Raymond Cyril Scott (17 April 19275 January 2003) was a leading Australian rules football player and field

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

in the

West Australian National Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WANFL).

WANFL playing career

Ray Scott began playing with the

West Perth Football Club The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia. West Perth competes in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW) and is the oldest e ...

(the "Cardinals") in 1944 during the WANFL's under-age competition, where he played as a ruckman or centre half-back but was nonetheless viewed as extremely promising. Scott then spent two years in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

and rejoined the club for the 1947 season, during which he was shifted to full-forward in place of future champion defender Ray Schofield. He played 190 games between 1944 and 1959. Scott was a highly successful forward, kicking 910 goals during his WANFL career. In 1953 he kicked 143 goals (including a career high of 15 in one game), but finished second in the League's goalkicking award to South Fremantle goalkicking legend

Bernie Naylor Bernard George Andrew Naylor (19 April 1923 – 26 September 1993) was an Australian rules footballer who was one of the most successful full-forwards in the history of the West Australian Football League. The WAFL now awards the leading goals ...

, who posted a record 167 total goals, including 23 in one game. Scott was the WANFL leading goal kicker in 1951 and 1955 and he topped West Perth's goal kicking from 1948 to 1955. He kicked one hundred goals or more in a season four times. Scott represented Western Australia in 1948, 1949 and 1951 in matches against other States. He also played in West Perth premiership sides in 1949 and 1951. On 27 September 1954, Scott nearly lost his life when he fell from the ninth floor of the Royal Perth Hospital, being saved only by falling onto a construction lift.'West Perth’s Problem: Schofield May Replace Scott'; ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times (Western Australia), The Sunday Times'' ...

'', 28 September 1954, p. 19 Retiring from West Perth after the 1955 season, Scott played and coached in the Riverina Football League for three years, and after returning to Western Australia to play two more games with the Cardinals took up umpiring.

Umpiring career

Scott made a rapid (by the standards then applying) rise through the ranks of umpiring. He umpired his first League game in 1961 and his first Grand Final in 1963. His first interstate match was the 1964

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

versus Victoria game in Adelaide. His status as a leading umpire was reinforced with WANFL Grand Final appointments in 1967 and 1968. In June 1968 Scott umpired the Victoria versus South Australia clash at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

. His performance impressed the Victorian officials as they made a special request of the Australian National Football Council for Scott to control the Western Australia versus Victoria match that was played in Subiaco in July. This was indeed remarkable as interstate matches were in those days always controlled by an umpire from a "neutral" State. Scott retired from on-field umpiring at the end of the 1970 season after 141 matches and three Grand Finals. In 1972 Scott became an umpires' coach and assistant to the WANFL Umpires Advisor. In 1977 he took on the role of WANFL Umpires Advisor. He remained as coach until 1979, and thereafter he continued with membership of the Umpires Appointment Board, chairing the board in 1981 and 1982.

Awards

Scott's contributions to the WANFL totalled an impressive 38 years of service as an umpire, player and administrator. As a player and umpire, he participated in 330 WANFL matches, including six Grand Finals. This outstanding contribution to the WANFL, and the sport in general, was recognised in 1975 with the National Football League Award of Merit. The then national body gave only one award per year, and the award was given for 'outstanding service to the game'. In 1995, Scott was awarded Life Membership of the West Australian Football League. He was inducted in the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, co ...

in 1996 in recognition of his services to umpiring. In 2000 he was included in West Perth's Team of the Century.

WANFL playing career

Umpiring career

Awards

References

See also