BEFORE the 2002 Bendigo Football and Netball League season got underway controversy about the umpiring roster was the big news.Indeed, the future of the Bendigo Umpires Association remained in doubt following a number of meetings between the region’s four leagues and the umpires.
The BUA, the Bendigo, Loddon Valley, Heathcote and Bendigo Junior leagues were closer to an agreement by mid-February with umpiring appointments for finals quite clearly the stumbling block.
The BUA president Ron Threlfall told the Advertiser his organization had agreed to the VCFL’s proposal to have all finals appointments based on merit.
The one proviso was that an independent person would chair the selection panel.
Nevertheless, the four leagues wanted men-in-white from the Rochester and District Umpires Association to be granted one of the first four finals before merit-based selections were made for the preliminary and grand finals.
With still two months to go before the 2002 competitions kicked off, the two umpiring bodies had come to a consensus.
The BUA would umpire 75 per cent of BFL home-and-away matches person and the RDUA 25 per cent. Independent assessment of all umpires would start from Round 12.
The VCFL was the body assigned to appoint the independent head of the selection panel.
“We don’t want any umpires to be excluded. We just want all the finals appointments to be based on merit,” Mr. Threlfall said.
“If the assessment by the independent person is that Rochester umpires are among the best available, then they deserve to be appointed to finals.
“We just want the umpires who work hard through the year to be rewarded,” Mr. Threlfall stressed.
“This is what the VCFL has recommended and the VCFUA endorses it as well, so it seems more than fair for everyone.”
Spokesman for the four leagues Russell McGibbon (the LVFL secretary) said the leagues wanted both bodies to have the chance to be assessed under finals pressure.
“Umpiring finals presents a completely different ball game to home-and-away matches,” he said.
“We would like the RDUA to umpire one of the first four finals our leagues stage so that they can be assessed under finals pressure.
“Then we would have the best umpires for the preliminary and grand finals in all our leagues,” Mr. McGibbon said.
The spokesman said the four leagues ‘couldn’t believe the Bendigo Umpires Association was putting its future at stake’.
“We’re now left with the situation where we must advertise for umpires once again,
“The BUA has put itself in a similar position to the grand final last year (2001).
“We’ve offered them most of the appointments but they want them all. Like last year, they could now end up with none,” Mr. McGibbon said.
AND SURE enough right beside the lead article on the back page of the Advertiser of February 13, 2002 there was a large advertisement calling for umpire recruits.
Not only more central, goalies and boundaries were needed but also the crucial role of umpires’ adviser had to be filled.
ALSO on the footy agenda in early 2002 was the thorny question of a full-time general manager for the BFL.
The league wasn’t about to fast-track the appointment of a GM despite the shock resignation of long-serving chief effective officer Kevin McNaughton in early March 2002, the Advertiser reported.
League spokesmen said while the BFL board of management was investigating how a full-time GM could best be integrated into the league, the process would not be rushed --- despite Mr. McNaughton’s decision to step down.
“I think a full-time general manager is a road this league has to go down, and soon, but right at this stage we aren’t ready,” a spokesman told the Advertiser.
“We still need to do a lot more research regarding the issue before we can take it back to the clubs for a final decision.
“Although Kevin’s resignation strips us of about 23 years of valuable experience in football administration, we’ll be able to cope quite adequately in his absence. There’s no need for a knee-jerk reaction,” he said.
The BFL board predicted the league would be in a position to appoint a full-time GM, whose duties would include attracting sponsorship, arranging player transfers and overseeing the general day-to-day operations of the league by the end of the year (2002).
Members of the board were making it their priorities to speak with their opposite numbers at leagues which already had GMs in place. Their brief was to develop the model which would best suit the BFL.
“Hopefully we’ll have an impressive proposal to put to the clubs by the end of the season which, if accepted, will mean a GM appointed to the BFL in time for the 2003 season,” the spokesman said.
As the 2002 season approached the Goulburn Valley, Ovens and Murray and Geelong football leagues all had full-time GMs in place.
The BFL board hadn’t decided whether a replacement for Mr. McNaughton would be advertised or whether the league would continue with interim CEO Frank Ward for the 2002 season.
“A final decision on that matter will be made in the coming weeks, but whatever road we go down I assure you the league won’t miss a beat,” the spokesman said.
AS WE know now seven years on, Mr. Ward continued on in his role for 2002.
Eventually, Tony Pierce became the first full-time BFL GM. He has since been succeeded by Steven Oliver whose title now is CEO of Football Central Victoria.
And the umpires didn’t put their futures completely in jeopardy. The BUA still supplies men-in-white for all the four leagues in our region with the same problems associated with umpire numbers --- the necessity to constantly recruit more people --- always at the forefront of their concerns.
Richard’s selections for Round 12: Gisborne, Castlemaine, Eaglehawk, Golden Square and South Bendigo. Season total to date: 47.
By Richard Jones
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