Principal prepares to lead umpires

Academic performance counts for little on the football field, but Manea Senior College principal Paul Mathews believes the years he has spent in the classroom have prepared him well to take on the role of SWFL senior umpires coach and advisor for 2014.

Mathews is looking forward to the challenge of heading the umpiring department, taking over from Shane Millar who stepped down after two years in the role.

“I absolutely believe my experience as a principal will transfer to this position, ” Mathews said.

“Managing people, communication skills, analysis of performance, all those sorts of really important things that principals deal with daily will be very useful.”

With 10 seasons carrying the whistle behind him, Mathews said he still enjoyed umpiring and encouraged others to give it a shot.

“I’ve been umpiring since 2003 when I got too old to play – my knees became too dodgy – and I’ve been in the South West League now since 2010, ” he said.

“If you’d like to get involved in what I consider to be the greatest game on earth, and if you’d like to get paid for keeping fit, then we’d love to hear from you.

“We are keen for as many people to get involved as possible and it doesn’t matter if you’ve had no experience, we are more than willing to teach you.”