Congratulations!

The AFLUA would like to extend its congratulations to Shaun and Stacey Ryan on the arrival of their baby girl, Rosie Lu.

Rosie was born on 16 February 2012 at 11:33pm.

Weighing 8 pound, 5oz

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NAB CUP...

AFL (Melbourne Based) Umpires have returned to their training venue at Visy Park following a successful seminar in Creswick two weeks ago, where they are undertaking their final preparation prior to the start of the NAB Cup on February 17th.

AFL Training Services Manager James McEniry and his staff of fitness coaches have delivered a comprehensive pre-season program that all field, boundary and goal umpires have had to commit too.  The program, this year has not only included the obvious running component but has identified the need to improve the core strength of all umpires.  New Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, Mathew Pell, has tested every listed AFL umpire and based on his findings of their strengths and weaknesses will this week roll out a program of core strength exercises that umpires will have to complete each training session.

Boundary umpire Rob Haala, is currently recovering from a hip operation and has a rehabilitation program to complete under the guidance of Andrew Redman the umpire's new Rehabilitation Coordinator. Although Rob is not yet back running with the group he says his fitness levels are good.  He is hopeful of a return to matches early in season 2012.

All umpires have access to the gym equipment that they share with ARU club the Melbourne Rebels.  Many of the umpires like field umpire, Jason  Armstrong, complete a weights session either before or after the running  component of the night.  Jason, is looking to continue the good run of form he  had during season 2011 where he finished in the top 16 on the list. Jason  dislocated his knee cap during a fitness session last September that has set his  Pre-season work back slightly.

Grand final goal umpire, David Dixon, is leaving nothing to chance in his tilt at another Grand Final in 2012. David, who is one of the fittest goal umpires on the list, is regularly seen completing additional fitness or strengthening work  each training night.

Grand Field umpire, Chris Donlon, compliments his running with time off his  feet, cross training.  Chris, who is one of the fittest umpires on the track is  trying to balance his work load early in 2012 as he prepares to go "back to  back."

AFLUA LIFE MEMBER AND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT GRAEME PATTERSON RECEIVES AN OAM.

Harold Pratt 1931-2011

Country football lost a long standing servant and the AFL Umpires Association a stalwart Life Member with the passing of Harold Pratt. Umpiring across three decades in every major Victorian country competition and matches in South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales Harold covered thousands of kilometres by various means of transport and hundreds on foot around the various country grounds. 

Full obituary - click here

Grand Final Umpires Sheehan and Kennedy appointed as Coaches

Congratulations to AFLUA Life Members Bryan Sheehan and Hayden Kennedy who have been appointed to the AFL Umpiring Department as senior assistant coach and field umpires assistant coach respectively.

Please click here to view the Media Release from the AFL.

Well done Julia!

Congratulations to Julia Gauci, today she completes her 12 month AFL Sportsready Traineeship.

Julia commenced her position as a Trainee with the Association after completing her year 12 studies at Ave Maria College in Aberfieldie.

Julia has excelled over the past 12 months, taking part in not only the day to day office duties, but is the project manager of the AFLUA Umpire Collector Cards and assists in the coordination of all AFLUA events.

Throughout the year Julia has also carried out studies in Certificate III - Business in which her supervisor has been extremely impressed with the high standard to which her assisgnments have been completed.

We are delighted to announce that Julia will remain in a full time position with the AFLUA as our Administration Assistant.

Ray Schwensen obituary

Once Ray Schwensen began umpiring he always regretted he did not take it up sooner... click here to read more

And then there was one...

With the retirement of Hayden Kennedy, and assuming the number  seven shirt itself is not retired, in 2012 only one field umpire shirt number will still be worn by its original recipient.

Field umpire shirt numbers were introduced in round 4, 1995 and that year number 30 was allocated to Shane McInerney.

Currently Shane has umpired 319 of his 327 matches in the 30 shirt - good enough for 11th place on the total match shirt number list. This year number 30 moved up one spot passing the number 5 worn originally by Rowan Sawers then Mathew James and last year Brett Ritchie.

There were not major moves on the list this year. Number 4 dropped three spots and various numbers moved up two spots.

The full list is available on the statistics page - click here

A history of shirt numbers is available on the web site - click here

Congratulations!

