Umpire (Australian rules football)

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An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.

Contents

1 Origins
2 Types
3 Modern Umpiring and the AFL
4 See also

Origins

Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Aussie Rules, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an important aspect in the origin of the code (umpires sometimes officiated both sports in the early days of the game).

At first the captains of both teams shared the duty of officiating games, however as the game became more professional in the 1880s, umpires became an important aspect of the game.

Types

There are 4 different types of umpires in a typical game of Australian Football:

Field Umpire - (equivalent of a referee in many other games) (sometimes referred to derogatively by Aussie Rules fans as white maggot) there are typically 3 at professional level (Australian Football League - as introduced in the 1990s) and 1 or 2 at amateur and semi-professional level. The AFL has trialled 4 umpires in the pre-season cup. Field umpires are generally responsible for doing a bounce down and ball-up during stoppages, awarding free kick, penalties and reports. These umpires once wore white shorts and shirt, but now wear yellow or green to stand out.

Boundary Umpire - (equivalent of a linesman in many other games) There are typically 4 at AFL level (2 per side of the field) and 2 at amateur level. The responsibility of boundary umpires is to determine if the ball has left the field of play, in which case they may throw the ball back in to play (or throw inif it touches the ground first) or advise the field umpire if the ball went out on the full or put out deliberately (to award a free kick to the opposition player).

Goal Umpire - Only one at each end of the field. Signals a goal, behind, or hit the post (behind or out of bounds - working in tandem with boundary umpire) or touched by a player (if near the line - behind). Waves flags to opposite goal umpire to concur score. Once wore white suit and coat. (Can also award a 3 point rushed behind in pre-season)

Emergency Umpire - used as a replacement if an umpire gets injured. Also monitors the play from the bench for behind play incidents and will enter the field if required to defuse scuffles and fights between players and the blood rule. Like field umpires they have the ability to report or sometimes send off players. Oversees other officials, such as club runners and interchanging of players.

Modern Umpiring and the AFL

The game of Aussie Rules contains many "grey areas" subject to rule interpretation, making the job of field umpires extremely difficult. With new rules instigated by the AFL in recent years, this also ensures that umpires maintain their skills and knowledge of the game. The umpire director for the AFL is Jeff Gieschen, responsible for setting precedents for other affiliated leagues around the world.

Umpire (Australian rules football)

Origins

Types

Modern Umpiring and the AFL

See also