FOOTBALLERS in local leagues who abuse umpires will be slapped with at least a one-match ban, as the AFL looks to stamp down on the issue across grassroots football.
The AFL has added Auditory Offences to their list of reportable offences in this year’s National Community Football Policy Handbook, which includes grading criteria for offences.
Each year, the handbook is updated, with the amendments communicated to community football stakeholders through a memorandum from the AFL in early March.
A controlling body must grade the reported offence, from low-level abusive, obscene or insulting to threatening behaviour, with suspensions from one week with an early guilty plea, to more than a month out.
The volume of the auditory offence also comes into account in grading, but threatening an umpire will aways be four or more weeks no matter if it’s loud or medium or low volume.
Central Rivers leagues manager Jessie Chester said the change in rules was “about time”.
“I’m really excited about the rule, I think it’s great,” she said.
“Having this in place, if you abuse an umpire, no matter what you will receive a one match suspension.
“Previously we had the option of accepting an early guilty plea, which would lead to a fine or a reprimand. But now, no matter what, you’re getting one week.
“We’re not naïve to the fact that abuse happens, people can be very passionate about the sport.
“I think that sometimes it’s not always intentional, but it does effect the umpires, especially if they’re new.”
Like other reportable offences, the decision will come down to the umpire’s discretion, while goal and boundary umpires will communicate with field umpires if they are abused.
Chester said she believes the change in rules will cause players behaviour to improve rapidly.
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen, but I think that after the first time that it does happen, it’s not going to happen much more after that,” she said.
“People will realise that this is serious, we need to protect our umpires and we need to support them.
“The game doesn’t happen without them, and we need to show them a bit more respect.
“We will provide education to our umpires on how to deal with this, but we just want our umpires to go out there and be strong.
“There might be a little bit of apprehension, because it’s a new rule, but the only way to enforce it is just to do it the first time that it happens.”
Chester said that she hopes that umpire abuse will be a thing of the past, as young footballers come to learn the importance of respecting officials.
“You see abuse at all levels of the game across the entire country,” she said.
“I think it’s seen a bit more towards the top end of things, when people are playing Seniors or in those high-stakes games.
“If kids are seeing that the players are respectful to the umpires, or if they see that there are ramifications for abusing an umpire, they will then think about their actions.”
Like other on-field offences, players who are suspended will be ineligible for league best and fairest honours across both leagues.
