Eddie McGuire has continued on his run of wild suggestions for the AFL, this week suggesting a bold overhaul of umpiring.

McGuire on Wednesday night proposed wholesale scrapping of boundary and goal umpires in preference of an eight umpire set-up, where all umpires act as field umpires glued to certain zones on the field.

Two umpires would operate at each goalsquare, while the remaining four would occupy the wings and centre of the ground, limited to their sections.

An emergency would also be used so umpires can rest.

McGuire believes this will allow umpires to focus on decision-making, rather than having to run up to 15 kilometres over the course of a match, while exacting the most decision-making possible out of an umpiring group.

"I would like to see five teams of nine umpires...every weekend we send out 99 umpires, and only 27 of them can pay a free kick," McGuire said on Channel 9.

"If we are fair dinkum about showing (umpires) respect, then let's respect them properly, and make them a big part of this competition."

McGuire's proposal would see the amount of AFL umpires cut down significantly, but would also see them paid "$300,00 a year, because that's what the game can hold".

Most umpires work outside of their whistle-blowing duties: McGuire hopes that his suggestion would enable umpires to go professional while improving the game's officiating.

1 COMMENT

  1. Agreed – to a point. There’d still be too many umpires with too many simultaneous differences in “interpretations”.

    I would put it a bit differently…. simply have the goal and boundary umpires also “blow the whistle” when they see a transgression (etc) – even if this is only to bring something to the field umpire’s attention and have only one “field” or “central” or “head” umpire.

    The whole ground is “covered” (so to speak) and we have two less umpires on the field.

    Then make it compulsory for frees to be paid when earned…. none of this “let it go” (“let the game flow”) mentality that simply frustrates the crowd no-end as they see “their team miss out on frees”……….

    Coaches and captains should also submit reports as to the performance of umpires.

    I’d also increase the bench to six – but limit the number of “in quarter” interchanges to that number (6).

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