw the ball up right a few times!
apart from that I would say they were alright!
it was sunday I had the problem with!!

If you read it properly fist i said they were okay just had an issue with one ump and a few rule interpretations. Although thinking that it revolves around yourself i apologise for being wrong.

[heater31]

I have a question....

If you are not swearing or yelling at an umpire in any way at all can they send you off?

Scenario, free kick given against a player. umpire says hanging on. This being one of several bad calls. Player says "give us a chance" and "that was not a free kick" in a completely non threatening manner. umpire threatens to send off. player argues he is not swearing or being abusive, before realising that it doesn't matter what he does or does not say, if he p*sses this bloke off he will get robbed for the rest of the day. Player shuts up before being sent off by angry little umpire.

Player left wondering are umpires a law unto themselves?

IMHO yes he can as he is the controller of the laws of the game (They might be his rules though not the official rules). I have been on both sides of the fence and it can be frustrating when they miss the obvious ones and the pull one out of their rear end. Just grin and bear it is all you can do but some people obviously can't.

The only time I have lost it during a game was not directed at an umpire but to some blatant cheating by the opposing side when the ball was clearly out of bounds but the boundary umpire was a kid who was like a fox in the headlights as we closed in on him and failed to act. Not his fault but what really got my goat was the player continued to play as nothing had happened and there was a fully grown adult standing directly behind the kid also failed to do anything as well it wasn't helped by the fact we were already 20 goals down before half time.


As an umpire if you assert your authority early and take in the abuse you cop but don't act on it. Never sent anyone off in the handful of games I have field umpired but have warned a few and they seemed to have got the message.

[turk186]

Interesting to read comments made about umpires, the decisions they make and the way they conduct themselves. I witnessed a club/group on the wrong end of an umpire and his decisions on saturday.

A club supplied umpire did not like the advice he was receiving from a group of supporters and as such made several more very ordinary decisions which led to more advice from the supporters ( none of the advice I might add included foul language, it did include doubts about honesty and parentage) he then proceded to warn the said group by threatening to report the club for continual abuse of an umpire.......... his hissey fit continued as he then advised "crispo" the legendary goal umpire who is seen at the start of "Grass Roots" that he was not to use any other flags except the standard issue (is there such a thing?) or he would report him for an offence against the game ..talk about authority issues.

I know they have a tough job but please....if you pull on the orange top expect some advice from both sides of the line

[Dogwatcher]

Dogwatcher... IS fisty being paid to watch the game? and control the game etc... he should be setting an example... however... a bunch of pissed blokes should NEVER be used to set good examples.

My original post was slightly in jest. But I think I have posed an interesting question or two about spectator behaviour.

You are right, the umpire should be setting the standard. I seriously can't believe this umpire swore.

You are wrong about a bunch of pissed blokes on the hill....are they senior players or coaches of that club (I'm thinking that several of the respondents on this thread are)? Juniors look up to them - they should be setting an example.

Having been around footy for a few years, I've seen umpires react in this way before. I've also heard plenty of advice - good and bad - to umps over the years.
I find it funny when supporters get precious about a response.

I repeat though, umpires should never swear.

BTW - a goal umpire once slapped me across the face and got suspended for quite a few years All I said to him was "I'm allowed to sit here mate, I have done for years".
Worse thing was, he was also a cricket umpire. I walked out to bat one day and there he was up the other end smiling.

[Jimmy_041]

There is a Code of Conduct for supporters and if you dont like the umpiring - join up and see how you like it. Plus, it might make you read a rulebook that night when you realise that you actually dont know the rules
To read what has been posted on here - I wonder how much abuse you blokes would tolerate before you reacted
Look at the cause and not the effect. You bitch about the umpiring, and unbelievably, the lack of umpires, and then will go out and abuse them next week again
Everyone makes mistakes - best thing I've read on this forum is how many mistakes do you make in a match. And if the opposition crowd gets on your back about it, how do you feel and what's your reaction?
We are heading towards all club umpires for all lower grades and then you really have something to bitch about
Umpiresd should never swear - they only lower themselves to the level of those who are abusing them.
Any wonder they cant get umpires.
I watched a game on Saturday with some extraordinary decisions by one umpire. I was standing with a bloke from the other team and we just looked at each other. It was as bad for both sides. - but we didn't abuse him. Because it just doesn't achieve anything except set a bad example for the kids standing around.

Gold story about the cricket umpire Dogwatcher Umpire gods had you in their sights

[SATCHEL]

Saturday besides the weather and the result was the worst display of umpiring have seen EVER. Our ump was okay still reckon he's got his sports (netball and football) mixed up. The old boy from Smosh was at his best as Ive been told. When the whistle would blow a smosh player would ask him is that free for me even if it was not a free in the first place and he would say YEP Yours. He would not point to what direction the free would be going or even tell the playing group around the ball what he was doing. In the last quarter i was having a blue as you do. Helping out a mate in need. I went to ground and the old boy came in and hit me in the face and blew his whistle in my right ear. To tell you the truth it really hurt. When i got up and had a go at him he said how are you going to prove it nothing will happen. At the end of the game I asked my ump what i have to do to put a report in and he told me to shut up and piss off. Great support hey. Anyone else had the same crap from this bloke, and what can i do about it?

[human blanket #3]

watched heccies v modbury in u16s yesterday and the umps were the best i have seen all year by far. took control of the game when there where a few fights and didnt blow the whistle every 3 seconds. both were young and i think they are involved with sanfl on sats.

[Jimmy_041]

I watched 3 grades of McLaren Vale v Yank on Saturday

Good umpiring, especially the B's where 2 ex-players umpired in really crap conditions and a one sided match. Dont know who the MV ump was, but the Yank ump was Greg Whittlesea.

Exceptional performance by both - the players were calling for free kicks and they just kept saying to go in for the ball. Gave the player going for the ball every chance to get rid of it after he'd done the hard work. The AFL should have had someone watching.........then maybe we'd go and watch AFL again...........

[Iwasthere84]

I watched 3 grades of McLaren Vale v Yank on Saturday

Good umpiring, especially the B's where 2 ex-players umpired in really crap conditions and a one sided match. Dont know who the MV ump was, but the Yank ump was Greg Whittlesea.

Exceptional performance by both - the players were calling for free kicks and they just kept saying to go in for the ball. Gave the player going for the ball every chance to get rid of it after he'd done the hard work. The AFL should have had someone watching.........then maybe we'd go and watch AFL again...........

Former players always make the best umpires. For those of you who are old enough to remember the CDFA, almost every ump had played. Was a great environment to be in.

[HH3]

I agree with that. Our trial against Adelaide Uni had 2 umps suppled by Uni that are current players. No bias, no netball rules. Everyone went in hard and the umps let it go until there actually was a free or ball up there. In my opinion they umpired how they would like to be umpired. And that made for a good game. I didnt hear anyone question them once.

[Iron Fist]

I watched 3 grades of McLaren Vale v Yank on Saturday

Good umpiring, especially the B's where 2 ex-players umpired in really crap conditions and a one sided match. Dont know who the MV ump was, but the Yank ump was Greg Whittlesea.

Exceptional performance by both - the players were calling for free kicks and they just kept saying to go in for the ball. Gave the player going for the ball every chance to get rid of it after he'd done the hard work. The AFL should have had someone watching.........then maybe we'd go and watch AFL again...........

Former players always make the best umpires. For those of you who are old enough to remember the CDFA, almost every ump had played. Was a great environment to be in.

spot on there mate
ex players seem to make the best umpires from what Ive seen!!