WFNL TO CELEBRATE COMMUNITY UMPIRING WEEK
The WFNL will this week join football leagues across the country to recognise its team in green and celebrate Community Umpiring Week.
The initiative aims to highlight the invaluable contribution and role umpires play in Australian football, promote respect for the men, women, girls and boys who officiate matches across all levels of footy, and create awareness around umpiring pathways.
For the first time last year, the AFL saw more than 21,000 registered umpires pull up their socks and pick up a whistle – a vital milestone as participation continues to grow around the country.
Since 2022 there has been a 72 per cent boost of women and girls taking up officiating, equating to nearly 1,200 more umpires.
As part of the celebrations for Community Umpiring Week more than 100 AFL umpires will attend local umpiring training sessions and officiate local junior footy matches.
The WFNL will welcome AFL Umpire royalty to one of its training sessions this week with Brett Rosebury, Matt Stevic and Ian Burrows attending Hanmer Reserve on Thursday night.
Rosebury, Stevic and Burrows have a combined 1,146 games worth of AFL experience between them including 31 Grand Finals appearances.
The trio will also be joined by fellow AFL umpires Josh Mather and Anthony Laughton who both started out officiating in the WFNL.
More than 10 VFL umpires across all disciplines will also take training and host coaching.
The WFNL has close to 400 registered umpires this year.
The league’s field, boundary and goal umpires train weekly at Hanmer Reserve, Yarraville every Tuesday and Thursday night before officiating games across Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.
There are also umpire academies for the league’s newest umpires located at Werribee (MacKillop College), Point Cook (Saltwater Reserve) and Hoppers Crossing (Hogans Road Reserve).
Western Football Netball League Director of Umpiring Lachlan Harty said Community Umpiring Week was a great initiative to celebrate umpires at all levels.
“It’s incredibly exciting to have AFL umpires Brett Rosebury, Matt Stevic, Ian Burrows, Josh Mather and Anthony Laughton join us at training on Thursday, giving our umpires the chance to engage and learn from some of the best in the business,” he said.
Harty said the WFNL is committed to growing its umpire numbers while providing a safe and inclusive environment for all umpires.
The league is always looking to add more umpires, especially field umpires and is also focused on getting more females involved
“Umpiring is a great way to stay fit while earning some cash and for retired players it’s a chance to stay involved in the game and still be a part of the action,” Harty said.
Anyone interested in umpiring can find more information and details on how to register HERE.
For further enquiries please contact WFNL Director of Umpiring, Lachlan Harty by emailing lachlan.harty@wfnl.com.au.