THE umpires who keep the beating heart of country football alive are a tightknit group supporting each other and eager to welcome new people into their fold.
Central Rivers umpires manager Brent Howden is entering his 21st season as a central umpire and is as passionate about it as ever.
“My father was an umpire and that got me into it, and after spending a few years as a boundary umpire, I moved into central,” he said.
“I met a lot of new people and it felt right, and it became a social outlet as well.
“I get to make a difference in the sport by recruiting more umpires and we’re doing our best to keep it going.”
Howden and his umpires train so that their standard is the same across the league.
“We train and fine tune so that we can try and all be on the same page,” he said.
While there is a stigma to being an umpire that Howden knows is scaring new people away, he said they don’t get a lot of abuse.
“The players get around you and you’re not alone out on the field,” he said.
“We’ve got our groups of umpires all trying to help each other out and doing our best to keep it going.
“There are the other umpires running out there and we have listening devices for newer umpires to get them through the game and give advice if they need.
“If people want to come and have a go then definitely come down.
“We start new umpires out with the colts before they hit the reserves, with good pathways to run through the grades, and if you’re good enough you’ll make it.
“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing umpires come through here and make it in the VFL and AFLW.
“The door is open to new umpires all the time, whether it’s round one or 10 of the season.”
Central umpire Chloe Wilson is eager to do her first season in the role after jumping in from the boundary at the end of last season.
“I was very nervous for my first game; it was a colts game and it was the most nervous I’ve ever been,” she said.
“Once I threw the ball up for the first time, all my nerves were gone.
“By my first senior game I didn’t feel intimidated and the players really got around me, they made me feel ok and accepted my decisions.”
Being among the players is less of a barrier and more of a draw card for Wilson as an umpire.
“I like being out there in with the players, it’s fun being in control of the game and I get along with them,” she said.
Wilson encourages anyone who is interested to get involved after her experience with the league.
“I knew that I wanted to be an umpire when I got started and was encouraged by my mentors, and I just loved it and have since.
“The other umpires always support me and encourage me when I need it.
“If Brent and the others didn’t get around me I wouldn’t have gotten on the field but they’ve always been there for me.”
Howden needs at least 24 central umpires each round to cover the eight games across the region.
“We haven’t got a lot of returning central umpires and at the moment we have more boundary umpires, so we’re keen to get some more in central,” he said.
“If we have an excess of umpires on any one round, we’ll put them all on.”
There are currently about 30 people registered as umpires, compared to 55 registered umpires this time last year.
“That’s well short of where we need to be unfortunately,” Howden said.
Anyone interested in trying their hand at umpiring this season can contact Central Rivers on Facebook or via email at jessie.chester@aflcentralvic.com.au
