AFL UMPIRE MENTOR PROGRAM MANUAL - AFL Community

My first crack at itAs a mentor, your ability to understand what emotions, aspirations, fears, challenges andgoals a beginning or learning umpire might be confronting will be crucial. The longer youhave been umpiring, the further back you will have to go to recall those early days – althougheveryone will have one or two of those moments that will never leave them.As an umpire rises through the ranks, he or she becomes a new umpire to some extentat each level of the game and there are new challenges to confront. Before reflecting on oneor two of your earliest memories, think back to what Mathew Head, Bryan Sheehan andMathew Nichols wrote about their early experiences.Take time now, in the space provided, to recount two or three of your early memories as anumpire that might be useful when working with a beginning or learning umpire. They maynot necessarily be from your very first matches, but from your first grand final – as long asthe anecdote would have some value to another umpire who wants to learn more about thegame and develop his or her skills.18UMPIRE MENTOR PROGRAM MANUAL