ON Saturday, June 21 Neville Coutts officiated in his 600th A-Grade game. He became only the second umpire to achieve this feat behind fellow goal umpire and friend Terry Maher.
Maher retired at the end of last season on an impressive 615 A-Grade games – the all-time record for any umpire in the Northern or Diamond Valley Football Leagues.
We wish to celebrate the achievements of these gentlemen of our game. Below are some details of the combined 60+ years of experience these umpires have had in our game.
Neville’s Story
Neville started umpiring in 1984 and quickly started rising through the ranks with his first Grand Final in 1985 being the B-Grade Division 2 Grand Final for that year.
Throughout his career, Neville has been consistent with his performance at a high level. In 24 of the past 25 years, Neville has finished in the top six goal umpires in any given year.
Neville holds the DVFLUA/NUA record for A-Grade Grand Finals. He has officiated in 18 A-Grade Grand Finals, a staggering 13 of which have been the pinnacle game – the Division 1 A-Grade Grand Final.
But we know Neville is not one for statistics and it is important to recognise those things Neville has done for the DVFLUA/NUA that cannot be explained by statistics.
Neville has always had a passion for umpiring and he has always tried to get it right.
“We all hate being abused (as umpires) and one of the ways we can control that is getting it right,” Neville explained.
He has selflessly devoted much of his time to the development of the up and coming umpires of the given day, and he has long been a role model to those people young and old who want to learn.
Terry’s Story
In 1982 Terry became a goal umpire.
He spent his first season umpiring in B-Grade but was quickly elevated to A-Grade the following season.
He achieved his 100th A Grade milestone game in 1988 and his first Division 1 A-Grade Grand Final in 1994, a match played between Northcote Park and Bundoora.
Terry says that game was the highlight of his 32-year umpiring career.
“It wasn’t the best game of football, but it was more the prestige that came with it,” a humble Terry said.
It was the first of seven A-Grade Grand Finals Terry officiated in. He has also umpired in over 75 A-Grade finals.
With his humble character, it’s no surprise that Terry has gained copious amounts of respect from his fellow umpires and has had an influence in their success. He has been described as “one of nature’s gentlemen” by those around him.
The Northern Umpires Association extends our most sincere congratulations to both Neville and Terry and the careers they have had. Both have had a profound impact on the umpiring department within the Northern Football League.