The AFLUA would like to extend its congratulations to Matt and Meg Nicholls on the arrival of their baby boy Angus Liam.

Angus was born on 7 November 2011 at 5:02pm.

Weighing 8lb, 10oz and 52.5cm

Full obituary Max Blumfield 1922 - 2011

Being hooted and threatened by a mob of football fans is part of the match day experience of all umpires but rarer is when the hooting and rabid mob is gathered in the street and baying for your blood. This was the experience of Max Blumfield as he left the VFL Tribunal at Harrison House in August 1952.

The mob was upset initially because Blumfield had reported glamour Essendon full-forward John Coleman for abusing him disputing his decision. They were further enraged when Coleman was found guilty and not mollified with the severe reprimand. The tribunal noted ""We hope you realise the seriousness of what you have done, and also the uselessness of it. We believe that you disputed the umpires decision and were insulting to the umpire. We hope you keep in mind, in future, that you cannot act like this towards an umpire."

Blumfield's car was surrounded as he left but he was whisked away, another colourful incident in a life full of them and which came to an end recently...

Read the full obituary

Congratulations Luke!

Luke Roberts adds another memorable milestone to his long list of achievements when he officiates in the Carlton v Essendon Elimination Final to be played at the MCG on Sunday.

Luke has had an extraordinary career as an AFL boundary umpire. He officiated in 4 VFL Matches in 1988 but did not do another match until 2007, 19 years later.

He officiated in his 50th game in 2010 and now has been appointed to his first AFL Final in what is a remarkable achievement.

Well done, Luke!

Tom Rossiter 1924-2011

To be present at an iconic moment in VFL history is a tremendous experience, to be at the centre of at least half a dozen indicates a truly remarkable career full of incident and excitement but also of excellence in maintaining form over an extended period. From 'Gabbo's run' to Hopkin's goal explosion to the Battle of Windy Hill 'The Sheriff' saw it all....

Click here for the full obituary

Check out Tom's work on-line

1964 Grand Final last quarter (Richmond end)

1970 Grand Final - Hopkins first two goals

Bill Goold and Ray Fisher

The obituaries for the recently passed AFLUA Life Members can be found on the web site at:

Bill Goold
Ray Fisher

AFLUA Collector Cards 2011

Have you ordered your 2011 set of AFLUA Collector Cards yet?

The 2011 set features match day action shots of AFL Field, Boundary and Goal umpires and, in addition, includes 3 AFLUA Grand Final Legend Cards.

We extend our sincere appreciation to all members who participated in this set for their support of this project.

The five previous sets (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) are becoming collectors items, and are popular with collectors and investors. Those who obtain sets of these early editions will not only have unique items of umpiring memorabilia, these items will in time prove to be very valuable.

Please check out purchase details by clicking here.

Thank you for your support!

Shaun is still the fastest

When Shaun Ryan umpires his 200th match this weekend he will complete the fastest journey to that outstanding milestone despite having to pull out of his scheduled milestone last week

Shaun’s first AFL appearance was as a half-time replacement for Bryan Sheehan in Round 1, 2003 – eight years and eighty-two days before his two-hundredth appearance. The following week he was appointed for the first time – Geelong v. Kangaroos at Kardinia Park.

Other indicators of success over the last nine seasons have been 21 finals in seven finals series and the last four Grand finals (2008-2010). Shaun was All-Australian Umpire 2010.

Congratulations Shaun on an outstanding career thus far.

Time to 200

Ken Creighton, AIF

Fewer umpires served in infantry units during the Second World War than the Great War. Those two who did were among the first to join up and went directly into AIF battalions. Those who joined later were often directed into specialist roles related to their civilian occupations or transferred from their conscript role in the CMF to the volunteer battalions to the AIF.

The 2/24 Battalion saw action in the Middle East and New Guinea. It was besieged at Tobruk and was part of the death blow of the Japanese army at the far end of the Kokoda track. Ken Creighton (B) was present for much of this after joining the AIF on 17 March 1941. After initial training as a reinforcement he departed Sydney and arrived in the Middle East in July 1941. By this stage the British and Australian armies were advancing across Libya being knocked back across after advancing. The 2/24th was part of the siege of Tobruk and Creighton joined the unit during this time. Amongst the many dangers that Creighton and the rest of B Company were subjected to were artillery and Stuka dive bombing attacks. 

