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MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AFL 

AFLUA life member Frank Knight has spent most of his life in the service of VFL/AFL football.  Frank umpired on the VFL reserve grade during the late 1950’s and 60’s.  He forged a career in the now defunct West Suburban Football League as an umpire and administrator before spending more than 10 years as a trainer with the Western Bulldogs Football Club.  Frank was awarded life membership with the club before moving into an 18 year career with us as a trainer and property steward.  Frank has had his health battles over the past few years but he is now back to good health.

SYDNEY coach John Longmire says umpires need to “spend more time working on their craft” after admitting he approached the AFL about the lopsided free kick count in last year’s Grand Final.

If there was going to be a first bounce in Friday night’s historic AFLW match at Ikon Park, Annie Mirabile wouldn’t want it.

It was a typical preseason opener.  In Melbourne the weather was warm and the change rooms were a hive of activity.  The facade had changed over summer, gone were the remnants of the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union Club, the co-tenant of the umpires for the past six years and in their place is the Carlton Football Club AFL woman’s team.

Like most umpires, Hayden Gavine’s introduction to umpiring started when he was young, at the age of 13, when he ran the boundary in the Under 18’s and Seniors on Saturday and ran the field on the Sunday in the Juniors. Hayden took up umpiring after being encouraged by a friend, so that he could save money for a cricket trip to the UK/Ireland in 2008.