Con Gasparini

For 15 seasons Con Gasparini umpired on the VFL Senior List and when added to his time on the VFL Reserve Grade both prior to and following that meant 21 years of service to umpiring.

Constantine Gasparini was born at Lock, Victoria on 31 October 1928. He played VFL Reserve Grade football for both North Melbourne and Melbourne Football Clubs before deciding to take up umpiring.

Joining the VFL Reserve Grade as a field umpire in 1951 he served a five-year apprenticeship before being promoted to the Senior List for the 1956 season. He had been one of a number of Reserve Grade umpires appointed to a senior list VCFL match the previous year when a spate of injuries afflicted the seniors.
It was seven years before Con umpired a final and another two before a senior final but the perseverance was rewarded with four Grand Finals from 1965-1968; two in the Omeo and District and one each in the Farrar and Tallangatta and District Leagues.

Despite not umpiring a Grand Final in his final senior season in 1970 it was perhaps his best. Twenty-one matches, a representative match in the VCFL championships between the West Gippsland and Bass Valley-Wonthaggi Football Leagues and preliminary finals in the Alberton and Bass Valley-Wonthaggi Football Leagues closed out a career. That career amounted to one Reserve Grade, 262 VCFL, and 12 metropolitan matches in 15 seasons.

In 1971 Con returned to the Reserve Grade for a final season before finally retiring from umpiring. He had been awarded life Membership of the association in 1966.

Con passed away on 19 April 2010.