Great Southern Football League defends decision to drop 15-year-old girl umpire from A-grade grand final

EXCLUSIVE: The Great Southern Football League has defended its role in dropping a 15-year-old girl boundary umpire from Saturday’s senior grand final, saying her gender had nothing to do with it.

THE Great Southern Football League has defended its role in dropping a 15-year-old girl boundary umpire from Saturday’s senior grand final, saying her gender had nothing to do with it.

Chloe Byrne was selected to run the boundary for the A-grade grand final between Mount Compass and Encounter Bay at the weekend but was demoted to the B-grade on the eve of the game.

Chloe told Channel 7 she was disappointed to be dumped and wanted answers. “I just felt so down about it and upset, I would still like an explanation, I would like them to ring me up or speak to me,” Chloe said.

Her mum Brenda said she believed that being female was a factor in the decision.

“I don’t think it helped that she was a girl, maybe they saw the fact that she was a girl that maybe she wouldn’t be able (to do it) and I don’t think that she was assessed properly,” Brenda said.

The Combined Southern Leagues Football Umpires Panel (CSLFUP) had named Chloe for the showcase game, but the GSFL voiced concerns over her ability to sufficiently throw the ball in from the boundary line.

GSFL president Gordon Tonkin said there were concerns for Chloe’s safety because she had to stand 6m inside the field of play to throw the ball in.

The decision sparked a backlash on social media after her brother posted about it on Facebook and Tonkin and CSLFUP president Roy Webb on Sunday gave their explanation of what had happened.

“There was nothing gender related or discriminatory to the decision,” Tonkin said.

“There is no way known given the amount we do (to promote female umpires) that it is true.

“Our concern over this was Encounter Bay (where the game was played) can be a very windy place and this umpire may not be strong enough to throw the ball in far enough.

“In lead-up finals she has had to stand 6-7m in from the boundary line and we have bigger obligations should she get hurt.

“We needed someone who could stand on the boundary line and throw the ball in.”

Tonkin said it had raised the issue with the CSLFUP during the year and even defended the young umpires by telling critics to “give them a go”.

But the league was happy for Chloe to umpire the B Grade grand final on the same day because the game was not as fast and the ball did not need to be thrown in as far from the boundary.

Webb said there was “no truth” to rumours sparked by comments on social media that Chloe had been taken off the A-grade game because of her gender. He confirmed she was replaced by a male.

“Our motto in finals is we pick the best of the best,” Webb said.

“If they (league) say we don’t think you’ve picked the best then we consider that.”

Webb said the umpires group has more than 10 female goal and boundary umpires involved and until this season had an established female field umpire who left the region for work.

“We spend a lot of time recruiting female umpires into our ranks,” he said.

The CSLFUP is responsible for providing umpires for Great Southern, Southern and Kangaroo Island games.