WA Umpire Coaches Invited to National UMPowered Coaching ConferenceFriday, April 19, 2024 - 11:25 AM

Five emerging umpire coaches from WA, including two from regional WA, will make their way to Melbourne this weekend to take part in the inaugural National UMPowered Coaching Conference.

Designed to help women take their umpire coaching to a new level, the UMPowered Coaching Conference aims to increase the number of women in umpire coaching and support their pathway and further development.

Cassidy Bodenham (Goldfields Football League Umpires Association) and Katherine Dann (West Kimberley Football League), Amy Markusic (Perth Football League), Ella Spinks (East Fremantle Umpires Association), and Chloe Wright (WAFL/East Perth Junior Football Umpires Association) form part of the selected 24 umpire coaches from around the country to hear from industry leaders, aid the visibility of umpire coaching role models for women, and develop a network of women in umpire coaching across Australia.

The initiative links to the AFL’s Women and Girls Action Plan which at its core, aims to continually progress the game for women and girls across all levels of Australian football.

As part of that vision, it is imperative the AFL creates inclusive pathways for women in the umpiring department as it strives to achieve its goal for women to make up at least 40 per cent of all accredited umpires by 2030. A key driver of this is more women in umpire coaching roles.

UMPowered Coaching Conference attendees: