AFL UMPIRES are unlikely to follow the players' example and become full-time professionals, new AFL umpiring director Wayne Campbell says.

But Campbell told AFL.com.au he and senior umpires coach Hayden Kennedy were committed to bolstering the development system for the AFL's umpires.

"I don't think umpires will go full-time because I just don't think you would be able to fill in the hours," Campbell said.

"Certainly Hayden is looking at increasing the contact hours between the coaches and the umpires to get them into an environment where we're not just looking at the mistakes, but where we're really trying to make them better.

"We've been able to put on some additional assistant coaches and part-time assistant coaches … because I think in any high-performance environment the more contact the athlete can have with the coaches the better."

Campbell will also oversee the national strategy for umpiring at all levels of the game in his new role.

The former Richmond captain said one of the biggest challenges he and his team faced was to boost umpire numbers, which have plateaued in recent years while the rest of the game has grown.

Since retiring after 297 games at the end of 2005, Campbell has worked as an assistant coach at the Western Bulldogs and Richmond, and more recently in administration as the Tigers' head of leadership development.

Campbell also talked to AFL.com.au about how umpires were thought of by players, clubs, the media and fans, what plans were in place to deal with taggers and his preparedness for dealing with critics.

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