Eleven students from Sacred Heart Girls College, who participated in the VCFL School Bsed Umpiring Academy, were presented with their certificates a the School Assembly on Wednesday 16th July.

The Certificates were presented by VCFL General Manager Umpiring, Gerard Ryan and VCFL Umpire Development Manager, Rod Threlfall, who delivered the course over a seven session period. Eight of the eleven girls have since registered as umpires with the Geelong Football Umpires League and all have been appointed to games over the past few weeks, including the recent All-Female Umpire Promotion at Queens Park.

GFUL Chairman Brendan Beveridge and General Manager Bill Fulton,who also attended the presentation, praised the girls for their attitude and commitment in completing the course and for taking the next step in joining the GFUL. The GFUL regard females as an untapped resource and the success of the recent All-Female Umpire Promotion at Queens Park confirmed that females are just as capable as males when it comes to umpiring. The successful recruitment and development of female umpires is seen as a major breakthrough in what was previously regarded as a male dominated sporting pursuit and the GFUL will continue with its push to encourage and involve more females into umpiring.

Girls to successfully complete the course were:
Alice Buckley, Georgia Buckley, Rhiannon Davies, Emma Delaney, Amelia Ekkel, Rebecca Goring, India Kinsey, Gabrielle McKeown, Johanna Mousley , Kate Nolan and Shari Stillman. The success of the Academy Course can be gauged by the fact that Rhiannon, Emma, Amelia, Rebecca and Johanna have all been umpiring regularly with the GFUL since completing the course with Boundary Umpire Rebecca, umpiring at senior level over the past three weeks.

The VCFL and GFUL also praised School Sports Master, Brian Cordy, who encouraged the girls to become involved and co-ordinated the whole exercise which will hopefully be repeated in 2009.