Teen football umpire had panic attack after abusive spray from Clyde team runner

A junior footy umpire was a “mess” after copping it, with his umpiring partner fearing the boy would be hit by a team runner.

Bryan Sharp was on the field when a young umpire had a panic attack after copping a barrage of abuse. Picture: David Caird

A team runner at a junior football match has been suspended for 15 matches after aggressively abusing a young umpire to the point the 14-year-old suffered a panic attack.

The incident is one of many to surface this local football season as veteran umpires say the abuse is showing no sign of stopping.

In this instance, the junior umpire was officiating an under-12 match between the Clyde and Cranbourne junior football clubs in July.

The teenage boy was allegedly charged at and verbally attacked by a Clyde runner aged in his “30s to 40s”.

The abuse triggered a panic attack in the young umpire, who went into complete shock on the field.

The boy’s umpiring partner, Bryan Sharp, who has officiated hundreds of matches and is in his 60s, said he thought the boy was going to be physically attacked.

“All of a sudden this runner, who had been screaming and yelling all game, came flying on to the ground and just ran at him,” Mr Sharp told the Herald Sun.

“I’ve been around a long time and have been a copper for 40 years and this is the first time where I thought, this bloke’s going to hit this kid.

“I bolted over there and he (the runner) was screaming, throwing his hands around and the kid just froze.

“(The umpire) was just a mess, he’d had a panic attack. His body just shut down, he had trouble breathing and he was holding his chest.”

Mr Sharp said he doubted the young umpire would ever officiate a match again, as the severity of the attack left him with almost no memory of it.

“He couldn’t remember anything because his body just shut down,” Mr Sharp said.

AFL South East completed their investigation last week, banning the runner from participating as an official for 15 matches.

The runner will still be able to attend matches as a spectator.

Former AFL boundary umpire Chris Roberts, who officiated 223 games over 12 years, said abuse toward umpires at a community level was becoming “nastier”.

“I reckon the abuse is definitely worse at a local level,” he said.

“I think it’s got nastier … if you’re getting berated and it’s aggressive behaviour and you’re fearful that you’re going to be hurt, that’s no good.”

Mr Sharp said AFL measures to protect umpires has made no difference at a community level.

“I would have thought from when I started in 1978 that by 2022 this problem would have been eradicated,” Mr Sharp said.

“All these rules and all these regulations and protocols they’ve got in place have done absolutely nothing.

“Sadly it hasn’t. I just wonder when adults will begin to behave like adults.”

Clyde JFC did not provide comment to the Herald Sun.