Five umpires have been promoted to the AFL senior list for 2027, including the first female AFL-listed boundary umpire. The promotion of these umpires reflects the many years of hard work and perseverance that they have dedicated to the game.
Field
Sam Ferguson joins the AFL list on the back of successive VFL Grand Final appointments in 2025 and 2026. Sam reached his 100-game milestone in the VFL in Round 13, 2025, and has 13 AFLW games of experience under his belt. Sam earned a spot on the AFL Rookie list for the 2026 season, and upon making his AFL debut in Round 22 this year he became the first umpire from the Northern Territory to officiate at AFL level in 24 years.
Sam Whetton’s promotion from the Rookie list comes after multiple years of consistent high performance in the VFL and AFLW. Sam’s umpiring journey started in Queensland with the Aspley Hornets. He was appointed to the 2024 and 2026 VFL Grand Finals, as well as the 2024 AFLW Grand Final. Sam was also selected as the AFLW All-Australian field umpire in 2024 and the VFL Field Umpire of the Year in 2026.
Boundary
Kaitlin Barr’s promotion from the Rookie list is a historic milestone for the game, as she becomes the first female boundary umpire to be appointed to the AFL list. Kaitlin’s dedication and consistent performance earned her a 2024 AFLW Grand Final appointment. An AFL Rookie for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Kaitlin made her AFL debut on the boundary in Round 24, 2025. Kaitlin has since umpired a further two AFL games in 2026.
Harrison Hansford joins from New South Wales after an incredible 2026 – he was named as the VFL Boundary Umpire of the Year and made his AFL debut in Round 23. Harrison’s boundary umpiring journey started with AFL Sydney in 2015. Despite time off from umpiring in 2020 and 2021 due to a series of knee surgeries, Harrison persevered and made a comeback in 2022. He has now amassed 34 AFLW and 81 VFL games.
Goal
Luke Caifano joins from Western Australia after years of consistent performance in the WAFL. Luke first started goal umpiring with the East Fremantle Junior Umpires, before joining the WAFL as a teenager in 2018. He was successively appointed to the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 WAFL Grand Finals, as well as being named the 2025 WAFL Goal Umpire of the Year.
The AFLUA congratulates these umpires on this amazing achievement and wishes them well for their AFL careers.
Article by Eloise Sexton