WARRIORS FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

If you are one to give an umpire a bit of constructive criticism, then maybe you should think again.

There’s 60,000 people crammed into Optus Stadium like packed sardines, all screaming in unison – demanding the umpire to blow his whistle.

The loudest howl of the word “ball” echoes not only around the ground, but all the way to the Crown casino.

The umpire decides otherwise and play resumes. Like clockwork, a wave of abuse and vitriol is hurled from the bleachers at the poor people wearing green.

Umpires in any sport, let alone the AFL, have one of the toughest jobs. Calling a game fairly and objectively, making split-second decisions under fatigue is a tough ask for any one, yet fans who watch from the stands are the true experts who could "do better".

At any level of football, whether it's at the elite AFL level, state leagues or grassroots, a game will almost certainly have someone giving an umpire constructive criticism - often with "colourful" language.

Umpires throughout all grades of football are subject to heavy scrutiny from the media, the public and the players themselves.

West Australian Football League (WAFL) umpire Mitch Forsyth said success rates from junior or grassroots levels into senior levels were extremely poor.

On top of this, the retention rates for the first season after successfully progressing umpires up the levels were also extremely poor.

Field umpire for Scotch College vs Hale School in the PSA 2021

WAFL umpires at pre-training warm up. 2021

Mr Forsyth said he had received abuse throughout his entire career as an umpire spanning more than six years.

“I’ve been umpiring six years and have been verbally abused by both players and fans but generally more the fans,” he said.

“In the past it [abuse] would affect me mentally and I would struggle to cope with it, but now I’ve learnt to block it out and treat it as white noise.”

While there were talent pathways for umpires to progress through the ranks and get to better competitions, Mr Forsyth said the game was losing too many umpires at junior levels to abuse.

“In terms of development I think they [AFL] are spending a lot of time and effort, especially moving from just field [umpiring] and focusing on boundary and goals.”

“In terms of talent pool size, I think its not big enough because we are losing junior umpires at junior level from abuse.”

South Fremantle junior umpire manager Brett Forsyth, father of Mitch Forsyth, said the problem with retaining umpires has affected junior leagues as well.

“About five per cent of juniors go onto seniors," he said.

"The talent pool has been reduced in recent seasons due to constant abuse.”

Once the juniors do move into seniors it is also a hard task to keep them on.

WAFL umpires practicing centre bounce technique at training. 2021.

“The retention rate for first year umpires is between 45 and 50 per cent,” he said.

Many people cry out for better umpiring talent when in reality, the talent pool size is not there to exploit.

There coaches who develop plans to facilitate this movement for umpires from juniors into seniors and there are coaches employed to help umpires deal with heated situations.

“We have four coaches for field umpiring which consists of training for fitness theory and how to deal heated scenarios,” Brett Forsyth said.

According to the AFL, more than 1.5 million people played the sport Australia-wide in 2021, but for a sport that is loved by millions, it is concerning the people who are employed to ensure the game operates are the ones treated the worst.

It is widely understood players absolutely can not touch an umpire, which was reinforced after Elimination Final 1 when Greater Western Sydney Giants forward Toby Greene was whacked with a three-match suspension, which has since been upgraded to six after the AFL was successful with their appeal.

But while physical contact is dealt with firmly, the only sanction in the game for verbal abuse is a 50 metre penalty and even then it is only given if the umpire feels it's necessary.

Other than this it is pretty much fair game for players, fans and spectators.

In 2019, a fan was evicted from a Melbourne's Marvel Stadium for yelling "bald-headed flog" at an umpire.

This is potentially only scratches the surface of what other kinds of vitriol is hurled out by fans and spectators.

West Australian Football Commission community umpiring manager and state field umpires head coach Cam Douglas said fans need to find the line between general barracking, yelling at decisions, and abusing people personally.

"When you start to point out physical attributes and get personal or attacking, that's when I think we cross the line," he said.

He said he also supported the notion that abuse was a contributing factor to the drop off of umpires progressing into senior level.

Cam Douglas talking about abuse blueprints for umpires

Mr Douglas said there were blueprints in place for umpires to follow to help them deal with the abuse and take immediate action, or if required they could take it further after the game.

“We have red and yellow cards in place to remove people from the field, along with a red flag system that allows umpires to report crowd members, club officials, or coaches which can result in their accreditation being cited or stripped," he said.

The AFL has instilled these ways to negotiate or best deal with the abuse that is directed at an umpire, but clearly these plans can only do so much since the success and retention rates are so low.

Fans are passionate and the people that go to watch their beloved teams live and breathe the sport and would just about do anything to see their team soar to victory.

But, perhaps as fans of the game people have an obligation to ensure that the people who are employed to officiate the game are looked after and their much loved game of Australian Rules Football is in good hands for the future.