A man believed to be on the drug ice bashed a teenage umpire during a junior football game in Lilydale on Sunday.
The man in his 40s, who was not connected to either team, leapt onto the ground at Lilydale just after a goal was kicked in the second quarter and punched the 17-year-old umpire twice to the face.
A goal umpire tackled the man to the ground before an off-duty police officer and football fathers dragged the attacker off the field and restrained him with cable-ties until police arrived.
The man, who had been seen on the Warburton Trail earlier in the day throwing rocks at passers-by, was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.
He was heard raving about drugs like methamphetamine and LSD.
The umpire, whose father was also on the ground umpiring the under-15s match between Lilydale and Vermont, suffered swelling to the face and did not require hospitalisation.
Lilydale Junior Football Club president Peter Koger, who was the off-duty officer who helped restrained the attacker, said the incident happened before a crowd of about 200 families.
“We’re a family club, we want people to come to our grounds and feel safe,” he said.
“They were under-15s, they’re only kids and they don’t need to see that sort of stuff.”
The ground sits near a railway station and a pub and Mr Koger said the club had been experiencing problems with drunk and drug-effected people during matches.
“We’re having a few issues with the wrong sort of people hanging around,” he said.
Mr Koger called on police to patrol during game times and the Yarra Ranges Council to investigate by-laws that would address people drinking alcohol on the grounds.
He said the goal umpire who tackled the attacker was the front-runner for the club’s monthly good sports award.
“I reckon he’ll get it next month,” he said.
