Whilst visiting in South Australia last weekend 4th August 2007, I noted this story in the Adelaide Advertiser and thought it would make interesting reading on our website considering our recent female umpiring successes and the Major League Senior debuts of Leigh Davis and Jacqui Johnston in the Bellarine Football League in recent weeks.

Bill Fulton

The article written by ROB MALINAUSKAS, from the Adelaide Advertiser, appeared in the Saturday 4th August 2007 edition of the newspaper as follows:

SARAH Jameson will make Australian football history today, becoming the first woman recorded to officiate at an A-grade match in South Australia.

The TAFE student, 19, will umpire the senior match between Freeling and Gawler Central in the Barossa, Light and Gawler League.

Although Jameson, who has been umpiring lower grades since 2004, has a few pre-match nerves, she feels she is ready for the challenge.   ``I don't think I will be treated any differently because I have been umpiring for a while now, so the players tend to treat me as one of the guys,'' she said.

Jameson expects the biggest adjustment will be the pace of the game.   ``I have been umpiring at least two games a day for a while so that should help me out a bit,'' she said.

SANFL State Umpiring Manager Shane Harris said, to his knowledge, it would be the first time a woman field umpire officiated in an A-grade game, either in country or metropolitan football.   ``I think there should be a lot more of it,'' he said.   ``Hopefully, Sarah will act as a pioneer and other women will want to follow in her footsteps in the near future.''

Jameson, who also has played first-class cricket for the SA Scorpions, said she does not see herself as a pioneer.   ``I don't like thinking about it as a first for women, I just want to go out there and umpire well,'' she said.