THE League has on Tuesday reminded the AFL industry that dissent towards umpires during matches will not be tolerated.
AFL General Manager Football Operations Brad Scott reminded AFL Clubs, Coaches, Players and administrators of their obligation to fans and participants of all ages to establish and maintain the standards for the code and to take a leadership role in setting the right example.
"It is incumbent on us at the elite level to set the standards of behaviour for all levels of the game. We have fallen short as a football community and dissent towards umpires during matches has become an issue at all levels of the game, particularly at the community level where we are 6,000 umpires short,” Mr Scott said.
"Respect towards umpires and penalising players for showing dissent has strong support from everyone in football – including Presidents, CEOs, coaches and football managers.
"Our message to players is that when an umpire pays a free kick, accept it and move on and our message to umpires is we encourage you to continue to pay free kicks or 50-metre penalties where players have shown dissent. We will stay the course on this and acknowledge there have been instances across this season where we have missed free kicks for dissent.
"We commend players overall for the shift in behaviour this season and we are already seeing that reflected at the community level.
"It is not lost on us that the elite level has a unique leadership role in the community, and with that role comes responsibility."