GFUL members of the VCFL Umpiring Academy who have been appointed to WorkSafe VCFL Country Championship games over the next few weeks are:

Pool A -  Goulburn Valley, Ovens & Murray, Ballarat and Hampden
To be played at Shepparton on May 30th, 31st and June 1st
Senior Field Umpires: Scott McLeod, Steven Trotter and Paul McElhinney

Pool B – Bendigo, Geelong, Mornington and West Gippsland LaTrobe
To be played at Sale on 31st May and 1st June
Senior Field Umpire: Steven Guarnaccia
Senior Boundary Umpire; Tinashe Nyatsanga
Senior Goal Umpires;  Matthew Robertson and David House

Pool C – Bellarine, Murray, Western Border and Wimmera
To be played at Stawell on 24th and 25th May
Senior Boundary Umpire:  Ross Marriner
Senior Goal Umpires:  Terry Gillard and Luke McLean
U/18 Field Umpires:  Garyn McCallum, Jake O’Brien and Trent Ververs

 
In a first for VCFL football, two female umpires took control of a senior match at the weekend, between Portarlington and Ocean Grove.      Field umpires Leigh Davis and Jacqui Ginn took to the field for the game having both experienced senior football, but having taken extremely different paths to umpiring.
 
While Davis had played in the Women's local league in Geelong, she eventually joined Inverleigh as a club umpire and was scouted for duty by the Geelong Football Umpires' League.
 
In contrast, Ginn found herself thrust into the umpiring scene when a friend encouraged her to join as a boundary umpire four years ago.
 
She initially had difficulties juggling her commitments working at Melbourne Hospital with umpiring.
 
She was not truly discovered as a talent however, until the Women's National Championships last year.
 
"Last year’s National Women’s Championships, gave us an insight into her ability," Geelong Football Umpires' League General Manager Bill Fulton said.
 
"She's got ambition and we need females with ambition to promote female umpiring."
 
On a day where congested football was a feature of the contest and several tight battles were fought, Davis and Ginn remained composed under the pressure that comes with a tight footballing contest.
 
Working together at senior level is an experience both umpires enjoyed.
 
But both Davis and Ginn recognise that it is sometimes hard for women to become involved in the game.   "It's harder for chicks to get involved but if you like footy, umpiring is a great way," Ginn said.
 
"It's a good way to be involved.   It's much better than doing a paper round."
 
Fulton believes having the two working together on field was a bonus.
 
"Having them working together gives them an opportunity to encourage each other, have a competitiveness with each other and push each other on to bigger and better things," he said.
 
"Today was a great opportunity to show that they can umpire together without the assistance of a male umpire."
 
The rapid rise of Ginn and Davis has admittedly surprised some of the members of the GFUL, according to Fulton.   "They've surprised us, but it's really no surprise that they have surprised us," he said.
 
The GFUL is planning to have an entire umpiring panel filled with female umpires by the end of the 2008 season, with the Geelong Amateur v Portarlington game on June 28 being earmarked as a possible date for the trial.

Tim Michell

The Gippsland Umpires Association, formerly the West Gippsland Umpires Panel, is organising a 50th Anniversary Dinner to be held on Saturday 5th July at Danny's  Logan Park, Warragul.   Any former members interested in attending can contact Mike Jungwirth on 0418 148243 or by email on: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Former GFUL Goal Umpire, 19 year old Stephen Williams, has been appointed to officiate as one of the Goal Umpires for the Senior VFL Interstate clash between Victoria and South Australia at Adelaide Oval on Saturday 31st May 2008.    This is a remarkable achievement for Stephen considering he is in only his second year with the VFL Squad and provides another step closer to  a very successful career at the next highest level, the AFL.   The game will be televised live on ABC Television so we will all get the opportunity to see him in action and appreciate the great skill and talent that we at the GFUL all know he posseses.