News

The 2016 version of the Fiona McBurney Match Day Experience was launched at Ikon park last night in front of the Melbourne based AFL umpires.

Fifteen year old Hannah McLaren is keen to follow in her father’s footsteps in the first AFL Victoria metropolitan all-female school based Umpiring Academy.

AFL UMPIRE Dean Margetts is recovering in an Adelaide hospital after a medical emergency forced his flight to make an unscheduled landing. 

Nathan Williamson is a young West Australian field umpire with about 60 games of senior experience under his belt.  So you can imagine his shock on a Monday morning three weeks ago when AFL umpires’ coach, Hayden Kennedy called to tell him that he would be umpiring his first NAB Challenge game in a few days.  “I was more nervous after Hayden called me than I was on game day,” reflected Nathan when we asked him about his experience.

Angus McKenzie-Wills is one of four new AFL goal umpires joining the AFL ranks in 2016, having originally started as a field umpire in 2006, before switching to the twin flags in 2009. Having been part of the inaugural NEAFL goal umpires’ list in 2011, Angus has officiated in 96 NEAFL games, including 10 finals whilst also participating in the Under 16 Nationals in 2010 and the Under 18 Nationals in 2012 and 2015.

Eleni Glouftsis is different, but she wants to be dealt with the same as everyone else.

AFL Grand Final Field Umpire Ray Chamberlain and his brothers Peter and Brian have launched their own charitable foundation to help fund much needed work in the areas of mental health amongst young people, prevention of suicide and also support for returned service men and women and those that work on the front line of our emergency services.

Following an introduction from Wayne Campbell and Hayden Kennedy, who spoke about the successes of 2015 and areas to focus on improving in 2016, the camp for boundary and goal umpires was launched.

Formula One, flying, engines, traveling – one would have thought that Patrick Cran would have taken up motor car racing or flying to new travel destinations rather than turning his skills to that of umpiring.