Since the mid-1980s there has been a difference in the way the AFL presents the historical match totals of players and umpires. Unlike player totals, umpire totals continue to include non-premiership matches and the AFLUA has followed the same guidelines it used historically. This difference has now been addressed by the AFL and is reflected in the publication of the 2024 AFL media guide.
Recently passed season 2021 was also the 40th anniversary of the ‘Resignation round’ which is another source of statistical difference between the AFLUA and the AFL. Umpires’ Association policy of the day meant that those replacement umpires who officiated in that round were never credited with those matches but they are part of the AFL’s statistical record of umpires.
The juncture of these two situations provided an appropriate time to consider aligning the records of the AFLUA and the AFL.
The creation of the VFL’s 200 Club in 1960 led to a confusing two decades of player and umpire statistics. In the case of umpires, it continued until the present.
Qualification for the 200 Club included not only VFL premiership matches but also VFL night series matches from 1956-1971 and 1977-78 and, following a change to the players’ and umpires’ provident funds, interstate matches played on the same day as a round of VFL premiership matches. The VFL Umpires’ Association followed these guidelines in its calculation of match totals as published in its annual report. It continues to do so today for those umpires who officiated in that era.
Over time these combined totals became the figure the VFL published as a player’s total. In the mid-1980s the VFL mandated that, for the statistical record, a player’s total should consist only of VFL premiership matches.
This led to some interesting changes. John Nicholls (Carlton) had retired with a well-publicised league record of 331 matches. This was reduced to 328. Dual Brownlow medallist Keith Grieg retired believing that he had played the magic 300 league games for North Melbourne but is now credited with 294 VFL premiership matches.
Interestingly the league did not apply the same presentation of statistics to umpires. Their main historical publication of totals appears in the annual season guide’s ‘Most career games’ table. One example from the table is Bill Deller. Listed as 251 matches, this includes 237 premiership matches and 14-night series or interstate matches. Deller is listed similarly in the AFLUA’s records at 251. Below is a list of 200 match field umpires affected. The umpires’ association ceased crediting these additional matches from 1979.
In Deller’s case the 251 figure appears in his AFL Hall of Fame entry and other AFL statistical references.
This situation has changed with the publication of the 2024 season guide as the AFL Statistician has amended these records in line with those of the players.
Even though the AFLUA prefaced each of its career total lists (annual report and web site) with the notice “The tables below details all umpires who have umpired VFL/AFL matches since the formation of the Victorian Football League in 1897.Where appropriate night series and interstate matches have been included” or similar, the totals as presented are now at odds with those of the AFL going forward.
Consistency across all the numbers will allow for a better comparison of careers, indicates differences in eras and most importantly reflects what happened in more detail.
This change has been on the cards for some years. In early 2021 the AFLUA Executive Committee determined that the AFLUA should modify the presentation of its match total statistics to reflect their composition in line with the changed AFL totals once the league made its changes.
On the AFLUA web site the match total figures will reflect ‘Premiership matches’. A separate table for interstate matches and ‘Night series matches 1956-1971 will be added.’
In the annual report – reference will be made only to premiership matches totals.
Going forward, in general use of historical statistics reference can be made to the distinction between premiership matches and ‘other’ matches e.g. “Bill Deller umpired 237 premiership and 14 other matches in a long VFL career”.
The examples listed above focus on the 200 game field umpires but affect numerous other field umpires of the 1956-1978 era. While the AFL does not publish similar lists for boundary and goal umpires the same direction will apply to them concerning such lists maintained and published by the AFLUA.
Recognising the umpires in Round 19, 1981
In Round 19 1981 the VFL senior umpires resigned en-masse and were replaced at late notice by umpires from the VFL Reserve Grade list (VFLRGUA). Those appointments were never recognised or counted by the VFL/AFL Umpires Association. They will now appear in our records.
By late in the 1981 VFL season the relationship between the VFLUA and the VFL was very tense. Umpires had been at loggerheads with the league for several years over various issues. After the VFL refused to recognise the umpires’ association as the bargaining agent for all umpires and over a dispute concerning conditions surrounding the introduction of Sunday football, the VFL senior umpires resigned their positions on the Friday preceding round 19.
The VFL scrambled to replace their umpires by contacting individual umpires on the VFL Reserve Grade panel and appointing them to VFL matches. Each of the match appointments was filled and the matches went ahead. The dispute was resolved in the ensuing week and the umpires withdrew their resignations.
