Field umpire Jamie Grindal will celebrate his 150th Peter Jackson VFL match when he officiates in Sunday’s Anzac Day eve clash between Collingwood and Essendon at Victoria Park.
Grindal, 34, has been continuously involved in the caper since he followed his two brothers into umpiring local football at nine years of age.
Since starting out as a boundary umpire and then becoming a field umpire in the Diamond Valley Football League (now Northern FL), Grindal has risen through the ranks to become the oldest member of the AFL Victoria Field Umpires Senior Squad.
His career highlights include umpiring in the 2007 TAC Cup Grand Final at the MCG, as well as officiating in three Development League grand finals and two senior VFL preliminary finals.
As an elder statesman of the VFL field umpires squad, Grindal was this year awarded a significant symbolic honour – a move from his previous umpire guernsey of no.9 up to no.1.
But at the 2016 squad presentation, he initially thought his prospects for this year had gone pear-shaped.
“At the selection announcement they read out the senior list names in alphabetical order but my name wasn’t part of it,” Grindal said. “My stomach just dropped. I thought: ‘My name hasn’t been read out – what’s going on?’
“But at the end they announced I was no.1. I’ll never forget that moment.
“VFL umpires that have worn that number have been around a while, such as (former field umpire and VFL life member) Richard Mills who wore it last year. I’m one of them now.”
Grindal was surprised to be selected as an emergency for last year’s Development League Grand Final given his age, but insisted that being 34 years old was not ‘over the hill’ in umpiring terms.
He said he’d been lucky to have never suffered a severe injury during his long career – “I haven’t missed a year of umpiring at all” – and was able to maintain his fitness at work during the week.
“I get paid to keep fit,” Grindal laughs. “I drive garbage trucks.
“Before they brought in all the safety regulations, we used to be up and down on the back of the truck all the time. Now at times I’ll still get out and have a run, and that keeps me fit.”
Grindal said the biggest change he’d noticed within VFL-level umpiring since he started was the way in which umpires could review their performance.
Coaches can now send them vision and feedback online early in the week after their matches and are more accessible and approachable than ever should umpires need to discuss their performance.
A keen junior cricketer, Grindal is happy he chose to pursue umpiring over playing sport, viewing it as “more of a career” – and you can’t argue he hasn’t made the most of it.
“I’m at the age now where the VFL coaches are going with younger guys, but I’m happy with where I’ve ended up in my life and all the opportunities I’ve had.”
Last Modified on 21/04/2016 11:30
