History will be made this weekend in AFL Victoria’s TAC Cup competition with the first ever game featuring an all-female umpiring panel.
The match between Oakleigh Chargers and North Ballarat Rebels will be umpired by six women that are currently on the various AFL Victoria Umpire Panels, along with two girls from the boundary umpire rookie squads in 2015.
Last year Lucinda Lopes (field) and Kate Griffiths (goal) laid the foundations for female umpires with selection on the AFL Victoria Development Squad, and are this year joined by Eleni Glouftsis, Libby Toovey (field), Shannessy Adams (boundary) and Kirsty Lord (goal).
The AFL Victoria Development Squad provides umpires selected from local league umpiring groups their first taste of state league football, appointed to a mix of TAC Cup and Development League games throughout the year.
AFL Victoria State League Umpiring Head Coach Cameron Nash believes the appointment of an all-female umpiring panel will be a landmark day for the state’s umpiring fraternity, and a sign of things to come in the future.
“This is a fantastic story and promotion of the TAC Cup competition and females in umpiring.
“To be able to appoint these women to a match all together shows how far the growth and development of females in umpiring has come and it will continue to grow,” Nash said.
Female numbers across the three umpire disciplines have tripled in 12 months, with the AFL Victoria umpiring squad now boasting three female field, one boundary and two goal umpires, plus a number of female umpires in the rookie squads.
"It is fantastic that we can go from having two female umpires just last year to six this season, and that is due to a lot of hard work being done at local umpiring groups.
“This shows more females are taking up umpiring and that there is a genuine pathway for them to reach the top levels."
The AFL has thrown its support behind the development of female umpiring at state level, with Lucinda Lopes and Eleni Glouftsis both on AFL Female Pathway Scholarships.
The pair spent the preseason with the AFL umpiring group, with the aim to fast track their development.
Joined by Libby Toovey, the trio one day hope to umpire in the VFL senior ranks, then join female pioneers like AFL goal umpires Chelsea Roffey, Rose O’Dea and Katrina Pressley who have made it to the elite level.
Nash said it is pleasing the three AFL Victoria female field umpires will now develop together at this level, with Lopes already showing great improvement after 12 months on the list.
"Lucinda improved with each game as the season progressed last year.
“Going into her second season she knows now what to expect at this level and we will see further development.
“For the girls to go through the system together and learn from each other will be good for their development."
The historic group (former umpiring group in brackets):
FIELD
Eleni Glouftsis (SANFL)
Lucinda Lopes (NFL)
Libby Toovey (SFL)
BOUNDARY
Shannessy Adams (WRFL)
Bronte Annand (Bendigo)
Greta Miller (NFL)
GOAL
Kate Griffiths (AFL Canberra)
Kirsty Lord (NFL)
