Since its formation in 1983, East Gippsland Umpires Association has only had 12 females join its ranks.
Most have started as boundary umpires, with three taking up goal umpiring, but three have ventured further to step up to central umpiring.
On Saturday, two of those trailblazers were appointed together for the first time for the Rent 4 Keeps East Gippsland Football Netball League under 18 game at Lindenow.
Reghan Radford started as a boundary umpire and has been with the EGUA for six years.
She took the step up to central umpiring last year when Orbost Snowy Rovers’ under 14s team needed a club umpire to do their home games.
Reghan was encouraged and mentored by Garry Squires, one of the EGUA's longest serving and still running umpires.
This year she has decided to step away from playing netball and concentrate on football umpiring, running the boundary umpire in senior matches while umpiring five U16/U18s games in the middle.
Tracey West has umpired more than 300 games with the EGUA.
She also started out umpiring junior games many years ago, then juggled umpiring under 18s games and playing and umpiring netball, before becoming one of the regular senior central umpires officiating in the EGFL and ODFL.
West also co-ordinates a trainee umpire program in conjunction with the Bairnsdale and District Junior Football Association, offering young people the chance to be mentored as a central umpire in under 14s games on Sundays.
Currently there are four boys involved in this program.
The EGUA also supply umpires for the home games of Bairnsdale's youth girls team who also play on Sundays in the Traralgon Toyota Gippsland Youth Girls Football League.
Photo: Reghan Radford, Tracey West and EGUA president Ray Steedman
Last Modified on 03/07/2017 12:57