AS a teenager, footy umpiring was a great way to earn some pocket money.
I would play footy Saturday morning and then run the boundary for the seniors in the afternoon, before field umpiring junior games on Sundays.
For me, it beat stacking shelves at a supermarket like other mates did, and paid a lot better, too.
But it wasn’t always easy money. Far from it.
You see, when it comes to footy, many spectators wrongly think that abusing an umpire is part of the game.
As adults, they forget that the umpire could be 13 or 14 years-old, and 50kg wringing wet, and only learning the game themselves. They lose sight of how intimidating that can be.
I always preferred playing, so didn’t last long as an umpire, but that early experience gave me a lifelong appreciation for how tough a gig it can be.
This week, the Sunraysia Football Umpires Association told Sunraysia Daily it feared losing members from the sport unless both players and spectators put a gag on abuse being hurled at them.
Worryingly, umps boss Adam Henschke said there had been an escalation of “unwarranted behaviour” over the past three or four weeks, including towards young children on boundary duties.
Seriously, how tough is it to poke fun at a young kid running the boundary line from the back of your ute?
Some would label that bullying. I would call it moronic.
While spectator behaviour towards umpires has improved to some degree over the years, it’s still not an acceptable level.
And Mr Henschke is right to stand up for his officials and send a “timely reminder” to fans to show some due respect.
He said this week: “It was a timely reminder to say, ‘Hey guys, it’s a game of football, yes you’re passionate about it, but let’s remember it’s a game and umpires are out there just doing the best job that they can’.”
Some umpires take it up because they might not have been particularly good at playing the game, others may be retired from playing, others try to earn a bit of extra money while staying fit. But, in my experience, all of them love their footy and just want to be a part of it.
So let’s not drive them out of the game.
“Underneath the umpire persona there is a person, that person is someone’s child, parent or spouse,” Mr Henschke said.
The responsibility towards umpires lies not just with clubs, who need to drive the behavioural standards of their own fans, but also ourselves.
Check ourselves next time we see a bad decision. And we will see them, just as we see the players make poor decisions on the field.
It’s still OK to yell “ball” or “too high ump”, that is part of footy, but the personal abuse and name-calling has no place.