We were lying in our dugout one day when all of a sudden one could hear the whistle of bombs when they started to lob all around us, they make a terrible noise when they go off. One lobbed about 15 yards away. Well, I thought it had blown us all to pieces but as it turned out it did not do any damage. 

The next day they sent over 60 to 80 dive bombers – Stukas. They are a great plane. Anyway we were sitting around having a general conflab when we heard this noise of planes – they have a different noise to other planes – then all of a sudden down would dive about 20 planes. They would come straight down. I did not think they would come out of their dive but they drop their eggs and swoop away – some would machine gun.

My belly was not feeling the best. I can tell you. A different feeling – like when you are going to have a go at a race when you are in the final.

The battalion was withdrawn from Tobruk in October 1941 to recover and retrain in Syria. Their next action was nine months later when they successfully captured and defended important high ground around Tel el Eisa , west of El Alamein. 

Before dawn on 10 July the 9th Division launched an attack on the northern flank and B Company captured the vital Point 33. The Australians spent the next few days fighting off heavy counterattacks as Rommel redirected much of his forces against them. The unit history rercords of B Company in this action: 

Shelling, mortaring and enemy pressure was constant; their remoteness from the rest of the battalion, coupled with the need for digging at night robbed them of practically all opportunity for sleep. They were weary but full of fight and , when enemy tanks came right in amongst our positions, great epics of valour were performed. With cool, methodical defence , the enemy were driven off by the only arms they possessed – infantry weapons. One enemy tank was immobilised and its commander killed when he injudiciously popped his head through the turret to see what was going on
Searle, R. The Second Twenty-Fourth p.175

 This was the first involvement of the Australians at El Alamein. The following October after months of careful preparation the main battle began 

Creighton’s part of this great battle began at 0110 hours on 23 October when B and D Companies moved off to attack on an 800 yard front. The British had put up a huge artillery barrage as cover for the initial assault but the advance was made under heavy enemy fire. There were mines and booby traps everywhere protecting the Nazi front line, then barbed wire entanglements. B. Company worked its way through to then be confronted by a machine gun post which they charged and forced to surrender. This was their initial objective and they paused here to dig in as A Company passed through them to continue the attack. 

Two nights later they attacked The Fig Garden and in desperate fighting took their objective and many prisoners as well. While the company had its objective they were now under heavy fire and short of ammunition as dawn broke. The battalion reorganised before first light and consolidated their position which they held for two days until relieved on the night of the 27th  There was a large casualty toll but Ken was unscathed through both attacks.

The rest proved short-lived. On 30 October the 2/24th were ordered back to the front to attack a well defended feature named Thompson’s Post. 

B Company, including Creighton, advancing on the left behind an artillery barrage soon came up against a number of enemy strong points which they stormed and wiped out despite enemy mortar and rifle fire. Creighton was wounded in the chest by machine gun fire and evacuated to hospital. He was one of a large number of casualties in the action as the other companies suffered from machine gun and mortar fire and were unable to take their heavily defended targets. By 0430 the 2/24th and its sister battalions were withdrawn and their final action in the Middle East was over. 

Creighton returned to Australia in February 1943 and after leave and jungle training in Queensland embarked for New Guinea on 1 August 1943. 

The following month the 2/24th near Lae at Red Beach as part of the attack to take the vital strategic town were art of a pincer movement. They advanced inland but faced formidable natural barriers in the form of rivers swollen by recent rain. They came to a halt at the Busu River, which could not be bridged for two reasons: the 9th Division lacked heavy equipment, and the far bank was occupied by Japanese soldiers. It took them five days to cross the fast flowing river, mostly building makeshift bridges under Japanese fire. Lae was taken on 15 September after the 7th and 9th Divisions finally linked up. The battalion took part in the Sattelburg-Wareo campaign from September to December that involved much close fighting, and aggressive patrolling against a determined enemy in dense tropical conditions. This was followed by a coastal advance and by February the unit was worn out and depleted the result of battle casualties and disease. They were withdrawn to Finchshaffen and sailed back to Australia arriving at Brisbane on 4 March 1944. 

