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It doesn’t matter what time you ring Shane the voice always says, “G’day mate, how are you going?” The voice is always chirpy and the question sincere.

Field umpire, Matt Stevic becomes the 21st field umpire and 40th umpire in the history of the game to officiate in 300 VFL/AFL matches.  Matt commenced umpiring on the AFL panel in 2004.  His games total includes 25 finals and three grand finals (2012, 2014 and 2015). Matt was All-Australian field umpire in 2012, ’14 and ’15.  He represented Australia in the 2013 Ireland tour.

“In this business over 13 years if I’ve learned one thing, it is to take nothing for granted.  At the start of the season I was looking forward to my 200th game.  An injury almost put paid to that,” reflected Dan when we spoke to him about his milestone.  “It is humbling and at the same time a good reality check.”

Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator, Peter Kelly and CEO Peter Howe spent three days in Perth prior to round 21 catching up with our Perth based members. They are an extremely resilient group probably because of their isolation.  “They are an extremely dedicated and committed group of people.  They work together as a team to get things done,” said Kelly, after meeting with the guys for the second time this year.

The AFLUA recently visited Perth to catch up with its members and attend training.

Congratulations to all of our milestone achievers this week.  Chelsea Roffey 200 games, Shane Thiele 150 games and Ben Ryan 100 games, have all made unique contributions to the game and made many sacrifices to get there.

AFL umpires will join St Kilda and the Sydney Swans in the inaugural Pride Game at Etihad Stadium on Saturday 13 August to celebrate diversity and tackle homophobia in sport.  AFL goal umpires will wave rainbow-coloured flags, St Kilda players will wear rainbow-numbered jerseys whilst Sydney will wear rainbow socks.  

The AFLUA is currently conducting further visits to interstate locations, as part of the association’s communication and engagement strategy.

Chris Esler is a man on a mission.  He comes across as an affable relaxed guy who just wants to knock about with his mates.  Under that calm composed exterior is a man with a passion for performance.  Coming off his role as co-ordinator for the Wings for Life World Run where he managed the Australian leg of the run, nobody should doubt his commitment to any cause he puts his mind to.  He likes to break records.