GNFL season to push on despite critical umpire shortage

Great Northern Football League president Colin Cox is calling on clubs to take action, with the league still 17 umpires short just a week out from the start of the season. Cox confirmed they had 10 of the 27 needed umpires locked in but said the clubs had not been responding to their pleas to provide more. “At this point, nothing has happened,” he said. “It is disappointing. What else can we do? We can ask and tell them, we can advise them, but unless they listen, they don’t realise the ramifications until you get to the start of the season.” With the season going ahead regardless this weekend, the clubs will have to provide at least one umpire each, but Cox said this solution would create more problems. “Hopefully, we will have one qualified umpire with one or two of the club umpires,” he said. “Club umpires aren’t ideal because there’s a lot more to umpiring than just knowing the rules. “It also creates issues between clubs. “There’s a lot of bickering between the supporters whether they’re doing it correctly or showing favouritism and all of that sort of stuff which just gets in the way. “As much as it may not be happening, the perception is that it is happening, and it creates big issues.” The league have also offered a $500 incentive for any club that can supply an umpire for the entire season and who will get accredited, but again no one has stepped up to the plate. The shortage comes off the back of a number of young umpires walking away from the GNFL due to abuse. “We lost four good umpires last year, and their concern was abuse,” Cox said. “The situation comes from the clubs, and the clubs are responsible for their spectators, and the ground manager needs to go and speak to people who are abusing the umpire.” Cox added that the league has offered to train the club-supplied umpires.