Working in conjunction with the TIO Northern Territory Football League, the AFL trialed the four-umpire system during Rounds 8 –11 of the 2022/23 TIO NTFL Season.
The AFL revealed in August this year, the potential move to increase the number of field umpires officiating the game, with the league looking to spread the load across individual umpires, so the best decision-makers can stay in the game for longer.
The top end bound travel group of 16 umpires boasted experienced AFL umpires Simon Meredith (400 AFL games), Robert O’Gorman (150 games), Nicholas Brown (100 games) and Hayden Gavine (100 games).
AFL’s general manager of competition management, Laura Kane, said to SEN Sportsday why four umpires is likely to be introduced next season.
She says one of the key reasons is to prolong the careers of the league’s best umpires, while helping create further clarity when making decisions.
“It will also lead to more opportunity, less fatigue, we can keep our best umpires for longer, and we can have opportunities for women to come through the pathway in a different way than they ever have before.
“Research has been done for a number of years on this and I think we have to continue to evolve and grow just like we do with the players and the game on the field, that the umpires are right there with them.”
The four-umpire system is not too dissimilar to the workings of the three-umpire system. The major difference being the introduction of a second umpire into the mid zone (the middle of the ground extending between the two fifty-metre arcs), instead of the current system which has just one umpire officiating in the mid zone.
Umpires continue to rotate through both the mid and end zones during the match. However, instead of each umpire running an average distance of 15 kilometres during a match as is currently the case, umpires would run closer to an average of 11 kilometres.
AFLNT Umpiring Manager Andrew Wainwright said “We were thrilled to host and provide a platform to trial the new four-umpire system in the TIO NTFL during rounds 8-11. It’s a coup to have elite-level, AFL umpires in Darwin sharing their experience and talent with our local umpires.”
Umpire Head Coach Michael Jennings shares his appreciation “Throughout TIO NTFL Rounds 8-11 a team of AFL Umpires and Umpires Coaches travelled to Darwin to develop the AFL Four Umpire System that will be introduced for the 2023 AFL Premiership Season. The speed of play and the challenging conditions, make the NTFL competition the perfect place for AFL Umpires to work on their decision-making and conditioning during their offseason.
On behalf of the AFL Umpires, I would like to thank the Northern Territory Football League and the TIO NTFL Umpiring Community for making the AFL Umpires feel very welcome.”
