Junior umpires axed in shock local footy dispute

Young umpires aged as young as 12 have lost their regular matches after the South Gippsland Umpires Association’s services were discontinued by one of the region’s junior football competitions.

The SGUA said it was removed from servicing the Southern Gippsland Junior Football Competition after Round 9 of the 2026 season, affecting up to 12 young umpires aged from about 12 to 16.

A termination email provided to the Sentinel-Times informed the SGUA that the competition would “no longer be engaging” its services for the remainder of the 2026 season, effective immediately.

The email didn’t provide a reason for the decision.

SGUA Vice President Kurt Caddy said the association received a separate email outlining concerns on the previous evening.

However, he said the SGJFC held a special committee meeting before the SGUA had an opportunity to submit its response.

“We had from Sunday night, when we got sent the email, to the following Monday night to say that our services had been terminated,” Mr Caddy said.

“It was just very, very strange.”

Mr Caddy claimed only three clubs attended the special meeting and said the SGUA’s attempts to get further explanations were unsuccessful.

He also alleged the decision breached a clause in the memorandum of understanding between the two organisations, with the SGUA now considering legal action.

Correspondence between the two organisations was supplied to the Sentinel-Times and showed that the junior competition had received three written complaints, while a fourth complaint was connected to an open investigation. Two other clubs had raised concerns but hadn’t submitted them in writing.

The competition identified sling tackles and their officiating as the primary concern, saying clubs wanted umpires to take a firmer and more direct approach.

However, the specific complaints were not supplied to the Sentinel-Times.

The correspondence also referred to a survey of 59 club officials, team managers and coaches which raised concerns about tackling and its officiating.

The competition sought stronger enforcement of sling-tackle rules while retaining an educational approach for junior players.

The email exchange discussed measures like clearer send-off instructions, compulsory team sheets, umpire match reports and greater support from match-day officials.

The SGUA agreed to the changes, describing things like the team sheets and match reports as a “positive move forward.”

The SGUA’s executive committee also had a meeting planned to work through the feedback received from the clubs.

“We were happy to improve (on the issues raised),” Mr Caddy said.

Prior to that email, he said the SGUA had received only limited informal feedback and had not been made aware of the broader concerns about its performance.

Since its services were discontinued, the SGUA said about 80 per cent of its affected junior umpires have transitioned into under-16 matches in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition.

Others had remained boundary umpires, or started umpiring games involving older players, despite still developing both their umpiring skills and their confidence.

“It’s not ideal for them to be umpiring a more mature age group while they’re still learning, but we make it work,” Mr Caddy said.

He said that the Southern Gippsland competition had sought parents and club volunteers to officiate its remaining home-and-away matches before advertising for expressions of interest for its finals series.

Interestingly, according to Mr Caddy, some SGUA members who submitted expressions of interest were selected.

“The way that we’re looking at it is, do you want us or do you not want us?” he said.

The SGUA has also approached AFL Gippsland seeking assistance and the reinstatement of its services.

Mr Caddy said the association was advised to see out the remainder of the season before revisiting the situation ahead of 2027, but the SGUA does not consider that to be acceptable.

“We need to be able to show these junior umpires that we’ve got plans for the future,” he said.

In a statement signed by both President Kane Pepperell and Mr Caddy, the SGUA said young umpires needed games, coaching and support to develop confidence.

“Most importantly, they need the opportunity to build confidence and enjoy umpiring,” the statement said.

The Southern Gippsland Junior Football Competition was contacted for comment regarding the claims, but did not provide a response before the deadline.