By Les Tan/Red Sports
Jurong West Sports Complex, Wednesday, March 25, 2009 – Rookie umpiring since the start of the National B Division Basketball Championships is making some parent supporters and coaches see red.
On Monday, in a girls game between Unity and Yuying Secondary, a call by an umpire was enough to make the Unity coach, not the calmest of coaches to begin with, walk across the court to yell at the umpire.
On Wednesday, at a point in the game where Raffles Girls’ School were trailing Woodgrove, irate RGS parents berated the umpires for their calls. When told to calm down by the umpire, the parent told the umpire twice, while pointing a finger at her: “You better watch your behaviour!”
With the decision to cram most school sports into the first five months of this year, the lack of experienced umpires to call games at national championship level is becoming apparent. The A, B and C Divisions, plus the primary school competitions, are going on at the same time. In previous years, the C Division championship was held after the June holidays.
However, yelling at rookie umpires doesn’t solve the problem either. The sight of a middle aged man yelling at a young girl is not something that anyone wants to see.
Rookie umpires only become experienced umpires when they get to call games. And the only practice they will get – whether parents, coaches and players like it or not – is to call school games.
An irate parent starts video taping the officials. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Another upset parent approaches the umpires table to complain… (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
… and continues to vent his frustrations. (Photo 3 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
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Why cram school sports into the first 5 months of the year?
Nothing can be done. Whistle is the biggest on court.
yup…did witness an ACS [barker] parent got involved with the spat with the bishan park coach…during a ‘B’ soccer match at Fairfield Sec…
Apparently the father of the ACS soccer was trying to coach his son from the bishan park technical area..
As the coach fom bishan park sec was trying to move the father politely..the father challenge the coach about rules and regulation..
hahahaha…the parent make me laugh due to his his knowledge of football…well done to the coach from bishan park who handle this case in a proper channel by asking the pitch manager to talk to the parent..but from what i seen and understand is that the parent of the ACS soccer challenge the pitch manager..which was just infront of me..
Only till the coach of bishan park gotten the coach of Acs team to move the parent back to their area…this is so amazing…
being parents yelling and disputing the referee’s decision is really sending a wrong signal, be it to your child or to any student athlete. On court the referee’s decision is final. no matter how bad we think the decision is we have to live with it. we cannot allow young athletes to think that if we are unhappy with the referee’s decision we can protest and be disrespectful to the referee. also on court there are 10 players to 2 referee’s. the speed of play is also relatively fast and if referee’s do err its not because they want to but it should most probably be a genuine error. these Rookie referees only become experienced if and only if they get the opportunity to referee such games. everyone starts out as a rookie. thus we should be more lenient to match officials as their job is really not as easy as we think.
Parent supporters can really be quite enthusiastic about seeing their children play. Today, they brought a video camera to film the match (RGS vs AH). And a middle age women was screaming in the stands like a teenage girl whenever RGS scored. 🙂
It was ammusing to say the least. =X
Refs are inexperience and when they get a scolding from my coach, they tend to get scared and start to make even more bad calls
I guess all parents will be quite passionate and vocal about an issue they feel is wrong, especially when it has gotta do with their children. It is just so happens that an RGS parent was involved. Confronting the referee might just be a way for him to try and seek an explanation for the wrongs he saw on the court. Not sure whether the referees have been instructed as to whether they should engage spectators, but no matter how unreasonable a spectator might be, they should always keep their cool and remain diplomatic. Perhaps videotaping the issue would be the only way to make sure that they have some form of evidence on 1) the bad calls 2) the confrontation just in case there might be some complications which arise after this?
From what we observed, the referees were diplomatic. It was the parent who raised his voice and I could hear him from the other side of the hall.
i think rgs parents have problems, seriously
I agree.It not easy to be a Referees.The tournament welcome all supporter to watch the match not giving comment.I think if those Supporter Giving comment or what so ever. the referees have the right to give a technical foul or ask the parent to leave the court.If they think it easy.Let them try.A match Must have a winner and loser,So what if you lose.Lose with pride.I think those parent showing bad example.as if they know the basketball rule well.
is not easy to be a referee. i just think that parent should just sit and watch and not taking out ur phone to video the umpire but ur kids.. i have go through so many competition and i myself even if i feel the umpire is helping any school so wat u just ask ur kid to play up to standard and beat the others school.. if parent think that is easy be a umpire then u go have a try.. like my sch in sec we will have friendly games and we ourself have to become umpire and referee.. and we know how it feel like and it not easy. so pls stop doing this to the referee and umpire. an just sit down and support ur kid. and u know what being a referee or umpire u have to go through course.. not jst said i want to be and i can be get it…..
