Hard work pays off for WAFL umpire debutant WilliamsThursday, July 26, 2018 - 2:42 PM

“I am eternally grateful and thankful for the great opportunity that lies in front of me this weekend.”

Twenty-year-old boundary umpire Lewis Williams has a lot to be excited about this Saturday – it’s the day he will make his WA Football League debut.

It is a fantastic achievement for a remarkable young man who has worked hard to get to where he is now.

Lewis was born in South Korea and was adopted by two Australian parents at four months old. Growing up Lewis learnt about the importance of being true to himself and proud of his achievements, values his parents instilled in him from a young age.

“I was always a bit different. I had kids at school asking me who my real parents were, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest because my parents always said be true to yourself and be proud of where you come from,” he said.

“I continue to strive in whatever task confronts me and I take that determination and belief with me into every training session, and every game I umpire.”

Lewis had played footy for as long as he could remember, and it was at the age of 13 when he decided to kickstart his umpiring journey.

“I wanted to earn a bit of extra pocket money, so I went down to the East Perth District umpire program and began there, and it wasn’t until my fourth year of umpiring that I decided I wanted to take it seriously,” he said.

“In 2016 I was fortunate to be part of the Hendrie/Margetts Development Squad and spent two years developing my field umpiring skills.”

Lewis’ umpiring development took a different route last year.

“I filled in as a boundary umpire at Guilford in a PSA match in 2017 and my coaches recognised I may have a future in boundary umpiring,” he said.

“I approached Dean Margetts and Paul Mannix (Coach) about my potential future in boundary umpiring and they were both fully supportive of the move.

“The change to boundary was a tough decision to make as I love field umpiring, but I was willing to try something new and see where it led me.”

Earlier this year Lewis got to showcase this boundary umpiring skills at the NAB AFL Women's under-18s National Championships at the Gold Coast. (pictured right)

This Saturday couldn’t come soon enough for Lewis who was overwhelmed with excitement when he found out he would be making his WAFL League umpiring debut.

“It was announced at the team briefing before training in front of the entire umpiring group and the coaches, and as soon as I saw my face pop up on the screen I was instantly blown away and excited about the opportunity,” he said.

“I am looking forward to running out for the League match and I’m ready to soak up the atmosphere and the anticipation that comes with it.”

Lewis will take a big leap forward in his umpiring journey this weekend but said he plans to continue to uphold his close relationship with his roots – East Perth District.

“I am currently coaching the first-year umpires at East Perth and I also still do a bit of field umpiring for the district on the Sunday,” he said.

Outside of umpiring Lewis is in his final year of his primary school teaching course at university and is looking forward to starting his teaching career in the near future.