Field umpire Leigh Fisher capped off a memorable AFL 2023 Round 4, as he took charge of the Geelong v Hawthorn match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday, 10 April 2023.
It was Leigh’s 200th career AFL game as an umpire, which made him the first former player to field umpire 200 VFL/AFL matches. He also became the 154th umpire to officiate in 200 VFL/AFL matches (45th field umpire), and is the 16th fastest to reach the milestone – 9 years 362 days.
Leigh Fisher during the 2019 AFL Round 05 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Port Adelaide Power at Optus (Perth) Stadium on April 19, 2019. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos)
Having played football for St Kilda Football Club, amassing 55 matches after his debut in 2003, Leigh began field umpiring with the VAFA in 2011. He was appointed to the AFL List in 2013, and his debut as an AFL umpire arrived in Round 3, 2013 (Melbourne v West Coast Eagles).
Thriving on his dedication to training and preparation, he continued to set high standards and picked up the ‘Most Promising First or Second Year Umpire’ honour in 2014.
As an active member of the AFL Umpires Association, Leigh was the Field Umpire Representative on the AFLUA Executive Committee from 2015 to 2017. He was also recently recognised with AFLUA Life Membership at the 2022 Annual General Meeting.
Congratulations, Leigh, on your achievements.
# Featured image – Leigh Fisher in action during the 2017 AFL Round 18 match between the Essendon Bombers and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at Etihad (Docklands) Stadium on July 22, 2017. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media)
# For a list of player-umpires, please visit this link on our website – https://aflua.com.au/statistics/player-umpires/