Finding officials to officiate sporting events across all sports has become increasingly difficult in the past ten years. Regrettably in many cases the abuse these people suffer drives them out of the sport.
That may well be the case but surely any sporting club that pays fees, and any player who in turn pays fees to play their chosen sport has a right to expect, come finals time, that the sport’s administrators will source enough officials to adjudicate in these championship deciding games.
The finals start in hockey this weekend in Western Australia and Fremantle Hockey club won the tender process to host the first round of the finals. What they did not bank on was being asked by Hockey WA to then source officials for those finals.
It is alleged that Hockey WA has offered to help fund the umpires and will pay the club $40 per umpire per game; when the going rate in the regular season has been $50 per game. So with five games and ten umpires the club will immediately be $100 out of pocket. Something they would not have been banking on when they bid for the hosting rights.
Then there is the little matter of Fremantle having sides contesting the finals. How will opposition sides feel when they know that the umpires for their match have been sourced and supplied by the opposition? Many a team you would think would have every right to walk off the pitch. Although as one Fremantle player stated they would rather have neutral umpires appointed by the Governing body so there can be absolutely no accusations of bias should they win through.
Administering sport today is becoming a very difficult task, but there is a responsibility in that role to meet the requirements of your member clubs. If clubs are left to arrange such things themselves, what will they be asked to arrange next? Suddenly one has to ask why they don’t simply run the tournament themselves.
