Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association’s warning to clubs over abuse

A major football umpiring body in northern Victoria has issued a warning to clubs about umpire abuse. This is what they’ve done.

A MAJOR football umpiring body in northern Victoria has warned it will withdraw its services from clubs to crack down on “extreme cases” of umpire abuse.

The Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association — which supplies officials to the Goulburn Valley, Murray and Kyabram District leagues, among others — has announced a club whose players, coaches, officials or supporters abuses umpires risks not having umpires appointed for its next game.

GVFUA president Andrew Moore stressed this measure was a last resort, with “multiple steps” — such as reports and tribunals — to be used first: “after discussions with ... relevant parties, if it can’t be addressed through the correct lines, that’s where we’re going”.

The policy comes as several local umpiring bodies, including GVFUA, battle to find enough umpires to fill match day vacancies week after week.

“Unfortunately abuse towards umpires keeps happening, and it’s the number one reason we can’t get umpires,” Mr Moore said.

He said he was confident they would not need to resort to the measure, but clubs were now aware of “the worst-case scenario”.

He added that “99.9 per cent” of the region’s clubs had been “fantastic, and are supporting umpires and doing all the right things”.

Mr Moore said the association also saw it as a workplace issue.

“We employ people to umpire, and we need to provide a safe workplace for them,” he said.

MORE

COUNTRY FOOTY WRAP: EX-AFL TALENTS GO BIG AGAIN

PETER CONHEADY IS CAMPERDOWN’S CHAMPION CLUBMAN

ACTIVIST DOUBLES DOWN ON MOUSE MADNESS