During the campaign Ken had contracted malaria for which he was hospitalised on his return. It may have been this which occasioned his transfer to the 13 Australian Army Ordnance Depot in October 1944, if indeed this is where he went. Intriguingly his service record does have an annotation indicating he was part of ‘Z’ Special a secretive commando force that operated behind enemy lines but, unfortunately, "Z" Special Unit personnel files do not exist. All that is left in the National Archives is the index file page, with name rank and the two serial numbers (ordinary and AK). General Blamey had the rest destroyed after the war. Whether in Ordnance or ‘Z’ Special Creighton was discharged from the AIF on 29 January 1946 and was back running the boundary in the following VFL season.

Jeffery fifth to umpire consecutiive draws

St.Kilda v. Richmond was the 148th draw in VFL/AFL history.

Scott Jeffery becomes the fifth umpire in VFL/AFL history to officiate in draws in consecutive rounds having umpired the Round 1 draw between Melbourne and Sydney.

The match was the fourth draw for Chris Gordon and Luke Walker, third for Scott Jeffery, Hayden Kennedy, Glenn Sinclair and  Mark Foster, second draw for Mitch Lefevre and first for Jason Venkatya and Rob Findlay.

Given the recent number of close matches between West Coast and Sydney, the Presidents presence at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night might be another barometer of a tight finish.

Other consecutive draw umpires

Stan Fisher (F) - Rounds 15-16 1964,  J. Gregory (B) - Rounds 1-2 1911,  Les Barratt (G) - Rounds 7-8 1967,  Charles Bell (G)- Rounds 4-5 1921.

Marantelli 14th in debut draws

The recent Melbourne v. Sydney match saw the 14th occasion of an umpire debuting in a draw.Scores were level a the end of Michael Marantelli's first AFL game, the first time it has happened since Steve Axon and Tim Wilson in 2005.

The first instance of debut draws occured almost a century ago on 6 May 1911 when field umpire William Griffiths and boundary umpire Williams officiated in the Carlton v. South Melbourne draw. Three years later, round one 1914, saw the most number of first-gamers in a draw when Ed McSherry (F), Bill Elliott and Walter Harvey (B) umpired Geelong v. Essendon - one of two draws on that day. The fourteen , in date order are:

As an aside, while compiling the above list we also noted that the following umpires officiated at draws in consecutive weeks: Stan Fisher (F) - Rounds 15-16 1964,  J. Gregory (B) - Rounds 1-2 1911,  Les Barratt (G) - Rounds 7-8 1967,  Charles Bell (G)- Rounds 4-5 1921.

Opportunities knock for umpires

The Coffs Coast Advocate

Brad Greenshields | 14th March 2011

Leigh Jensen

AFL umpire Matt Stevic shows the way to students at Bishop Druitt College yesterday.

AFL umpire Matt Stevic knows a thing or two about handling pressure.

Stevic paid a free kick against Geelong in last year’s qualifying final with only a minute remaining that cost the Cats its shot at victory.....

To read more click here

NAB Cup Grand Final Umpires Announced

The AFLUA congratulates the following umpires on their appointment to the NAB Cup Grand Final between Essendon and Collingwood at Etihad Stadium tonight (11/03)

Field umpires Brett Rosebury, Matt Stevic and Mat Nicholls (Emergency: Michael Jennings), Boundary umpires Mitchell LeFevre, Chris Gordon, Jace Collingridge and Mark Hill, Goal umpires, Tristan Symes and Michael Hammond with Adam Wojcik rotating, make up the 2011 NAB Cup Grand Final Umpires Squad.

It is an outstanding effort for Jace Collingridge who only made his debut in the AFL in 2010.

To view the NAB Cup Grand Final appointments and the NAB Challenge Match appointments - click here

Top to bottom:
Mat Nicholls
Brett Rosebury
Tristan Symes
Matt Stevic

Oldest Grand Final field umpire?

In the break between seasons Stephen McBurney posed the question who was the oldest VFL/AFL Grand Final field umpire?

Given that we now have the birth details (actual date or year) of almost all of these men it is possible to compile such a table - as well as the youngest Grand Final field umpire.

So who made the top of the various lists?

Youngest

Oldest

 The full list is available here:

Grand Final field umpires

Sports Fanatic

Sports Fanatic was created in 2010 by Stefan Grun - current AFL umpire and sports fan.

