Send for men in white coats – but where have they all gone?

THEY have always been a silent minority but their numbers are now dwindling at such a rapid rate that it could threaten the GAA’s games programme in the not-too-distant future.

A shortage of umpires is becoming a big problem, with many referees finding it difficult to find four associates to complete their team of officials.

“Times have changed. It’s getting much harder to get umpires. A referee needs to have more than four people he can call on because obviously they won’t be available all the time,” said John Bannon, secretary of the Leinster Referees’ Development Committee.

Recruiting referees remains an ongoing challenge but it has now spread to the men in white coats, with Bannon (right) warning that it’s a bigger problem than generally recognised.

“It’s very simple. If a referee doesn’t have umpires, he can’t do the job. I’m not talking solely about the club scene either – it’s an issue for many inter-county referees. There’s little enough incentive or reward for being an umpire and people are asking why bother with it. There’s a lot more to umpiring than waving a wide or a flag,” said Bannon.

The Longford man, who enjoyed a distinguished career as a top referee, said that changed work and social patterns had impacted on umpire numbers.

“The days of nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday jobs are gone for many people. There’s a lot of weekend work now, making it much harder for referees to get four umpires. This is a real issue which needs to be addressed,” added Bannon.