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Umpiring News
29 Sep 2010
Green Shirts celebrate season in style
On Sunday 19th September, invited representatives from all umpiring groups in South Australia converged on AAMI Stadium to join the AFL and SANFL in recognising and celebrating the efforts of Green Shirt umpires in the 2010 season.
The annual AFL Umpire Development Awards Day has become an important part of the calendar in South Australian umpiring circles. Patrick Willis, SANFL Umpiring Development Manager explains,
“It’s our chance to show our appreciation of all the people who put in the effort to improve the standard of football in this state. Beginning an umpiring career can be a challenging time - 70% of the first year umpires in this state are under 18 years old - so we put a special emphasis on thanking the young folk.”
The crowd of Green Shirt umpires and their families were treated to a few special guest speakers throughout the informal awards ceremony. Sam Hay and Peter Challen, both umpires on AFL lists were on hand to give the audience a perspective of the life of an umpire at elite levels. Braden Ford, one of this year’s youngest inductees, managed to draw a few laughs when describing his experiences of his first year of Goal umpiring.
In addition to the speakers, umpires in attendance were awarded a special edition MP3 player, provided by the AFL.
“The MP3 players were a hit,” says Willis “everyone was also treated to an exciting semi final between Central District and Norwood after the ceremony.”
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