Almost half of all Australian Rules Football (AFL) umpires have experienced verbal abuse such as ridiculing, humiliation or aggressive remarks, threats or gestures, at least every couple of games, according to new research by the University of South Australia.
The survey of more than 350 umpires from 2021 to 2022 has identified that one in five umpires (21%) reported having also experienced some form of physical abuse, whether it be invasion of personal space, pushing, or punching by players, coaches, parents or general spectators.
Twelve per cent of those surveyed umpired in community junior football, 80% umpired in community senior football and 8% umpired in state league and talent pathway.
The study was conducted by UniSA's Dr Jamie Cleland, and Dr Alyson Crozier, experts in sports management and sports psychology respectively, in a bid to examine the extent of abuse towards match officials, particularly at the youth and grassroots levels, and the reasons for poor retention of umpires in the sport.
Dr Crozier says poor behaviour by clubs, parents or spectators can filter down to the youth and grassroots levels where umpires aren't protected by security like elite AFL umpires and can face verbal and physical hostility when their decisions are disputed.
"Spectators, players and coaches tend to strongly identify with their team, whereas umpires are viewed as an external authority figure - and this creates an 'us versus them' mindset," she says.
"This then can lead to dehumanisation and justification of aggressive behaviour towards umpires as they're seen as a threat to the team's success. Professional AFL umpires are conditioned to expect abuse on the field and understand it as being part of the game.
"But while uMpires may expect the abuse, it doesn't make the experience 'right'. Workplaces outside of umpiring wouldn't tolerate the levels of abuse experienced by some umpires in Aussie Rules; in no other workplace would it be considered acceptable, and it shouldn't be acceptable for footy umpires either."
Of the research participants, 91% identified as male and 80% of them umpired in community senior football. 21% said they received verbal abuse every game, 28% said every couple of games and 38% said a couple of times a season.
One umpire in community senior football commented how it "had been the worst year for myself personally as far as coach and supporter abuse - I was threatened with my life this year and the league did nothing about it".
Another community senior football umpire shared their account of being physically attacked. "I was assaulted two years ago by a spectator. Lucky I was bigger than him. I was disappointed he only got a one-year suspension from attending games," they said.
More than half of participants (53%) had reported at least one incident of abuse to the relevant authority and of those who had reported abuse, 73% felt supported through the process, with 62% satisfied with the eventual disciplinary outcome.
Dr Crozier says a number of the umpires in the study commented positively on the AFL's 50m penalty for players who show dissent towards an umpire, such as challenging an umpire verbally or physically after a decision has been made on the field.
"However, although some umpires recognised how their experiences had improved after the introduction of the dissent rule, for the majority, the top-down approach still wasn't influencing bottom-up behaviour change at the youth and grass rooms levels. It's at these levels where mass participation occurs that umpires are significantly outnumbered and not sufficiently protected from harm," she says.
"Umpires told us they need to be communicated with before and after cases of misconduct against clubs, players and spectators, not only for their own health and wellbeing, but because they're more likely to keep umpiring if they feel supported and valued."
The researchers suggested technology could enhance the reporting process for bad behaviour, using real time mobile apps to log incidents immediately after a match. Various sporting leagues globally are trialling body cameras for game officials to reduce the level of abuse they face.
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