Andrew Dillon doubles down on support for umpire Nick Foot’s role at Sportsbet

AFL boss Andrew Dillon says the league will work closely with umpire Nick Foot amid criticism of the Grand Final official taking on a role at betting form Sportsbet.

An AFL umpire’s involvement with Sportsbet has the league under fire. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has backed the league’s decision to allow top field umpire Nick Foot to be on the payroll at its major gambling partner Sportsbet.

Dillon said the AFL will work “closely” with the umpire in his new racing analyst role at the betting company.

The league came under fire in recent days for approving Foot to take up a racing content role at Sportsbet, where he will provide content on the bookmaker’s app and a racing TV program.

The Reverend Tim Costello told the Herald Sun on Tuesday the league was “compromised” when it allowed Foot to take on the Sportsbet role.

Asked if he was comfortable with how it would look, Dillon said the league would “continue to work with” Foot on balancing both roles.

Andrew Dillon says the league will work closely with Foot on balancing his role as an umpire with Sportsbet. Michael Klein

“Nick Foot is one of our best umpires — a grand final umpire last year,” Dillon said.

“Our umpires are incredibly professional, elite decision-makers. But the majority of them also have work outside of umpiring.

“Nick’s worked in and around the racing industry for a number of years. We’ve worked very closely with him on how that plays out, and his extension of the role that he’s now into … there’s no crossover with his umpiring.

“It’s very clearly a racing role and we’re comfortable with that, but we’ll continue to work with Nick. He’s such a talented umpire, but he’s also very talented in other aspects.”

The AFL is comfortable with Nick Foot’s role at Sportsbet. Picture: Michael Klein

Dillon said he had been well across the plan, which Foot sought AFL approval for before assuming the role, with heads of football and heads of umpiring at headquarters also consulted.

Former umpire Michael Pell remains under police investigation amid claims of sharing inside information after “spot” bets were placed on games he umpired in the 2022 season for the Brownlow Medal. It has been almost 18 months since Victoria Police arrested and questioned him, with his phone also seized.

No charges have been laid at this stage, with the matter still ongoing.

Dillon said he did not see any issue with Foot taking up his Sportsbet role with the Pell investigation still underway.

“I think they’re two completely different things,” the league boss said.

“Nick’s been working in the racing industry for a number of years. The other matter is outstanding, but I don’t think there’s really a crossover, and there’s not a crossover with what Nick’s doing outside and his umpiring.”

AFL UNDER FIRE FOR ‘UTTER HYPOCRISY’ ON UMPIRE SPORTSBET GIG

The AFL is under fire for allowing one of its most senior umpires to be on the payroll at the league’s official gambling partner Sportsbet as a racing analyst.

Field umpire Nick Foot, who officiated in last year’s grand final, revealed on social media platform X that he had commenced employment providing racing content for the betting giant in a deal that has been ticked off by headquarters.

The AFL has approved the position on the basis that it only relates to racing content which Foot will provide on Sportsbet’s app and on Racing.com program ‘Get On’.

But gambling reform crusader Reverend Tim Costello said the league needed to step in and block Foot’s association with the company.

Nick Foot is a racing analyst for Sportsbet. Picture: Michael Klein

It comes amid an ongoing Victoria police investigation into another AFL umpire Michael Pell, after “spot” bets were placed on games Pell umpired in the 2022 season for that year’s Brownlow Medal.

“Foot saw the faux rage at Michael Pell. Now this and where is the AFL? (It is) the utter irresponsibility of the AFL if it does not block it,” Costello said.

“But this is the compromised position the AFL has delivered.

“They take over $50m from sports gambling a year and then pose as the referee protecting football integrity.

“They have completely compromised themselves handing our game over to foreign betting companies that it’s now corrupted the AFL to primarily become a betting company with a subsidiary that is a football competition.”

Costello revealed AFL commission chairman Richard Goyder had not responded to a letter he wrote last year seeking a meeting over the league’s escalating links to the gambling industry.

“It’s such utter hypocrisy from the AFL, speaking out of both sides of their mouth as a gambling beneficiary and compromising being a regulator.

“We should be protecting the game and our kids, not the AFL’s gambling profits.”

It is understood that field umpire Foot – who also produces a racing podcast and does work for a racing stable – sought permission from the AFL before embarking on the position and is bound only to providing racing content.

Michael Pell remains under police investigation. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

It comes as second year AFL players have until this Friday to inform the AFL Players’ Association if they want to opt out of having their image used in marketing, advertising and promotional material for AFL corporate partners – including Sportsbet.

The current agreement allows four or more players in one match-day image to be equally represented, with clips of vision also included.

Player managers received a memo last week advising that second year players should express their desire to opt out by this Friday.

Players can express a wish not to have their image used in such marketing material, should they have a “genuine personal, moral or ethical objection to the use of their image in association with wagering companies”.

Thirty players including premiership players Ben Brown and Easton Wood opted out of having their personal image used in 2022.

Player manager Peter Jess described the process as “incredible, given gambling ranks with concussion and illegal drugs as the biggest dangers to players’ health and wellbeing”.

“Gambling has now entwined itself in every aspect of AFL that its dangers are lost, to a large extent by the player cohort and the AFL/AFLPA,” he said.

“There cannot be any justification to normalise gambling in the AFL.”

Originally published as Andrew Dillon doubles down on support for umpire Nick Foot’s role at Sportsbet