"I have always found sports interesting to participate in and watch. Whilst umpiring AFL football I have come into contact with a range of impressive individuals: athletes, coaches, sports psychologists, osetopaths, physiotherapists and many others.

There are so many amazing people involved in getting an athlete out on the ground, field or court and I wanted to start share some of these amazing stories.

A big part of this journey for me started when I completed the Kokoda Trek in November 2009. The physical and emotional journey I went on has inspired a lot of what you see here today"  Stefan Grun

Stefan features inspiring stories that provides an insight into the world of elite athletes from every code.  It is the ideal site for every sports fanatic.

Visit sportsfanatic.com.au

AFL Umpires Pre-Season Camp

Umpires Australia wide recently attended the Pre-Season Camp whics hosts the fitness testing and instills the team ethos for the upcoming season.

To read more about it - click here.  

2012 Laws of Australian football

The Laws of Australian Football are the rules by which an Australian football match is run and administered on and off the field. They explain how the game is played and ensure that the game runs smoothly in a fair, safe and sportsmanlike manner.

The AFL has released the 2012 Laws of Australian Football with only one rule amendment from 2011

That  amended law 7.3.2, which relates to the procedure of using a stretcher during a game.

Download the 2012 laws here

Michael Marantelli wins celebrity charity run 'GO THE TAN'

CONGRATULATIONS to Boundary Umpire Michael Marantelli who participated in the ‘Go the Tan’ celebrity charity run last Friday and cruised home to a record win.

Michael was asked at late notice to represent the AFL Umpires in this event, he confessed that he took it easy on the celebrities “going out slow”.

Other participants included Dave Hughes, Glenn Archer, Tony Liberatore, Anthony Koutoufides, Andy Maher, Leith Mulligan, and Melbourne Storm Players.  

Thank you to the AFL Umpiring Department for providing the photo of Michael below.

Reg Pawley 1926-2012

Having the 1970 VFL Grand Final as part of your resume might make it easy to pick the best or favourite game of your career but it didn’t for Reg Pawley. He simply placed it among the top thirteen because, for him, umpiring with his brother, Keith, was at the top – no doubt at all.

Click here for full obituary

Merry Christmas from the AFLUA!

Best wishes are extended to all for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you to the AFL Umpiring Department for providing the photo below, AFL Umpires and their families attended a Christmas BBQ on the evening of the umpires final training session of the year.

AFLUA Life Member TED JOHNSON features as SANTA!

AFLUA VOLUNTEER'S CHRISTMAS PARTY

Goalie waves flag on record career

Please click here to view a great article that fetaures David Flegg and his remarkable career as an AFL Goal Umpire.

it appeared in the November Edition of the MCC Newsletter.

Your photo is where...?

Images of AFL umpires turn up in the strangest places.

The photo at left was noticed on a hoarding protecting the workers constructing the new Latrobe/Swanston Street tram stop.

The shirt logo indicates it is a Grand Final field or boundary  umpire but the year is not legible. If the identity is discovered no doubt the Fines Master will be paying a call on the umpire concerned!! 

Higher resolution image - click here

Congratulations Shaun Ryan

Shaun Ryan was inducted into Warrnambool's "Emmanuel College Hall of Fame" on the 5th November 2011.

He attended both Christian Brothers' College and Emmanuel College, he recently retired as an AFL Field Umpire where he umpired 5 Grand Finals in a row, but he still works as a Barrister in Melbourne.

Great achievement for Shaun, who commenced his career with the Warrnambool Umpires'.

Kevin Seers wife Lesley passes away

Condolences are extended to former AFLUA Member Kevin Seers who was on the list from 1970-1974 as his wife Lesley passed away recently.

Doig excited at first Grand Final run

Great article from The West Australian on Boundary Umpire Nathan Doig's Grand Final selection achievement.

Click here.

Congratulations Troy!

Acknowledgement must be made to QLD based Goal Umpire, Troy Mavroudis, who umpiried his 100th Match in the Round 22 Match - Gold Coast v Adelaide at Metricon Stadium.

In doing so, Troy become the first QLD goalie to officiate in 100 games - which is a magnificent achievement!

Congratulations Troy!

Thank you to Aaron Deckys for sending through this info! 

