Umpiring, So Much More Than Cash And Fitness.

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Published on Friday, 24 January 2014 15:06

A group of Umpires were recently asked to fill in a questionaire and one of the answers that was returned would surprise some. When asked why they became an umpire, one umpire said that it would look good on a resume. Their answer wasn’t fitness or pocket money, the usual responses. It was looking at the bigger picture and their lifetime goals.

You may wonder why blowing a whistle on a football field would look good on a resume, but you need to look deeper to understand why. Umpiring provides you with, or helps you to nurture many life skills that prospective employers will look for in their employees.

Skills that you will obtain or that you will develop include

• Decision Making
• Critical Thinking
• Clear Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Integrity
• Perseverance
• Organisation
• Effort
• Common Sense
• Responsibility
• Patience
• Friendship
• Co-operation
• Communication
• Assertiveness
• Tolerance
• Leadership
• People Management
• Plus many, many more

Nurturing the life skills that umpiring teaches you is a high priority for the heads of umpiring across the country. At the recent VCFL Umpiring School Holiday Program, ex AFL footballer Nathan Thompson provided a session highlighting these skills and providing further methods to enhance them.

So no matter if you are young or old, if you are thinking about becoming an umpire, just remember there is so much more you can get from umpiring beyond fitness and pocket money. One day you may be asked about your umpiring in a job interview and you will be able to list the skills that you have been taught and it may just be the reason why you get the job.