AFL considers full-time umpires Jon Ralph
From: Herald Sun
June 28, 2012 THE AFL could appoint as many as four full-time umpires next year as the league debates whether the move would improve standards of officiating.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson is considering a proposal from umpires boss Jeff Gieschen after strong support for full-time umpires from clubs.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick and former Sydney coach Paul Roos have both pushed for full-time umpires, saying it would lift standards.
The proposal is with the AFL and umpires union, as they come closer to signing off on a new collective bargaining agreement for umpires.
Gieschen backed the proposal, but is aware many AFL umpires also work full time in white-collar professional jobs.
It means a move to a panel of 33 full-time umpires is not a consideration, but a pilot program could start as early as next year.
Full-time umpires would be able to not only work on their skills, but help develop and coach young umpires.
"We have certainly done a lot of research into it," Gieschen said.
"We have put a paper together on how it might operate, but what we don't want to do is say everyone has to go full time. We don't know whether it is going to assist in decisional accuracy.
"There is scope to pursue it vigorously, but it is with the AFLUA and the AFL in terms of commencing that pilot program."
All-Australian umpire Brett Rosebury said yesterday he put between 25 and 50 hours a week into his job as an umpire.
He is also a senior accountant for Ticketmaster, and said he had mixed feelings on whether going full time would improve standards.
He said there was a limit to the amount of extra training and game scrutiny that could be done.
"I would like to think I commit myself as a full-time umpire, even though I also work full time," he said.
"We are not opposed to it, but you would have to understand what the role was.
"Any reason you would want to go full time would be to make you a better umpire, not just to do more school visits and be a development officer."
Veteran umpire Sean Ryan recently retired to further his career as a barrister, while AFL umpires also work as physiotherapists and doctors and are involved in other high-profile careers.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/afl-considers-full-time-umpires/story-e6frf9jf-1226410564607
