Junior footy leagues dishing out fines for wrong socks

Junior footy leagues are dishing out fines to children wearing the wrong socks or shorts as grassroots clubs cop a raft of on-the-spot infringements. Here’s are all the crazy fines leagues can hand out to clubs.

Junior footy leagues are dishing out fines of up to $100 for children wearing the wrong socks or shorts as grassroots clubs cop a raft of on-the-spot infringements.

Kid’s clubs are being threatened with automatic fines for failing to give umpires oranges and drinks, wearing “incorrect shorts’’ and failing to provide umpires escorts with bibs under the crackdown.

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Northern Football League clubs face $100 fines for water carrier’s wearing “incorrect attire’’, players wearing the wrong socks, shorts or compression garments and runner’s and trainer’s wearing wrong uniforms.

Yarra Junior Football League’s record 508 teams this year face a $200 if the club fails to rope off a coach’s area.

Clubs can be fined $40 if goal umpires don’t wear a white coat and $20 for “failure to provide drink/orange for umpire’’ at half or three quarter time.

Yarra Junior Football League’s record 508 teams this year face a $200 if the club fails to rope off a coach’s area.

YJFL general manager Peter Nicholls said fines were required to ensure all clubs abided by the rules but some leagues polices infringements more than others.

“We prefer to give the clubs the opportunity to get things right but if it continues we will give them a fine,’’ he said.

“There are some fines that may sound trivial and some we won’t enforce...but some things are quite important and we need clubs to meet requirements.

“We’re not out there trying to fine clubs to raise money.’’

Essendon District Football League clubs face fines for officials who are incorrectly dressed, grounds with unsatisfactory facilities and forfeiting matches.

But EDFL CEO Craig Armstead said clubs are given an adjustment period at the start of the season before they are fined.

Kid’s clubs are being threatened with automatic fines for failing to give umpires oranges and drinks, wearing “incorrect shorts’’

“For the first 4 rounds of all junior competitions we advise clubs of the fines they would incur however do not apply any fines,” he said.

“We appreciate that there are so many volunteers across all clubs who are donating their time to assist with community sport.

“Therefore we use the first four rounds as an education tool.”

If a club official smokes on the ground during an Eastern Football League game the club will be fined $160, while a late start to the game will cost $80.

“We try and give clubs the opportunity to rectify issues before fining them, whether that is through a type of cooling off period or warning them,” EFL general manager of football operations Dyson Baker said.

“We want club officials actively engaged in games to be held to the same standard as the players.”

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