News

We welcome back Aaron Langdon to the AFL Rookie Squad after an original stint on the AFL Rookie squad back in 2015. 

Josh Furman started umpiring with the Southern Umpires’ Association in 2010 where he umpired for 5 years before joining the VFL in 2015. In his 4 years with the VFL, Josh made an immediate impression and was appointed to the VFL Development Grand Final in 2016 and 2017, before being appointed to the 2018 VFL Grand Final.  He was awarded the 2018 VFL Boundary Umpire of the Year before being offered the one spot in Victoria on the AFL Boundary Umpires’ Squad for 2019.

The start to Paul’s umpiring career began when he realised his playing days were over and he still wanted to be involved in the sport.  He began as a goal umpire when he was 15 and decided then ‘that he wanted to be a field umpire one day!’ Obviously, a wise career choice for a 15 year old.

Nick Swanson joins the Queensland AFL Boundary Squad following the retirement of Aaron Deckys at the end of the 2018 season.

Now that I have your undivided attention, there have been fourteen families who have had father / son or father / son / son follow them into VFL/AFL umpiring since 1913.

Article written by: Work Experience student, Jai Venturoni from Haileybury College

Twenty-seven year old Cameron Dore was the final umpire offered an AFL contract for 2019.  Cameron is the son of retired field umpire Gavin Dore, a veteran of 302 AFL games between 1986 and 2004 including 17 finals and the 1996 AFL Grand Final between Sydney and North Melbourne.  Cameron has had a very different journey into umpiring however.  He played football at Vermont Football Club and was offered a pathway into umpiring at the VFL when he decided to umpire in the VAFA one year before heading overseas in 2015.  So successful was his stint, Cameron was fast tracked into the VFL.  He has spent the last two years in the Advanced Development Program run by Adam Davis and Stuart Wenn.  Cameron was the emergency field umpire in the last two VFL grand finals and was a rookie field umpire on the AFL panel in 2018.