Nothing gets past the Sutton family with Jarod, John and Steven all umpiring in the WRFL. 87148_03 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By LIAM TWOMEY
WHEN it comes to family outings at the local football, the Sutton family has the best seats in the house.
Steven Sutton takes control of proceedings in the middle of the ground as a field umpire.
In the goal square is his father John Sutton, who has been keeping a watchful eye on the last line of defence for the past 12 years as a goal umpire.
There is also 13-year-old Jarod who is enjoying his first season as a boundary umpire.
In a history-making match last month, the Sutton trio umpired together for the first time.
It was also the first occasion in Western Region Football League history that three generations from the one family have umpired in the same match.
Steven said it was a great experience to be able to work with both his son and father, in what only came to fruition with a pinch of luck.
“We actually didn’t realise it because Jarod was a last-minute fill in, because someone had pulled out,” he said.
“He was running the under 18 game beforehand which had got cancelled.
“When he was asked to run the game, we were standing there and a fellow umpire said, do you realise today boys that we have got a grandfather, father and son all running in the one game.
“It was a great honour and a great experience.”
Steven has been umpiring for 28 years and is vice president of the WRFL’s Umpires Association.
He said the addition of Jarod and a number of other keen juniors over the past few seasons had been great for the league which had seen numbers boom from 130 to over 300 registered umpires.
“Jarod only started this season because he plays football for Old Westbourne,” Steven said.
“He used to do cross country in the little athletics and decided this year that as a 13-year-old he had heard me for 10 years say that umpiring was a great way to earn a little bit of money and keep involved in football and everything else like that.
“He loves it and I think from his footy side five or six kids who were interested in umpiring all started last year.”
Jarod also attends the umpiring academy at MacKillop College.
But if you thought three Sutton family members making the tough calls was a big effort, what about adding a fourth for good measure?
Steven’s nephew Nicholas is also an umpire in the WRFL.
“My dad is hitting the 72/73 age bracket, and I am 43 turning 44 so we don’t know how many years we have got left,” he said.
“But it would be great if we could get myself on the field, my dad in the goals and Jarod on one boundary and Nicholas on the other boundary so we could have Sutton, Sutton, Sutton and Sutton.”
