Umpire roadshow
Elite Australian football umpires were in the Wimmera last week as part of an AFL investment to improve career pathways for regionally-grown umpires.
AFL field umpires Kieran Ferguson and John Howorth both grew up in regional Victoria before making their way to the sport’s top tier.
Ferguson grew up near Warrnambool, while Howorth spent his younger years in Bendigo.
The pair joined the AFL Wimmera Mallee Umpires team at training last week and visited school groups across Horsham to build awareness of the elite pathways on offer for young athletes in the Wimmera.
AFL Wimmera Mallee Umpires director Cam Pickering said it was important to promote umpiring as a ‘legitimate’ athletic pathway for young sports people.
“Just like playing on the MCG, umpiring the country’s best players on the big stage is an elite level of performance,” he said.
“Having two AFL umpires with us last week was about the umpiring fraternity – which we consider ourselves as the ‘third’ team – sticking together,” he said.
“With some of the game’s elite umpires alongside us in the Wimmera, we can invest in our regional umpiring community and build that continuing relationship with the top level.”
Howorth said he wanted to build awareness of umpiring opportunities in the regions, as well as ‘educate and upskill’ the game’s future umpires for the years ahead.
“Hopefully we will pick up a few recruits to the umpiring scene – young kids at schools across regional Victoria,” he said.
“Recruitment is important for the game, but retention is equally key – and that is why we are maintaining relationships with umpires in the regional system.”
Pickering said Howorth and Ferguson managed a series of game scenarios with AFL Wimmera Mallee umpires at last week’s training, in particular, tips to manage the game’s ‘stand’ rule.
The stand rule prevents a player guarding a mark from moving once the umpire calls ‘stand’.
Pickering said Howorth had developed a connection with young field umpire Phoenix Hopper and was eager to mentor Hopper’s umpiring career –and hoped to ‘observe’ the young umpire at AFL Wimmera Mallee games this season.
Pickering said AFL Wimmera Mallee Umpires group was already locked in for several practice matches across the region and invited the region’s clubs to discuss the possibility of AFL Wimmera Mallee umpires’ attending intra-club simulation matches.
“Game simulation is the best training we, as umpires, can do,” he said.
“It also allows us to develop an informal rapport with players and possibly breakdown some of the barriers that exist between umpires and players.”
Pickering said umpire training was at Horsham Soundshell this month, with training to relocate across the road to Horsham City Oval in March.
“We welcome anyone with an interest in what we do to come down for a session. There’s no obligation to sign up or commit to anything more,” he said.
He said AFL Wimmera Mallee Umpire training started at 6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays during February and March.