The Australian Football League and broader football community will come together in Round 8 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season (April 28 to May 4) to recognise its team in green and celebrate Community Umpiring Week.
The initiative aims to highlight the invaluable contribution and role umpires play in Australian football, promote respect for the men, women, girls and boys who officiate matches across all levels of footy, and create awareness around umpiring pathways.
For the first time last year, the AFL saw more than 21,000 registered umpires pull up their socks and pick up a whistle – a vital milestone as participation continues to grow around the country.
Since 2022 there has been a 72 per cent boost of women and girls taking up officiating, equating to nearly 1,200 more umpires.
As part of the celebrations for Community Umpiring Week – which follows on from the invaluable on-field experiences gained by junior umpires across AFL Gather Round – a host of initiatives will take place. Each idea is designed to help drive engagement between AFL and community umpires, upskill and develop junior umpires, and provide memorable match-day experiences.
These activations across all state and territories include:
- More than 100 AFL umpires attending local umpiring training sessions and officiating local junior footy matches.
- AFL umpires at each Round 8 match will be led onto the ground by community umpires, giving them an incredible game-day experience.
- Junior community umpires will also officiate half-time NAB AFL Auskick grid games.
- AFL captains will meet community umpires at the coin toss and capture photos.
- AFL umpires officiating community junior matches providing lifelong memories for community umpires and players alike.
- Recognition via Umpire Service Awards for more than 20 umpires who have recorded more than 25 years and 50 years of service.
AFL Executive General Manager of Game Development, Rob Auld, said he was looking forward to the industry coming together to celebrating Community Umpiring Week.
“Community Umpiring Week is a really important initiative for Australian football as we recognise and promote the invaluable contribution umpires at all levels make to our game,” Auld said.
“Across the course of the week and on AFL match days we’re able to provide our local and junior umpires with experiences that help support their development and further their careers by engaging and learning from our elite umpiring team.
“As we strive to reach our vision of one million participants by 2033, we need to ensure we’re attracting more umpires to our game. While we were able to achieve a milestone number of more than 21,000 last year, we need to keep doing more to support each umpire and give them the best experiences when they’re in the system.
“Regardless of age, gender or football experience, umpiring is a great way to connect with footy and reap the wellbeing and social benefits that officiating provides.
“On behalf of the AFL I would like to thank all our community umpires around Australia who officiate thousands of games each weekend, without them we simply couldn’t play.
“I also want to recognise and thank the AFLUA and all the AFL/AFLW listed umpires who provide fantastic support and time to help grow umpiring and provide guidance at all levels.”
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