It is not just clubs where the game’s multicultural reach extends, the men and women in orange are just as culturally diverse.
Cyrus Wong, a son of Malaysian Chinese parents, is a member of the AFL Victoria umpiring panel.
Born and bred in Melbourne, Wong has always been passionate about sport, in particular football. But as a child, Wong was discouraged from playing Australian Rules with soccer the preferred sport of choice from his parents.
“They thought Aussie Rules was too rough, too tough,” Wong said.
Being in the western suburbs it was hard for Wong not to be swept up in footy fever, especially the red white and blue variety.
“I’ve always been into sport and during the winter I was interested in the footy, particularly as my parents worked close to the Whitten Oval.
“When my parents drove to work, I would always see all the fans going to the game, dressed up in all their colours and that’s how I started following the Bulldogs.
“I remember the frustration of not being able to go.”
It wasn’t until Wong had completed his tertiary studies that he decided to get actively involved in the game.
His involvement was facilitated through Kim Miles who was a member of the same athletics club as Wong.
“Kim was always trying to get people who were doing summer athletics to do umpiring in the winter and she suggested that I take up goal umpiring,” Wong said.
“I spent the year watching AFL umpires trying to get a hang of what they did so when I began I didn’t need as much of the initial coaching as I’d already seen what they did at AFL level.”
Wong began officiating in the then Diamond Valley Football League and spent a couple of seasons there.
He gained his accreditation and at the end of the 2007 season he was recommended to trial with the VFL.
After a season doing the TAC Cup and Development League, Wong graduated to the senior panel where he’s now officiated in 62 games.
His passion for football is just as strong as it was all those years ago driving past the Whitten Oval.
He might not have been allowed to join the fans on the march into the stadium back then, but now he has the opportunity to officiate VFL matches on that very same ground.
Photo: Arj Giese
Last Modified on 17/07/2014 10:26