AFL UMPIRE MENTOR PROGRAM MANUAL - AFL Community

Qualities of a Mentor
Mentors come in all shapes and sizes, but to be effective they need to have appropriate
knowledge, skills and attitudes. Knowledge may include their understanding of technical
umpiring matters such as the rules and how they are interpreted, understanding people and
what makes them tick (especially in pressure situations during a game), their understanding
of the umpiring process, their political awareness, etc. Skills might include honesty,
empathy, planning, goal setting, time/people/process management, and the ability to
communicate one-on-one with individuals from a range of backgrounds. Attitudes might
relate to the process of mentoring, philosophy towards umpiring, attitudes about the league
or group they work within, as well as their general outlook on life.
Some of the qualities mentors should possess are:
• An ability to focus on the umpiring process, rather than on the umpire’s performance.
• A willingness to assist another umpire’s development and growth and create a positive
environment for learning.
• Exemplary communication and feedback skills (especially with constructive criticism of
the beginning or learning umpire’s performance).
• Up-to-date technical skills and experience as an umpire – preferably they are umpiring
themselves or were recently an umpire with substantial experience.
• Trustworthiness and an ability to maintain confi dences. The beginning or learning
umpire must feel confi dent he or she can talk openly to the mentor.
• An openness to new ideas. Mentors should learn more about themselves and about
umpiring through the process of umpiring. A mentor should never feel awkward about
having to clarify his or her understanding of the technical side of umpiring so as to
advise the beginning or learning umpire.
• A strong network of umpiring and football contacts.
• Suffi cient time and inclination to commit to the mentoring relationship and be easily
accessible. A beginning or learning umpire must feel free to phone or email with a
question and get a friendly and timely response from their mentor. The beginning or
learning umpire should never feel he or she is taking the time of an unwilling mentor.
• Ability to handle confl ict situations.
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