Streak carnage in Round 19

All good things come to an end and in round 19 this was certainly the case for the home and away streak leaders. Brett Rosebury's run came to an end  one game short of second place on the all-time list, John Morris has now set the benchmark for boundary umpires and Gerard Large was a single game behind that.

Brett's streak began in round 14 2006 and amounted to 115 matches, one short of Brett Allen and in third place to all-time streak leader Scott McLaren's 177.

Within the streak Brett also umpired 16 finals, including each week of the 2009 and 2010 finals series, leading him to umpire 125 weeks out a possible 132. Altogether an outstanding achievement showing fitness, form and consistency in all aspects of umpiring. In addition Brett was also a member of the umpires leadership group.

John Morris's streak stretches back to tround 20 2008, 65 matches, and now constitutes the record for boundary umpires while slotting in as the 12th longest overall. While he would not have run all of them back tot he centre, John's matches over the streak have included 2017 goals.

Gerard Large's streak from round 21 2008 included 10 double-header weekends and his streak is second all-time for boundary umpires

Congratulations to all three umpires for setting a standard in consistency. Any now, let the new streaks begin!

For more information and a full list of 30+ streaks click here

Umpiring Is Everyone's Business In The Demons District

On a crisp morning AFL field umpires Dean Margetts and Brett Rosebury joined Perth Demons players Steve Armstrong and Drew Robinson to umpire an under 12s carnival on Saturday 9^th July at Sutherlands Park, Gosnells.

Armstrong and Robinson gave umpiring a go in support of the Umpiring is Everyone’s Business Campaign, which focuses on using influential people within Australian Football to advocate positively about umpiring.

 

Armstrong played 79 games with Melbourne and West Coast in the AFL, and played a starring role in the Eagles’ 2006 Premiership.  He, however, had a totally different experience on Saturday when all the young players were looking to him to make the big decision.

 

“Steve demonstrated excellent communication with the players and it was great to see him give umpiring a go. I’m sure it was an eye-opening experience for him,” said Daniel Gibbons, Umpire Manager for the Demons District.

Margetts and Rosebury also returned to their original junior district to promote umpiring and mentor aspiring young umpires.

 

Rosebury, who umpired the 2009 and 2010 AFL Grand Finals, said, “it was great to see heaps of support for the Umpiring is Everyone’s Business campaign, especially the Perth Demons players getting involved and having a go at umpiring”.

 

Margetts also reflected on what it meant to return to his junior district to support the campaign, “to be able to come back to the grass roots of my junior playing, coaching and umpiring days gave me a real buzz and to have been able to umpire the Friday night game beforehand with my good mate and AFL colleague Brett Rosebury made the day even more special. With Brett being an Armadale boy and I being a Maddington boy we are certainly very much products of the Demons District system and proud to be,” he said.

 

“Dean and Brett should be commended for making the effort to run around in support of junior football after umpiring the AFL game between West Coast and Geelong the previous night. It was an extraordinary thing to have two AFL umpires visiting the Demons District in support of this important campaign,” remarked Gibbons.

 

The Umpiring is Everyone’s Business Carnival was proudly supported by the Demons District, Demons District Football Umpires Association, Perth Demons, WAFC, AFL and hosted by the Gosnells JFC.  

 

The event successfully promoted the Umpiring is Everyone’s Business message and recognised the importance of all participants in the game taking responsibility for their actions and supporting the development of umpiring.

Thanks to Demons District Umpires Manager, Daniel Gibbons, for this great contribution.

Membership register updated

Completion of the compilation of VCFL appointments back to 1909 has resulted in a  more complete listing of the years of service of those members whose careers fell between the years 1909 and 1932.

Previously membership records were based on the official written register of which only the entries from 1933 onwards survive. It is now possible to identify the earlier years of service beyond just the years an umpire officiated at senior level.

In addition about 80 previously unknown umpires have been identified. These men umpired only VCFL matches while on the VFL Senior List.

It has also hightlighted some  more remarkable careers. None more so than Dan Paterson.

Dan was a field umpire in 1914 before joining the AIF. Upon his return, and while recoving from a war wound, he took up the goals and was good enough to umpire the 1918 VFL Grand Final. He continued in the goals until the middle of the 1919 season whereupon he returned to the field and continued field umpiring in the country until 1927. He remains the only umpire to make the transition from field to goal to field.

