Oldest Umpire’s Whistle Discovered

Dec 19, 2024 | Blog, News

From when Australian Football was first played in 1858 until the middle of the 1886 season, umpires used their voices to control matches. During that period, the concept of stopping play by blowing a whistle had not been considered. On 5th June 1886 Jack Trait, who...

Reflecting Reality: Aligning the presentation of AFLUA and AFL historical statistics

Dec 17, 2024 | Blog, Member News, Milestones, News

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...

2024 AFLW Grand Final Umpires

Nov 29, 2024 | News

The AFL has announced the AFLW Season 9 Grand Final umpiring panel. Matt Adams and Georgia Henderson will be making back to back appearances, having umpired the 2023 AFLW Grand Final. The two may get a sense of déjà vu, with the clash between North Melbourne and...

Courtney Gibson – On Umpiring and 50 AFLW Games

Nov 21, 2024 | News

When Fremantle took on Essendon in the first elimination final of the 2024 AFLW season, 4,934 fans – a record crowd – packed in to Fremantle oval. Ultimately, Essendon couldn’t break their club’s 20-year finals draught, and Fremantle emerged triumphant with a 10-point...

Shane McInerney Inducted into Ballarat Sports Hall of Fame

Nov 19, 2024 | News

Ex AFL Field Umpire Shane McInerney (heritage no. 353) has been inducted into the Ballarat Sports Hall of Fame. McInerney, who was raised and schooled in Ballarat, umpired 502 AFL games from 1994-2019. His 26 year career included the 2004 and 2007 Grand Finals, 4...