G’day to all this weekend and let’s hope that we are able to have crowds back to sport over this weekend (and beyond)
As an umpire who officiated last weekend, no crowds were certainly a different feeling umpiring a game of footy. Whilst many might think that we do hear the “support” coming from the sidelines, a significant amount is not heard or more likely, umpires are concentrating on the game and honestly don’t hear the crowd.
Having said that, the crowds and the noise they normally make on the weekend watching their teams play and not having noise in the background was a very strange feeling and one I hope we don’t have to experience again in 2021. On a personal note, whilst some of the advice from the sidelines is not needed, crowds at the footy is certainly something that is needed in order improve and enhance the game and atmosphere we all love.
To all club officials, league officials, players and volunteers who have over the last few weeks had to co-ordinate sport within the guidelines of COVID rules, to ensure that sport could be played, our thanks to you in working through these rules and making sure that firstly junior then senior football could recommence as soon as it could.
To our umpires, thank you for your patience, understanding and getting back out their and getting on with the job of umpiring games of footy. For many of you in your first season (and certainly learning in a hurry) congratulations on not only adjusting to umpiring games of footy at such an early stage in your umpiring careers, but also well done on adjusting to the changes that COVID has bought for all of us when it comes to umpiring country footy around the south west. To our coaches, assistant coaches and senior umpires, well done on helping the new recruits adjusts quickly into footy (and in many cases being fast tracked into senior footy given our shortage of numbers at the start of the season). Let’s hope that we can continue to re-invigorate our umpiring numbers this year and into the future and get back to being able to supply full compliments of umpires to all grades of footy.
In the meantime, enjoy footy on the weekend and see you around the grounds
Cheers
Steve Walker
President – WDFUA
