University of Ballarat PhD graduate Paul Larkin has released his thesis which shows that training umpires using video footage from AFL matches can improve their decision-making accuracy by up to 8 per cent.

The four-year study has been submitted to the AFL research board for further evaluation.

Dr Larkin tested 115 umpires from the Ballarat Football Umpires Association, Geelong Football League and the VAFA at the beginning of the study on their accuracy in awarding free kicks from contact incidents (push in the back, holding the ball, marking contests). 

He then put about 50 of those umpires through a 12-week training course using AFL footage and then re-tested them. 

“We were trying to find if video could be a tool to improve decision-making for umpires,” Dr Larkin said. 

“We found that with the umpires who completed the training program there was an improvement in accuracy of over 8 per cent. Looking at experience, at the end of the course, the less experienced umpires were performing as well as experienced umpires who hadn’t done the program. Experienced umpires who did the course improved 6 per cent, which is still significant.”

Umpires were subjected to more than 1000 video clips of play. During training, umpires had to make between 60 and 225 decisions within a 20-minute period. 

Dr Larkin, 27, graduated two weeks ago. He says he has not been an umpire but is a long-time footy fan. 

His AFL favourite team? The infamous “Selwood shrug”, a technique devised by a certain footballing clan to earn “clever” free kicks, should be a hint. 

“As a footy fan growing up in Perth it was the Eagles but since moving across to Victoria in 2008 I’ve grown partial to the Cats,” Dr Larkin said.

“I stumbled upon the topic when I was at University of Western Australia. I had the marks to do honours and then a PhD and the AFL said they had a project they were doing, and would fund it.” 

 Dr Larkin is employed at UB as a tutor.

gavin.mcgrath@fairfaxmedia.com.au