To raise the standards of referees and nature this upcoming breed of umpires no matter what sports they’re in…we’re lacking of referees… Most of the time they do it on their own accord… the LOVE of the games and their passion in it…
We must start some where…obviously that the parents doesn’t look understanding enough and instead of venting their anger, they should think in a postive manner and encourage the young referee’s as well as encouraging their own kids too…
Our Sporting scences standards is still way back behind compare to other countries.. We still have much to work on… if people can’t change their mentality and be encouraging about it… things will move very slow progressively…
Sometimes, it’s not just about protecting the their child but to raise a point about how the referee’s job’s not well done. I believe parents don’t go and find trouble out of nowhere they must have seen something going on and on without improvement then they complain.
its best to just stick to one’s own responsibility. if you’re a coach, you coach. if you’re a parent, you support your child. if you’re a referee, then just umpire e game. a parent dont have to make decisions for the umpires and etc. let the respective NSAs deal with what kind umpires are qualified for school matches. leave the officials alone because they are trying their damn best too.
dont blame the ref, if the team has the capabilities, the team will eventually win. if the ref makes a wrong call against a team, similarly, the such thing will occur against the other team. therefore all the wrong calls will be neutralized.
i dont see you being honest and revealed that your team dont earn this pt when the ref make a wrong call and benefited ur team. dont be a sore loser and blame the ref when u lose!
sports is all in the mind, different ref has diff standards making decisions when fouls are made etc. you have to play to make urself in a most adcantageous position where it does not violates the standards of the ref
I think that both sides have rights and wrongs. Yesterday in the Cedar Girls VS Dunman match, one of the girls(I forgot who sorry) bounced the ball and it wasn’t even on the line but the referee ruled the ball to the opposing team. There was this uncle(I sat on the retractable supporters’ seats) in front of me who also saw this and he got pretty agitated and left the match due to that.
So this is the referee’s fault.
But I feel that not everything should be blamed on the referees. Sure they may have some wrongdoings here and there but mostly they are okay.
The parent’s are all a little too agitated aren’t they. Besides, they have a biased point of view because who wouldn’t support their own children?
I don’t feel that the parents are in any wrong. They did what they think is right. I’m sure lots of school had encounter this problem. But i feel that the referee have to be a certain experience before they could start blowing in a national round. In the national round its very crucial for all of the schools. their glory depend on it, bringing in a rookie referee to blow their whistle is like piece of xxxx. I’ve seen schools who lost because of the poor judgment of the referee. A good example will be the game of North Vista against Queensway. Who would had thought of North Vista losing to them in a mere 2 point. Both parties resulted in foul outs of their players, in any history of seeing basketball in my eyes. I had never seen a game which had 30 over free throws. You call an opponent using their butts boxing out, and what the other party do was walk back words, and its call upon a pushing foul. There is the ‘C’ division zonal rookie could start to blow from there, and not just leap to the nationals. I hope that there will be better use of manpower and distribution done my the regarding association. AND please organizers, get a bloody bench for the team to seat on. It doesn’t portray a good image for players to seat on the floor. I hope this issues will be cleared as soon as possible.
Who was the unlucky female refree?
As those people said yelling doesnt help much so what for an elder man shouting at a young girl its doesnt look nice anyway it just show th upbringing of you Oh well being a ref is not something easy either What ever calls they make people will still oppose but they are still “brave” enough for this job despite being yelled or screamed at Cheers for refs!
It reflected the job of training the referees was not properly done.
By the way, if it is in such critical demand of referees, why can’t we just invite those qualified and experience from the Johore?
Video taping the referee is not wrong, at least can show it to the referee after the game where their mistake lies.
Saying is simple, if you are playing or coaching a game, and the result is affected due to the numberless of wrong call by the referee, you think you can still be cool to accept them?