Much work still needs to be done to identify all these 'new' umpires biographical details and they will be incorporated into the general biographical project.

The register now omits  middle names unless necessary to distinguish those with same first and last names and also uses the name that the umpire was known by rather than their formal name ie Jack McMurray Sr rather than John James Alexander McMurray. Thanks to Leigh Keen for his assistance in compiling this most recent version.

The updated register can be found here

Umpire Appreciation Day 4: the best yet!

Umpire Appreciation Day Saturday 14 May 2011.
The Local Footy Show's Ian Bennett interviewing the umpires after the match.

It was a grey, cold and wet day at the Fearon Oval in Williamstown for the fourth annual Umpire Appreciation Day, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits.

An exciting feature of the day was Channel 31's, The Local Footy Show, covering the pre-match events and the clash between the Williamstown CYMS and Bulleen Templestowe.

The formalities of the afternoon began with Bill Deller welcoming all in attendance and spoke of how Umpire Appreciation Day began and how it has evolved.

Dignitaries included AFL Victoria General Manager, Grant Williams, Umpiring Development Manager Neville Nash, VAFA Umpiring Ambassador Phil Stephens and Umpire Manager, Brian Goodman.

Players from both teams formed a "guard of honour" as the umpires entered the field and the tossing of the coin was bestowed upon Grant Williams.

A good win for the CY's ensured the post match function was full of atmosphere as presentations and acknowledgements were made to the officiating umpires.

The AFLUA, in conjunction with the CYMS and AFL Victoria, first conducted this event in 2008 and it has grown each year since, this year being the best yet.

Vale Bill Quinn

Life Member and Grand Final Legend umpire Bill Quinn passed away peacefully on Tuesday 12 April, aged 88.

Former AFL umpires get set for Boston marathon

VIVIENNE RYAN, The West Australian March 30, 2011

Gary Crane

AFLUA Life Member Gary Crane was a Footscray man through and through. Whether for football, cricket or community he threw himself into work that benefited those involved with the organisation for which he was working....

Full obituary click here

Election of Office Bearers for 2011

We are delighted to announce that at our Annual General Meeting held on Monday 28 February, the following Office Bearers were elected for 2011.

President - Scott Jeffery

Executive - Adam Coote (Boundary Umpire)

                 Shane McInerney (Field Umpire)

                 Chelsea Roffey (Goal Umpire)

We congratulate Scott on his election as President and on behalf of all members extend to him our best wishes for a wonderful year.

We also congratulate Shane on his election as Field Umpires Representative, Adam on his election for a second term and Chelsea on her election for a fifth term.

We have a great Executive and look forward to a successful year in 2011.

We also extend our thanks to outgoing President David Howlett for his magnificent service over 29 years in general and the last 9 in particular.

We wish David every success in his “Life after the AFLUA”

Recent deaths

Recently two Life Members passed away. Norm Chitts was a country field umpire for eleven seasons and Jim Barwick was a country field and VFL goal umpire for a quarter of a century

Norm Chitts obituary

Jim Barwick obituary

Also recently former member and long serving AFL Interchange steward Jack Burland passed away. Jack was a VFLUA member from 1947-1950 and served on the Social Committee in 1949 and 1950.

More player/umpires identified

One of the outcomes of the Biographical Project currently being undertaken has been the identification of almost forty additional player/umpires.

While many of the additional umpires  were believed to have played and umpired at senior VFL level, recent investigations, primarily by Lloyd Fisk, have confirmed identities and allowed the links to be made.

Most of the new names on the list are from the pre-1930s era for which there are no official umpires' association records but references in official VFL Appointment Board minutes and VFL records have proved most useful.

It is possible more will be discovered. The compilation of country appointments has identified a further 80 new names that would have been association members but who only umpired in the country and have thus not been recognised in any capacity previously. Stay tuned.

The current list is available on the web site at http://www.aflua.com.au/player_umpires

Allan Cook reunited with his life saver.

AFLUA Life Member and Hall of Fame Member, Allan Cook, has been reunited with the man who saved his life.

A 17-year-old Mr Cook was competing in an 8km Mildura fun run back in 1979 when his blood boiled, knocking him unconscious for nine hours and landing him a two-week stint in hospital....read more.