Troy G
13th May 2003, 06:17 PM
AFL umpires will immediately be instructed to alter their positioning at field bounces in the centre part of the ground following a meeting at AFL House today to discuss the incidence of umpire / player contact.
AFL Football Operations Manager Andrew Demetriou said today's meeting of coaches, players, umpires and administrators had ranged their discussion across a number of areas, including the current wording of the Laws of the Game in regard to player / umpire contact, potential penalties for player tribunal appearances as the result of any report, umpire positioning on the ground, the increasing role of player tactics around stop-play situations and the potential impact of any AFL action on grass roots football.
"We had a very good meeting with a lot of varied views brought to the table," Mr Demetriou said.
"We came to a consensus in a number of areas and these key points specificially included that we could not alter any Laws of the Game or push for any alteration to Tribunal penalties during the course of a season.
"However, there are a number of areas we can make immediate alterations to ensure that we are providing a safe workplace for umpires on the ground, increasing the respect for the role of the umpire and working to ensure that we do not have players reported or suspended for accidental or incidental contact."
Mr Demetriou said the AFL Umpiring Department would now begin instructing umpires to back out towards the boundary line when conducting a field bounce between the two 50 metre arcs. Umpires already back out towards the boundary line when bouncing the ball inside the 50 metre line, allowing players to attack the goal face, but have headed back into the centre of the ground when officiating in the middle third of the ground to ensure they did not miss any potential free kicks.
"The umpiring department, and the overall group, discussed the possibility that some free kicks in the middle part of the ground could be missed as umpires now headed away from the play, but it was felt this new positioning should be adopted to lessen player / umpire collisions.
"Umpires will also begin wearing different coloured outfits from this weekend when two sides that have predominant white in their uniform are opposed."
Mr Demetriou said the group had asked the AFL Umpiring Department to examine the numbers of players who contest the ball around a stop play situation to discover if there was a difference between throw-ups and field bounces in wet / dry conditions.
"The number of players around the play has increased dramatically in the last 10 years but we do not yet have enough information to say whether more players consistently get to a contest in the time it takes for an umpire to bounce the ball around the ground, compared to the number of players who get to a contest when the ball is being thrown up.
"We will also ask umpires to regain the ball from players more quickly to re-start the game, which lessens the potential for any contact.
"The AFL Umpiring Department will contact clubs to instruct their players to return the ball to the umpire as quickly as possible."
Mr Demetriou said it was agreed that umpires should continue not to pay free kicks during play for any player / umpire contact when they were uncertain how contact occurred.
In regard to the use of the umpires' bounce of the ball to re-start play as a tradition of AFL Football and a unique selling point for the game against all other sports, it was the clear majority view, but not the unanimous view, that the bounce should be retained for AFL football.
Those in attendance today were Andrew Demetriou, AFL Umpires Manager Jeff Gieschen, AFL Football Administration Manager Rod Austin, AFL Field Umpires Coach Rowan Sawers, newly-appointed AFL National Umpiring Development Manager Adrian Panozzo, AFL Players' Association Chief Executive Dr Rob Kerr, AFL Umpires' Association Chief Executive Rob Anderson, Melbourne Football Manager Danny Corcoran, Collingwood Football Manager Neil Balme, Richmond Football Director Greg Miller, Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, Carlton captain Brett Ratten, Kangaroos ruckman Matthew Burton, Melbourne ruckman Jeff White, Western Bulldogs ruck coach Scott Wynd, Essendon ruck coach Simon Madden, AFL umpire Stephen McBurney, AFL umpire Matthew Head, AFL umpire Bryan Sheehan and AFL umpire Corin Rowe.
AFL Football Operations Manager Andrew Demetriou said today's meeting of coaches, players, umpires and administrators had ranged their discussion across a number of areas, including the current wording of the Laws of the Game in regard to player / umpire contact, potential penalties for player tribunal appearances as the result of any report, umpire positioning on the ground, the increasing role of player tactics around stop-play situations and the potential impact of any AFL action on grass roots football.
"We had a very good meeting with a lot of varied views brought to the table," Mr Demetriou said.
"We came to a consensus in a number of areas and these key points specificially included that we could not alter any Laws of the Game or push for any alteration to Tribunal penalties during the course of a season.
"However, there are a number of areas we can make immediate alterations to ensure that we are providing a safe workplace for umpires on the ground, increasing the respect for the role of the umpire and working to ensure that we do not have players reported or suspended for accidental or incidental contact."
Mr Demetriou said the AFL Umpiring Department would now begin instructing umpires to back out towards the boundary line when conducting a field bounce between the two 50 metre arcs. Umpires already back out towards the boundary line when bouncing the ball inside the 50 metre line, allowing players to attack the goal face, but have headed back into the centre of the ground when officiating in the middle third of the ground to ensure they did not miss any potential free kicks.
"The umpiring department, and the overall group, discussed the possibility that some free kicks in the middle part of the ground could be missed as umpires now headed away from the play, but it was felt this new positioning should be adopted to lessen player / umpire collisions.
"Umpires will also begin wearing different coloured outfits from this weekend when two sides that have predominant white in their uniform are opposed."
Mr Demetriou said the group had asked the AFL Umpiring Department to examine the numbers of players who contest the ball around a stop play situation to discover if there was a difference between throw-ups and field bounces in wet / dry conditions.
"The number of players around the play has increased dramatically in the last 10 years but we do not yet have enough information to say whether more players consistently get to a contest in the time it takes for an umpire to bounce the ball around the ground, compared to the number of players who get to a contest when the ball is being thrown up.
"We will also ask umpires to regain the ball from players more quickly to re-start the game, which lessens the potential for any contact.
"The AFL Umpiring Department will contact clubs to instruct their players to return the ball to the umpire as quickly as possible."
Mr Demetriou said it was agreed that umpires should continue not to pay free kicks during play for any player / umpire contact when they were uncertain how contact occurred.
In regard to the use of the umpires' bounce of the ball to re-start play as a tradition of AFL Football and a unique selling point for the game against all other sports, it was the clear majority view, but not the unanimous view, that the bounce should be retained for AFL football.
Those in attendance today were Andrew Demetriou, AFL Umpires Manager Jeff Gieschen, AFL Football Administration Manager Rod Austin, AFL Field Umpires Coach Rowan Sawers, newly-appointed AFL National Umpiring Development Manager Adrian Panozzo, AFL Players' Association Chief Executive Dr Rob Kerr, AFL Umpires' Association Chief Executive Rob Anderson, Melbourne Football Manager Danny Corcoran, Collingwood Football Manager Neil Balme, Richmond Football Director Greg Miller, Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, Carlton captain Brett Ratten, Kangaroos ruckman Matthew Burton, Melbourne ruckman Jeff White, Western Bulldogs ruck coach Scott Wynd, Essendon ruck coach Simon Madden, AFL umpire Stephen McBurney, AFL umpire Matthew Head, AFL umpire Bryan Sheehan and AFL umpire Corin Rowe.