Father umpires with two sons in memorable moment for family.

Clinton Kitt and his two sons, Angus and Charlie took to the field together in what was an unforgettable moment for the trio.Clinton, who has umpired for the last ten plus years, has seen his two sons Angus and Charlie follow in their father’s footsteps by taking up their love for umpiring.When asked what skills have you seen both Angus and Charlie develop due to their umpiring, Clinton couldn’t speak highly enough of their attitude.

“They’ve learned a bit about respect - through a better understanding of the pressure umpires are under to make decisions I have observed the boys learn to be objective, less emotional and observe the facts. This plays out in day-to-day life as well with people having different opinions and you must accept those differences.  

“As well as their confidence - Umpires need to be confident with their decision making. This has developed over time but both boys now umpire players significantly older (in VAFA) and very quickly display their confidence through the application of the rules. 

“Leadership plays a big part not just for footballers, but umpires have a leadership role to play on game day. Leadership is a combination of respect and confidence which through their umpiring experience both Angus (umpiring 4 years) and Charlie (umpiring 3 years) have developed and will continue to develop.

“And like any good team, teamwork is crucial. Umpiring requires you to work as a team, including other field, boundary and goal umpires. You need to understand when you are in control and when you are the second set of eyes. I’ve observed both boys develop this skill and work cohesively with their colleagues on gameday. 

Umpiring develops respect, confidence, leadership and teamwork and being equipped with these skills gives both Angus and Charlie transferrable skills that are required in everyday life.

Angus says he is aiming high and wants to take his umpiring to a higher level but knows there’s still plenty of work to be done. 

“I’m now in my fourth year of umpiring at the YJFL and since my transition from playing to umpiring full-time my focus has solely been on improving my umpiring as best as I can. To say I don’t aspire to umpire at the highest level possible would be a lie but I know there are many steps that have to be taken to reach that stage,” Angus said. 

“Currently I am focused on getting games under my belt, I umpire at least 3 games a week (1 VAFA senior men’s, 2 YJFL). Umpiring games is just as important as training. Games your competency in the knowledge of the laws when placed under pressure. In addition, games are a more practical way to practice positioning. When I umpire a game that is filmed, I endeavour to go back through it and review the game with the amazing coaching network that I have. All of these measures aim to build on my current understanding and perfect my umpiring skills”

 Meanwhile, Charlie is juggling his two passions of umpiring, and still playing football.

“Combining both can be difficult to fit in all the training and coordinating the game times. Training has worked out as they are on different nights. On game day the umpiring coaches will give me a game generally before I play. If it doesn’t work out that’s ok as I’m umpiring in VAFA on Saturdays so I can keep developing my skills,” he said.

“By combining playing and umpiring, I think being a footballer has made me a better umpire but also being an umpire has made me a better footballer.”The trio are encouraging anyone who wants to take up umpiring to give it a go.“Do it - umpiring is great - it gives you the chance to keep fit, gives you confidence and improves communication skills. There is also a team environment because you work with your fellow umpires to control the game,”

Any players or parents interested in umpiring please contact Cameron, cameron.nash@yarrajfl.org.au