In the immediate aftermath of the dispute the VFLUA followed its usual process in publishing annual statistics in that, as they were not members of the association, the 35 umpires that officiated in round 19, 1981 would not be noted in the statistics of the association, then published in each annual report. This situation has persisted over the last four decades.
In the ensuing seasons 20 umpires went on to be promoted to the senior list either before or at the time of the merger of the Reserve Grade and senior lists in 1983. Each became a member of the umpires’ association and while their matches following promotion were counted by the association, the round 19, 1981 matches were not.
Four other umpires were promoted to the VFL with only Shane Fisher making an appearance as an emergency umpire (credited).
Three umpires were never promoted to the senior list and we have been unable to confirm the identity of the remaining eight.
The result of this is a disparity between the records of the now-AFL and the association, particularly apparent in the records for the field umpires. The AFL has recorded each of the matches for each field umpire meaning for example Michael Sneddon is credited in the AFLUA records with 55 matches and by the AFL as 56. While the AFL rarely published goal umpire statistics in a formal manner they have credited Leigh Keen with the two matches he umpired in 1981 for a total of 186, the association notes 184.
The singular reason for the omission of the matches has changed in the years since. The AFLUA now credits umpires with matches as-umpired regardless of whether they are members of the association or not and publishes this information; a reflection of the removal of the ability to force membership of trade unions from 1996 as well as being a matter of the historical record.
At the time of the resignations each of the targeted Reserve Grade umpires were contacted by the league and told that they would be umpiring the following day and which match. A number refused to umpire and a number contacted the VFLRGUA committee for guidance. Given the very short time frame (late Friday night) the Reserve Grade Executive never met and offered any advice to members. In fact, reading the minutes, it was not even discussed at future Executive meetings. In the absence of advice those appointed umpired. Several senior umpires contacted them and offered them best wishes for the day indicating a lack of animosity.
In discussion with several Executive Committee and running members of the day, including then President, Paul Serong and several senior umpires, they see no problem in crediting the matches.
As a result, the Executive Committee has agreed that the Reserve Grade umpires who umpired the VFL matches of round 19, 1981 be recognised in the record of the AFLUA by crediting each with the match(es) umpired bringing the records of the AFL and the AFLUA into alignment for these fixtures and for career totals. No Heritage No. would be applicable in the same way that such numbers are not allocated for emergency umpire appointments that result in a first appearance.
As an aside we have noted a couple of interesting anomalies. David Howlett and Chris Mitchell’s AFLUA totals match the AFL because of errors made during the late 1980s early 1990s which will be corrected by the league.
Modifying the presentation of historical statistics in line with the AFL and the crediting of the resignation rounds matches will more accurately reflect the statistical reality of umpiring in the 1956-1981 era.
Combined with the standardisation of premiership matches as the basis for historical record and a vast amount of work by both the AFL and AFLUA statisticians to correctly identify and correct umpires at matches where there were differences in each list of records, the lists and totals are now the same for 1897 onward.
AFLUA Historian-Statistician David Flegg AM
200 match field umpire totals affected
| Premiership | Others | |
| Rowan Sawers | 406 | 4 |
| Ian Robinson | 344 | 9 |
| Peter Cameron | 304 | 2 |
| Kevin Smith | 298 | 5 |
| Bill Deller | 251 | 14 |
| Neville Nash | 212 | 5 |
| John Sutcliffe | 209 | 5 |
Resignation round umpires
Umpires promoted to VFL senior list and umpired VFL senior matches:
Field: Glen McKeeman, Chris Mitchell, Martin Childs, Michael Sneddon, Paul Saville, David Howlett, Brendan Carland
Boundary: Perry Browne, Graeme Hunichen, Allan Rankin, Graeme McNicol, Paul Budge, Phil Sutton, Graeme Scherger
Goal: Leigh Keen, Vince Molino, Eric Armstrong, Graham Honen, Bill Pryde, Bill Turner
Umpires promoted to VFL senior list but did not umpire VFL matches:
Field: Shane Fisher*, Jeff Ryan, Brad Beitzel, Mike Phillips (1977-79)
Not promoted to VFL
Field: Bob Blythe
Boundary: Russell Magilton
Goal: Ian Smith
* appeared as emergency umpire in 1 match.