The Bendigo Umpires Association is ready to bounce the ball should community football get the green light to return in 2020.
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BUA director of coaching Dean Goodridge said umpires, much like players, coaches and supporters, were missing football during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The interest (in umpiring) is certainly still there,'' Goodridge said.
"Our numbers at the start of the year were looking really positive. In February, I'd never seen our numbers that good at that time of the year.
"We've kept in touch with our umpires through the pandemic and the vast majority are still keen to be involved."
Starting on Thursday night, the umpires will implement informal running groups to maintain and/or increase fitness.
"We'll have some informal running groups of up to 10 people scattered around Bendigo that adhere to the social distancing protocols,'' Goodridge said.
"There'll be no formal coaching or training going on. We'll just be meeting at various points to do some running.
"It will all be very informal. We're not using any facilities or changerooms.
"We won't look at starting formal training sessions until we're given the all clear by AFL Victoria and all protocols are put in place."
Traditionally, the BUA have trained twice a week at Weeroona Oval.
After being left to run on their own or in pairs for the past six weeks, Goodridge said the umpires were keen to train with their mates again.
"We sent out a message in regards to having a run and within 24 hours I had 50 messages from umpires who were keen to get back into it,'' he said.
"The uptake was just fantastic."
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Goodridge said a shortened season and, potentially, a pay cut were not deterrents to umpires.
"We have to work in with the leagues and clubs and there's an expectation that everyone has to give a bit,'' Goodridge said.
"If it means we have to take a pay cut, so be it. That's my opinion.
"There's been talk of a 10 to 20 per cent pay cut and I think that's more than fair."
Goodridge said umpire pay rates were set by AFL Victoria rather than individual leagues.
"AFL Victoria sends out a memorandum of understanding and then it's up to the umpire bodies with their football leagues to go through the finer details in regards to travel, finals and things like that,'' Goodridge said.
The BUA officiate matches in the Bendigo, Heathcote District, Loddon Valley, North Central and Bendigo Junior football leagues.
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