Umpires using players names

[Andronicus]

i can sort of relate to both sides of the arguments and have umpired fairly high grades of other sports and i must admit i sometimes go the name option, but only of people i actually know. even if i know the name of a player but dont know him personally, i'll tend to use a number.

on the flip side, playing high grade games where umpires know my name when i dont know them i dont tend to mind my first name being used.

what do people that umpire think about being spoken to by players when their first names are used?

ie having a player call you by your first name during a game when talking about an interpretation? i mean a discussion, and not an argument.....those times when a player is just asking for clarification or something quite rationally?

 

[ubolt]

as i've said previously i umpire football and cricket. Cricket at a high level, football not so high. But i've been told that players prefer hearing their names rather than their numbers. In cricket everyone knows your name and you know their names. It is a bit different in football because there are so many more people to get to know, but we try to use names as much as possible. It makes for better communication.

As for players coming up and talking to you, if they know your name you love to hear it. Because it is that respect side of things. If for example they come up and say "Roy, what was the holding the ball decision down there for?". When you hear your name it means they respect you, and you know that if your name is used they are going to respect your decision, even if it may be wrong.

Umpiring isn't just about making decisions that people either agree or don't agree with, it's about communication, respect of the players and their role, respect to the sport, respect to the game that is being played on that day at that ground (whether that be 1 vs 2, 15 vs 16 or 1 vs 16), and probably most importantly: the love of the game. Don Bradman once said "it is the responsibility of all those that participate in the game, to leave the game in a better state than when they first became involved" - this includes umpires, and they are there, along with the players and other officials on game day.

 

[beert]

There is more to controlling a game of footy than blowing the whistle and holding your arm out. I think that good umpiring needs a good relationship with the players and this is best supported by using players names.

Showing respect for players as people encourages them to respect the umpires and the rules. The more

As for bias - if the umpire is calling all players by their preferred name or nickname, then I can't see how this favours one team over another.

 

[Dais]

Why do umpires call players by name, even using their nick names sometimes. The umpires are not the players mates on the field and it invites accusation of bias and favouritism eg. calling the well known players by nick names and the new players mate or by their number. Every player should be adressed as 'player number 23' or 'blue player 16' to take away any possibility of favouritism. Also, the practice of commenting on the qulaity of play e.g "good mark Johnno. Your kick." These guys are meant to be professionals but that sort of behaviour undermines their credibility and makes them appear like ring-ins in a suburban league.

I think an umpire should be aloud to call the player by first or last name. They shouldnt compliment them on how well they are playing however because that is bias.
But i watched a documentary thing on them and they actually sit there and watch old games and make the effort to actually LEARN the players names so they dont have to use numbers. Id much prefer to be called my last name or first name on the sporting field then be called by my number!

Using names is fine, maybe even nicknames but not complimenting players on how well they are playing. Umpiring is meant to be unbiased.

 

[Pantsless]

I've umpired games where I've called a mark/free kick and not known the players name. I'm standing 20 metres away screaming "NO 2. BACK 1 METRE PLEASE" about 4 or 5 times.

I know that they can hear me, but they don't respond because they're not conditioned to answer to "Number 2". As soon as i use their name, "Mark, back a metre please", they get on it straight away.

Can you imagine going to the tax office and being called out of the group by your tax file number or standing at the airport and they do a final call by your passport number, "Would passenger G32847292 please board the flight immediately!"

Some players don't answer to their first names as they have been called by their nicknames for years. I remember pinging a player 50 after I yelled out "Dave, come back a couple metres" and he wouldn't come back. When we got down the other end, I told I had been calling him back and he said "No-one calls me Dave, even my parents don't call me Dave".

It is such a non-issue. I've been doing it for years and have never had a player be upset with me.

 

[Rick Fortune]

I think an umpire should be aloud to call the player by first or last name. They shouldnt compliment them on how well they are playing however because that is bias.
But i watched a documentary thing on them and they actually sit there and watch old games and make the effort to actually LEARN the players names so they dont have to use numbers. Id much prefer to be called my last name or first name on the sporting field then be called by my number!

Using names is fine, maybe even nicknames but not complimenting players on how well they are playing. Umpiring is meant to be unbiased.

I dont think it's biased if they're doing the same thing to each team, which is what they're doing.

 

[PaintItRedAndBlack]

I don't think there's anything wrong with them using their first or last name (saying their team and number would be a mouthful), but I don't agree with nicknames - they aren't there to be their friend.

I've never heard an umpire give a player a compliment...

 

[pazza]

I'd much rather them do that than be robotic and not know who they are dealing with!

Mind you, I also think it would be helpful for players of both sides and the umpires to get together after each match for about an hour or so. It might help to make things a little less heated out on the ground if everyone knew each other.

 

[TigerCraig]

Mind you, I also think it would be helpful for players of both sides and the umpires to get together after each match for about an hour or so. It might help to make things a little less heated out on the ground if everyone knew each other.

I was doing a rugby union referees course last night and one of the things on the screen in the list of "Referees duties - post match", and which was stressed by the presenter was "Attend home team social function".

In rugby it is expected that the ref (who has been "sir" all game, as the players have been "numbers") will have at least 1 drink with the teams.

 

[Rick Fortune]

I'd much rather them do that than be robotic and not know who they are dealing with!

Mind you, I also think it would be helpful for players of both sides and the umpires to get together after each match for about an hour or so. It might help to make things a little less heated out on the ground if everyone knew each other.

I dont know if that happens in the AFL, but I know I had a quiet beer with a few of the Lancaster boys the last time I had their game...