AFL Umpiring Experience Targets Female TalentWednesday, February 8, 2023 - 8:34 AM

The campaign to recruit female umpires continues this month with an open session at Perth College in Mount Lawley.

“Play On! AFL Umpiring Experience” is available to females aged 13 years and above and will be held at the College on February 24 from 5.30pm-7pm.

The experience session wants to engage women and girls to find out more about umpiring and ultimately register to umpire community football.

The event includes an information session for parents/guardians and fun activities for the participants.

Nicole Bolton, Women & Girls Community Football Manager at the WAFC, has outlined the objectives of the project.

“I’m hoping it provides young girls with an opportunity to get involved in umpiring and officiating, as well as creating a connection with their local Junior Umpiring Club.

As part of the AFL’s Women & Girls Action Plan over the next three years we need to see a growth of female umpires from 9 to 20% which means we need to make the umpiring pathway visible to girls.

We know that umpiring presents girls with opportunities to stay connected to the game, stay fit and healthy, create a sense of belonging while also making an income and giving back to the community,” Bolton said.

Calling on female role models to share their experiences is critical.

“We’ve engaged a strong female cohort of current and past female umpires who have amazing stories to share about their journey within officiating which is important for parents and aspiring female umpires to hear.

Sally Boud and Courtney Gibson will be involved, with Sally having goal umpired over 50 games at AFL level, while Courtney made her WAFL League debut in 2021 as a field umpire and regularly features in the AFLW.

We’re extremely lucky to have such amazing role models in this space,” she said.

The open day follows on from the Perth College Umpiring Academy which was piloted in Term 4 of last year.

The WAFC has been working with Perth College to develop the academy and to offer umpiring opportunities to their students.

Daniel Gibbons, Umpire Coaching and Talent Pathway Coordinator at the WAFC, is confident the initiative will continue to grow.

“In Term 4 last year we piloted the academy as part of Perth College’s Sparc program.

This is where students can spark a passion for umpiring, which they may not have previously considered.

We delivered a successful 8-session fundamentals of umpiring program for 40 Year 9 students who had no previous umpiring experience.

There was strong interest and engagement in learning more about umpiring and the students developed important life skills such as leadership, communication and teamwork.

There’s growing interest in umpiring from females and many opportunities for females in umpiring, including a clear pathway into the WAFLW and AFLW,” Gibbons said.

The AFL Umpiring Experience session this month hopes to re-engage Perth College students from last year’s program and promote umpiring opportunities for women and girls in the broader community.

“The goal is to have more women and girls register to umpire community football this season,” he said.

Parent/Guardian attendance is strong encouraged for the session.

Register by Monday 20 February.

See Play On Female Umpiring for more information and event registration QR code.

To find out more about why you should become an umpire visit https://www.play.afl/umpire.