Name:Jason Siepolt

Date Of Birth: 17/07/1973.

OCCUPATION: Accountant.

TYPE OF UMPIRE: Central

HOW DID YOU BECOME AN UMPIRE:

Footy injuries and becoming way to fat lead to me taking up the whistle.

UMPIRING ACHIEVEMENTS:

BFL Grand Final 2007, 2008 and 2009

LVFL Grand Final 2005 and 2006.

Bendigo vs Ballarat Interleague 2007 and 2009.

Sweden vs Finland Internation Rules.

2010 UMPIRING GOALS:

To be consistent, earn respect and have people say that they are happy for me to Umpire their game.

To make the Association the best it can be, to portray a positive image which shows us a progressive organisation that is worthwhile being involved in.

I ENJOY BEING INVOLVED WITH THE BENDIGO UMPIRES ASSOCIATION BECAUSE……..

I get to be involved each week in the game I love. Umpiring is a Sport and each week an Umpire is trying to do their best.

I love meeting players and building relationships, and unfortunately sometimes you have to make tough calls. Hopefully everyone is man enough to know that it isn’t personal.

MY PLAYING HISTORY DETAILS:

Played for the Kangaroo Flat Football Club from the Under 12’s through the Under 18’s, one year at Golden Square ( I bet they didn’t realise that). I broke my knee in the Under 18’s playing alongside a 14 year old called Nathan Chapman at the time who went on to play Seniors that year.

Unfortunately this curtailed my career. I made attempted comebacks with Flat Reserves and later Mitiamo Reserves, my last game was a kick after the siren to Bridgewater which also involved my funniest moment at the Club.

Our Coach that day Des O’Donoghue was pumping us up and suddenly from the adjacent room he could hear the Bridgewater theme song. ” They are that cocky that have started the song, get up and sing”, so here we are are in the rooms singing the Club song. We get out on the ground and find Bridgey 150 metres away doing stretches. Our Coach had forgotten that Bridgewater Under 17’s had played before us. Runaway downlow winner that year.

FUNNIEST MOMENT UMPIRING:

One involved Stephen Oliver at Maryborough one day, he walked up to me and said you can only signal free kicks in one direction. I replied with ”No, Maryborough kicked the opposite way in the first quarter”.

SUPPORTER ABUSE TOWARDS UMPIRES IS:

On the improve,  I think Clubs and players are starting to realise that the umps are out their doing their best. Numbers were on the decline although I believe our efforts to humanise our association in the past few years has reaped benefits and we are gaining in numbers and strength.

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