AFL UMPIRE MENTOR PROGRAM MANUAL - AFL Community

We all start somewhere...Read the following account of another AFL field umpire’s first foray into umpiring.It is a refreshing reminder that no matter what level you eventually achieve as an umpire,you have to start somewhere.I remember my first game in 1992. It was a Sunday morning at Moore Park in Reservoir for an under-13s practice match between West Preston and Reservoir Colts. I’d missed out on the under-9s andunder-10s games, but assured the umpires’ coach that I could do an under-13s game. He wasn’t sosure, but gave me a go anyway.I’d been out shopping during the week to get some white boots – not the easiest things to find – andhad gone away with some moulded-sole adidas boots that were three or four sizes too big for me.A little cotton wool in the ends would fix that, or that’s what I thought! I was dressed in my new whitekit and strode out on to the rock-hard ground ready and raring to go.Actually, I wasn’t ready at all. Being the chubby little 14-year-old that I was, I had absolutely NOfitness. I didn’t have a clue about where to run or even what a free kick was, but I’d played fora couple of years and figured I could get through on that experience. I’d had no coaching, noinstructions. I hadn’t even seen a rule book! I don’t even want to think about how I bounced the ball.By 15 minutes into the first quarter, the chaffing on my thighs was so bad that I could hardly walk,let alone run! People were screaming at me and abusing me and my feet were killing me. I shouldn’thave worn those brand new boots; runners would have been a much better option, but I thought Ihad to wear boots. Well, nobody told me otherwise! It was hot, and I was struggling – big time!I’m still not sure how I made it through that game, but I fronted up again the next weekend andthings just went from there.Field umpire Mathew Nicholls was promoted to the AFL senior panel and umpired his first game in roundtwo of the 2003 season. He had umpired 65 games at the end of the 2007 season.On the next page you will be given a section to record some of your earliest moments as anumpire in Australian Football. A mentor should be able to empathise with a beginning orlearning umpire and share with him or her what it was like as a new umpire.UMPIRE MENTOR PROGRAM MANUAL 17