AFL Mackay achieved another first for the region by selecting an all-female umpire group to officiate the Under 13s Minor Semi-Final match played last Sunday at Zeolla Park, North Mackay.
As a sign of the broad appeal of the code across the sexes, the AFL Mackay Umpires Association has several young ladies within it’s ranks, umpiring each week throughout the Senior, Youth and Junior competitions.
“The hard work these girls have shown on and off the field each week made our decision to select the all-female team for the finals an easy one”, AFL Mackay Umpires mentor Ian Draper said following the match. “They did a fantastic job, and were well received by both players and supporters”, he said.
“It’s a great resource that AFL is uniquely placed to tap into”. “With the development work being done through schools as part of the Auskick programs, we’re starting to see a good flow of girls playing in the younger grades, and then moving into umpiring as a natural transition to remain involved with the game”. “They all have what it takes to umpire football, there’s no reason why they shouldn't be able to go to the highest level”, he said.
“It would be great to see one of these girls go on to be the next Chelsea Roffey”, he added.
Now based in Melbourne, and a strong contender to become the first female to umpire in an AFL Grand Final, Roffey was raised inQueenslandand umpired her first match in 2004 betweenBrisbaneand West Coast.
The success in the local umpiring ranks comes off the back of a recent announcement that another Mackay based umpire, Alex Finney, was one of seven umpires selected nationally to officiate an Auskick game during the AFL Grand Final inMelbourne.
Last Modified on 05/09/2012 10:46