SANFL, West Gambier Football Club call out spectators over umpire abuse

An umpire in SA’s top football league has opened up about the abuse they have copped amid the competition’s call to stamp out unacceptable behaviour.

An umpire with experience in one of South Australia’s top junior football leagues has revealed the abuse they have copped amid the competition’s call to stamp out poor behaviour toward officials.

The SANFL umpire, who asked to remain anonymous, said they had been abused by players, coaches, trainers and water boys.

It comes as two SANFL juniors football matches were called off this season after spectators hurled abuse at umpires.

“Literally anybody who is involved in game day I have been verbally abused by,” the umpire said.

“It happens so regularly and it’s completely unacceptable — most of the SANFL Junior umpires are kids, a good 80 per cent of them.

“It needs to be stamped out.”

Two junior football matches have been called off after spectators hurled abuse at umpires. Picture: AAP (File)

In an email to clubs on Tuesday morning, SANFL officials said matches had been called off due to blue cards, which stops play.

The statement also said examples of poor behaviour had been on the rise.

“Spectator and officials’ behaviour play a pivotal role in the overall match day experience for our junior players,” the statement reads.

SANFL said there was no framework in place for coaches, team managers or spectators to communicate with umpires during breaks and a 10m ‘exclusion zone’ was mandatory for matches U11 and above.

SANFL has called on local supporters and clubs to improve behaviour at games after a rise of umpire abuse at the junior level. Picture: Redcliffe Herald

Head of football operations, Sean Toohey, who oversees the juniors competition — which includes clubs throughout Adelaide — could not reveal which teams were involved in the cancelled games.

“Those involved will be dealt with through an internal investigation process,” Toohey said.

“Umpire abuse continues to be a major issue ... we hope by taking firm action now this won’t be the case across the whole season.”

Goodwood Saints president Craig Scott, whose club has a whopping 20 teams through SANFL Juniors grades, also believed inexperienced umpires needed support from spectators and clubs.

Goodwood Saints president Craig Scott (left) said the footy community needed to support inexperienced umpires. He is joined by Junior Football Director Andrew Braley (right), Holly, 9, and Harrison, 12, at Goodwood Saints Football Club, which was last year named the best junior sporting club in Australia. Picture: Morgan Sette

“There are a lot of young umpires who will have to take U15s games for example and they may not quite be prepared to manage a heated affair, but we still need to support them as much as we can,” Scott said.

“If you don’t have anything positive to say don’t say anything at all — without supported and protected umpires we don’t have a sport.

“Abusing umpires is still culturally accepted and I don’t understand it + every club has sanctions but we need to do more as a collective.”

Shane Giddings, the president of the West Gambier Football and Netball Club of the Western Border Football League, also urged spectators to improve behaviour.

Giddings said he was sick of parents and supporters hurting the confidence of volunteer umpires.

“It’s the boisterous parents who are commenting from the boundary line,” he said.

“They’re (umpires) volunteers — they’re dads umpiring a game of football for our kids to play and (abuse) is deflating for them.”

Giddings said he had already made players umpire junior footy games as a consequence.

“We had a West Gambier player in our reserves abuse a volunteer umpire to the point where he was sent off,” he said.

“That player had to umpire an U14s game before he played again and his whole attitude changed.

“It’s easy to criticise people when you’re not doing the job.”

The SANFL said punishment for umpire abuse included fines, point deductions, banning individuals and / or removing clubs from competitions.