AFL Cairns umpires working for a return to the footy field

AFL Cairns umpires have been doing their bit to keep fit and firing for when the footy season eventually starts in 2020.

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AFL Cairns umpires have been doing their bit to keep fit and firing for when the footy season eventually starts in 2020.

Aussie rules has been suspended for months, though the Queensland Government has offered optimism footy could return in mid-July.

As players do what they can to keep fit in isolation, AFL Cairns Umpires Manager Rowan Tattersall said the men with the whistle were keeping similarly busy and keeping each other accountable through technology.

The umpiring group had about six weeks of full training, including some pre-season contests, before COVID-19 forced a halt to sport.

“We’ve had a complete stop to group training but we touch base individually where we need to,” he said. “We’ve got a few training schedules ad plans to tie us over, with videos to keep us all accountable.”

Umpire numbers has been an issue in years past, but Tattersall said it looked as if the association could have been in a better position for numbers before the suspension.

“It’s always hard to tell until footy actually starts but we had a few move to the area for work, and a few past players who were going to join,” he said. “We had pretty similar numbers, possibly even better than last year.”

AFL Cairns officials and clubs are working towards a structure for the 2020 season.

Originally published as AFL Cairns umpires working for a return to the footy field