AFLUA Heritage Number: 545
AFL matches at the end of 2023: 283
1st AFL Match: Round 1, 2012, Essendon v North Melbourne
250th AFL Match: Round 19, 2022, North Melbourne v Hawthorn [at Bellerive]
Commenced umpiring career with: Essendon District Football League – 2005
Honours in umpiring:
All Australian Umpire – 2019 and 2020
AFLUA Life Member – 2021
AFL Grand Final – 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2023
Emergency AFL Grand Final – 2013
Bill Sutton Medallion – 2013
VFL Grand Final – 2011
Matthew Tomkins made his AFL debut in 2012, and is the third fastest to reach the 300 game milestone.
He has umpired 32 Finals and 5 AFL Grand Finals (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2023). He was Emergency Grand Final umpire in 2012 and 2022. A testament to his consistency across many seasons is that he umpired in 11 straight finals series.
Tomkins was also awarded All-Australian Boundary Umpire in both 2019 and 2020. He was also the recipient of the AFLUA’s two most prestigious awards – the Bill Sutton Medallion in 2013 and the Murray Williams Shield in 2019. He was awarded AFLUA Life Membership in 2021.
Tomkins has been a strong leader for the umpiring fraternity, being an integral part of the leadership group for many years. He has demonstrated an eagerness to grow the next generation of umpires. Whilst juggling full-time work, a young family and umpiring commitments, Tomkins has also served as a mentor to his AFL umpiring peers, female umpire program participants, state league umpires in the VFL, a community ambassador at the Essendon District Football League and a matchday coach for the AFLW umpires since its inception in 2017. He is well respected in the umpiring community, including at grassroots level. To this day he continues to give back to umpiring, in the hope of growing AFL umpires for years to come.
Outside of umpiring Tomkins has worked for more than a decade in the education industry. He is currently a Leading Teacher in Wellbeing, working with today’s youth supporting their mental health and wellbeing.