By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Gippsland Umpires Association is struggling that badly for numbers, that local footy is starting to be threatened.
That’s the warning from GUA president Chris Behrendorff, who said the numbers of people leaving the game at a local level are affecting the umpiring ranks, as well as playing stocks.
The association, which officiates over the Ellinbank and District Football League, Gippsland League, Warragul and District Junior Football league, and the AFL Gippsland Youth Girls Football League, is on the hunt for up to 50 more umpires across the field, goal, and boundary disciplines.
“We struggled badly for numbers to start the season,” Behrendorff told the Gazette.
“30 to 40-year-old guys fresh out of footy are really who we want.
“They’re who we’re really looking for and we’re calling out for people to come and do it.
“There are umpires at every club and if they did games other than their own clubs’ we’d have the right numbers, but then the clubs would be losing great club people… we’re trying to solve this problem for everyone.”
Behrendorff said, when it came down to it, the GUA would provide umpires to every grade they physically could.
“We’ve got a lot of loyal umpires – some will even put their hands up to do four games in a weekend,” he said.
But Behrendorff admitted reserves’ players were currently suffering.
“Club umpires are being used, and people will question their decisions,” he said.
“It’s a combination of our experienced guys getting too old to meet the demands of umpiring senior footy, and our young umpires not being experienced enough to take their place.
“We don’t have the luxury of fielding young umpires with experienced ones because there just aren’t enough of them.
“I don’t doubt the football community appreciates the important role umpires play every weekend, but perhaps they don’t quite understand the seriousness of the situation.”
As an added incentive, AFL Gippsland is offering a free double-pass to select AFL games during the 2015 premiership season for the first 30 umpires to register with the GUA or Sale Umpires Association before Friday, 29 May.
For more information, visit the GUA website, contact GUA president Chris Behrendorff on 0412 036 689, or visit www.aflgippsland.sportingpulse.net.
