AFTER a string of ugly incidents so far this season, the Ovens and King Football League has taken measures to eradicate umpire abuse from the sport.
An ongoing issue in football at every level, the matter came to a head in recent weeks after disturbing scenes at matches at North Wangaratta in round 10 and Bonnie Doon in round 12.
OKFNL general manager Zac Guilfoyle said the matter was deeply concerning.
"The league has been very concerned to hear of umpires leaving the game due to the abuse occurring at some matches," Guilfoyle said.
"All club presidents were called to a meeting last Friday night where they were addressed by North East Umpires Board coach Dale Gleeson as to the seriousness of the issue and to express his concerns from an umpiring department's point of view.
"All clubs have been warned that aggressive verbal attacks on umpires are unacceptable."
Guilfoyle said the league had taken the step of holding clubs accountable for the behavior not only of their players, but of their fans as well.
"The league will be monitoring the behavior of clubs for the remainder of the season with penalties set to be enforced if a club is reported by an umpire for excessive personal and aggressive abuse," he said.
By - Scott Anderson.
Zac Guilfoyle
Last Modified on 20/07/2012 14:44