The NFNL is pleased to announce new appointments to its football umpire coaching panel.
Brett Carter (Field Umpire Coach), Jed Upton (Boundary Umpire Coach), Richard Thwaites (Goal Umpire Coach) and Ben McLaren (Fitness Coach) have all joined the NFNL football umpire panel for the 2021 season.
Carter is a former VFL umpire who has umpired in the AFL Reserves and VFL.
He has been involved in coaching at the VFL for nine years, including the past five years as the assistant coach of the senior field umpires. Many VFL umpires have been promoted to the AFL under Brett’s guidance.
Originally from Tasmania, Upton umpired close to 100 TSL senior matches, 4 TSL Development League Grand Finals and officiated at the AFL Under-16 and Under-18 Championships.
He then umpired at the VFL for three seasons before being appointed a VFL match day coach in 2020.
Thwaites umpired over 60 VFL matches, as well as 80 VFL Reserves matches and 65 TAC Cup Under-18 matches.
He was a VFL match day coach in 2019 and has also been umpiring at the EDFL, where he has umpired four Premier and one Division 1 Grand Finals over the past five years.
McLaren recently completed an Exercise and Sports Science degree at Deakin University and was part of the VFL fitness team in 2019. He will look at add plenty of variety to the fitness part of our program.
NFNL Head of Umpiring Cameron Nash said the additions would be a great benefit to the league’s football umpire department.
“To be able to bring in quality people straight out of the VFL program will provide the NFNL umpires with up to date standards and expectations,” Nash said.
“This will ensure we can continue to develop and innovate the NFNL umpiring program by bringing in new ideas and initiatives.”
Further appointments to compliment the football umpire coaching panel will be announced shortly.
