‘Good things come to those that wait’ is the old saying and nothing could be more true in the case of Daniel Hoskin who officiated his 100th AFL game having been on the list for 10 years.
Daniel says the mental element of umpiring is demanding and for a number of years having 4 or 5 umpires on the list when only 2 umpired each weekend meant there was a big gap between umpiring at the highest level. He said it was hard to know how you were positioned given opportunities were few and far between. However, given Daniel’s determination to get to the elite AFL level, he made sure this didn’t affect his on-field performance. Daniel’s career saw him start in South Australia, move to Queensland, then return back to South Australia some years later. Daniel is thankful for the support he has received from his colleagues and coaches in Queensland and South Australia, and believes the environment has meant umpiring is more fun and that the umpires are more supportive of each other at training and on game day.
He admits that the crowds so far have lacked originality in what they have yelled at him over the fence. They are good at yelling the same thing that l have heard a thousand times, especially a joke about spec savers when l am wearing glasses and had OPSM on my back.
Even though most football fans have fallen in love with Adelaide Oval, Daniel preferred AAMI Stadium as he grew up on that side of town and as a fan and umpire had over 30 years of history at that ground with amazing memories. In fact, he has some of the old seating that was ripped out in his backyard.
Daniel prepares for each game by reading the footy record, completes the quizzes, drink a coffee, eat a donut, kick a footy and use locker #29 whilst trying to convince the other guys to wear long sleeves out on the oval.
Daniel is also a bit of a rocker having done guest vocals for Bane, an American hardcore band in front of as many as 1,000 people across Europe, South America and Australia whilst touring with them as their merchandise guy.
The journey might have been longer than you thought Daniel but you’ve now made it to 100 AFL games with a further career ahead of you. Congratulations on your fantastic achievement.
Article written by: AFLUA Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Peter Kelly