Teen umpire takes heckling from players, fans in his stride

One of AFL Cairns’ youngest umpires won’t be intimidated by disgruntled players or rowdy crowds as he pursues his passion in officiating.

One of AFL Cairns’ youngest umpires won’t be intimidated by disgruntled players or rowdy crowds as he pursues his passion in officiating.

While many teenagers prefer playing one form of footy or another during winter, 14-year-old Hayden Koch found his footing in umpiring.

“I wasn’t really that good at playing footy so I thought I’d give umpiring a go and it turned out pretty well,” the Trinity Bay student said.

“It’s fun, it’s a good community and you feel supported.”

AFL Cairns umpire Hayden Koch, 14, at Cazalys. Picture: Harry Murtough

His inspiration for picking up the whistle was his father Ben Koch, who also officiates for AFL Cairns.

“I used to come down to trainings as a young boy and just took after him,” Koch said.

Umpiring appears to run in the family, with Hayden’s younger brother Oliver also bouncing into it.

“Being able to help him as well; be his inspiration and help him come up the ranks and watching him progress is really rewarding for me,” Koch said.

It’s taken Koch three years to move up the ranks, starting out as a boundary umpire before moving into the field.

He said getting promoted to the senior level has pushed his cardio to its limits, but also raised his sense of accomplishment.

“I was pretty proud, so were dad and mum,” he said.

Hayden Koch

Alas the job of an umpire isn’t child’s play, something Koch learnt quickly as he copped abuse from players and attendees alike including at last weekend’s finals matches at Cazalys.

“I used to hear it a lot, I’d go crying off to mum at quarter time saying ‘they’re bullying me’,” he said.

However, the unsavoury feedback to Koch’s calls have become but white noise to the teen.

“It’s pretty awesome watching them listen to such a small fella,” he said.

“Running around, [and] bossing them around is pretty fun, especially when they turn around and try to argue with me.

“It’s pretty cool because they’re usually towering over me, trying to scream at me.

“I tell them to stop and they stop, otherwise it’s a free kick – they don’t want to cost their team that.”

Koch hopes to one day be a police officer and said his foray in umpiring had helped him build his confidence in pursuing the profession.

“I feel like this is a good start, learning the authority and how to be in control and say what I need to say,” Koch said.

Originally published as Teen umpire takes heckling from players, fans in his stride