• Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook Star

By Adrian Ceddia

30th May 2006 10:20:32 AM

Take control … The WRFL hopes to recruit another 90 umpires.

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THE Western Region Football League (WRFL) desperately needs to recruit umpires after numbers dropped to dangerous levels this year.

The league’s umpiring department is about 90 officials short of the ideal level required to cover 22 weekly divisions.

According to league umpire manager Terry Gunn, the predicament is particularly prevalent at junior level.

“There’s an ageing population among our umpires and we don’t have the youth coming through,” he said.

“It’s not unique to the WRFL. It’s widespread. I’m looking forward to an abundance of new recruits.”

The league currently employs about 160 field, boundary and goal umpires across senior and junior levels.

It needs up to 250 to provide a sufficient service to the league, the clubs and their supporters.

“We’ve got a great bunch of people umpiring but we’re starting to burn them out by making them umpire three or four games on the weekend,” Gunn said.

The umpiring department believes that the standard of umpiring will naturally lift if it can restock. It will also ease the burden on the current crop of umpires over the weekend.

“If we’re going to improve the standard of umpiring, we’ve got to have the tools to work with,” Gunn said.

“For all those people on the other side of the fence who believe the umpiring is not good enough, I offer that they come down and have a crack at it.”

While it will welcome umpires of all ages with open arms, the umpiring department is particularly targeting the younger market.

The department is looking for those currently playing at under 16 or 18 level who have decided not to continue and may give some thought to umpiring.

“For the players who have some knowledge of the game, that’s who we want to come across to umpiring,” he said.

“Rather than being lost to other sports, we want them to continue.

“If the clubs only gave us two players per year, within two years we’d have enough to cover every game in the comp with two umpires.”

Gunn said that while umpires sometimes bore the brunt of supporter abuse on the weekend, there are plenty of positive reasons to join the fraternity. “It develops their interpersonal skills and gives them the confidence of making decisions under pressure,” he said.

“There is a sense of punctuality and presentation and it keeps you fit.

“It has some character building attributes and they are all great things for the CV.”

The WRFL umpires train twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays at Scovell Reserve in Maidstone.

For more information, contact the league on 9315 1377.

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