Ian Young had a diverse football experience before turning to umpiring. He played with No.6 RAAF Air Training Group, Hawthorn Seconds (VFL), Williamstown (VFA), Seddon FC (Footscray District) and was a premiership player with Johns and Waygood (Industrial League). He was also a good cricketer being named in the Williamstown Congs Team of the Century after decades of service to that club as a left-handed batsman and part-time leg spin bowler.
Born Ian James Young on 11 June 1925 in Hawthorn he grew up there and in Oakleigh and Williamstown.
He began umpiring with the VFL Reserve Grade in 1952 and was promoted to the senior list for the 1954 season. Over the next 10 seasons he would umpire 171 VCFL matches of which 14 were finals. An additional 9 Metropolitan matches brought his total to 180 matches on the senior list.
While not making it to a Reserve Grade match he did umpire a VFL practice match on the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 March 1954, an appointment which he noted as his most memorable.
Ian’s service to the association was significant. He served on the Social Committee from 1958-1961 where he was the trip manager for the 1960 visit to South Australia. He was then elected to the Executive Committee for 1962-1963. His final year saw him qualify for 10-year life membership to which was added a Lifetime Achievement (Special) Award for services to the association.
Despite being a life member of the AFLUA there were only the briefest contacts over the decades since his retirement.
Ian passed away on 3 September 2023, aged 98.