The news gets better for AFL Sydney boundary umpire, Michael Saunders, who has been appointed to the Preliminary Final clash between the Sydney Swans and Collingwood on Friday night.
Saunders started boundary umpiring to keep fit during the athletics off-season, but little did he know that only a few years later he would be officiating in one of the biggest games of the year.
Saunders has officiated in two finals series matches this year, including the Adelaide and Fremantle clash last weekend- his first game at AAMI Stadium.
The Melbourne-born 26-year-old first started umpiring for the Victorian Amateur Football Association at just 18 before moving to Sydney and officiating in the Sydney AFL and NEAFL.
“I was a talented schoolboy athlete, and when I got to uni I was looking at ways to keep fit over winter in between athletics seasons,” Saunders said.
“I thought boundary umpiring would be a good way to achieve this and would be more stimulating that simply training and running kilometres.
“It only took a season for me to figure out that my running ability gave me a lot of potential on the boundary and that I could actually make a decent career out of it.”
Saunders, a project manager from Randwick, has been umpiring in the AFL since 2009 and has officiated 78 games and four finals including the 2010 NAB Cup Grand Final and the 2011 finals series.
“One of the highlights of my careers was definitely the the 2011 Elimination Final between Essendon and Carlton at the MCG,” Saunders said.
“There were 90,000 screaming fans on a perfect spring day and the crowd was so loud I couldn't hear the whistle of the field umpire.”
It will be Saunders’ sixth AFL final and in a discipline that he never thought would be his career, he has achieved success both on and off the field.
“I love the game and the atmosphere on match day and have made lifelong friends amongst my umpiring colleagues,” he said.
“It’s definitely a challenge but I have grown personally with the experience and umpiring gives me goals and focus.”
“I can’t believe I get paid well to run - which is something I would be doing anyway.”
Last Modified on 17/09/2012 14:42
