Today, Gabby Simmonds will secure her own small slice of history. When she walks on to Mineral Resources Park to umpire the round six match between West Coast and Port Adelaide, she will become the first female field umpire to reach 50 AFLW games.
This won’t be Simmonds’ first ‘first.’ In 2019, Simmonds’ became the first female field umpire in the WAFL. Simmonds was the first member of the 2019 Female Umpiring Academy to be promoted to senior football, despite being the only member based outside of Victoria.
Simmonds’ love for the game was first expressed through playing, but a lack of opportunity pushed her into umpiring.
“I always loved footy, and I wanted to be involved in the game. Given there weren’t too many opportunities for young females in the playing space, umpiring seemed like the perfect fit to get me close to the action, stay active, and contribute to the sport I love. I was fortunate to play for a few years in my late teens, but my aspirations had quickly grown to umpire at the highest level I could.”
Simmonds credits AFL field umpire Eleni Tee (née Glouftsis) with having “paved the way for many of us, showing that women belong in elite umpiring roles.” She’s lent on some big names of the WAFL umpiring fraternity on the way up to elite umpiring.
“I’ve also had great support from WA based AFL umpires Dean Margetts, Jeff Dalgleish and Luke Farmer who have offered advice when I’ve needed it. Simon Meredith has also been a great support over the last couple of years in his mentor role for me.”
Now a WAFL and AFLW fixture, she’s seen and made enormous strides in increasing women’s representation in umpiring.
“The AFL has made some great strides in female representation. In the playing space we saw the numbers rise exponentially after the introduction of the AFLW. There’s still a way to go in terms of female representation at the elite level in the umpiring space. The fact that more women, like me, are umpiring at higher levels is encouraging, and the pathways and support for women to take up and stay in umpiring is definitely improving those numbers.”
One of the early trailblazers for female field umpires, her advice for aspiring umpires is soundly backed by experience.
“Believe in yourself and your abilities. It’s easy to doubt yourself when you’re in a minority, but with the right mindset and support, you can thrive. Work hard, take feedback constructively, and always strive to improve. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or mentorship, as it can make all the difference.”
50 games in and Simmonds plans on many more milestones to come. Maintaining high performance at the elite level and striving to improve is something Simmonds takes great care to do.
“I take care of my body and mind. This has been one of my greatest challenges. Fitness is crucial, but so is recovery. Learning the best way to look after my body and mindset and learning how to get better at this from year to year has been. Having a balance in life outside of umpiring is also important to avoid burnout.”
“I just want to keep pushing myself, improving and just keep enjoying it. Eventually, I’d like to see more female representation across all levels of umpiring, and I’d love to play a role in mentoring the next generation of female umpires.”
“Umpiring is incredibly rewarding because you get to be part of the game you love while challenging yourself in new ways. Being a part of the community and inspiring others, especially women, is something I value deeply.”
Article by Jackson Kerr