EVER THOUGHT OF BECOMING AN AUSTRALIAN RULES UMPIRE?? NO? Well you may not know what you're missing out on. Football Umpiring is a fantastic way of keeping fit, meeting new friends and getting actively involved, right in the middle of the action, of a great game of Aussie Rules Footy, and as an added bonus, you get paid. No wonder Football Umpiring is “Footy’s Exciting Alternative”. The Geelong Football Umpires League are desperately looking to recruit young males and females into the sport of Football Umpiring, either as Field, Boundary or Goal Umpires. Umpiring is a sport in which females can participate without any gender restrictions. Unlike girls who are unable to play football in a male competition, female umpires in male football competitions are common place and their participation is most welcome.

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Depending on your motivation and ambition, you can either umpire purely for social and general fitness reasons, or treat it as a career sport and set your goals to officiate at the highest level you possible can, perhaps even to the AFL.

Whatever your reasons for considering football umpiring, the Geelong Football Umpires League will provide you with the necessary training and coaching assistance required, to help you achieve your goals and make your umpiring experience an enjoyable one.

The Geelong Football Umpires League, provides Field, Boundary and Goal Umpires to the Geelong Football League, the Bellarine Football League, the Geelong & District Football League and the Geelong Junior Football League.

We train at Kardinia Park, on the Geelong Cricket Ground, every Tuesday and Thursday evenings (during April to September), and Monday and Wednesday evenings until the cricket season is completed, usually mid to late March. There are two training sessions, the first commencing at 4.45 pm and the second at approx 5.45 pm, and both sessions last for about one hour.

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL UMPIRING

Football Umpiring helps you to develop leadership skills, keep fit and earn money at the same time. The football umpiring team consists of:

Field Umpires
What a challenging career being in control of 36 players with you calling the shots!
You are involved in a great Australian game and are part of the action in the best seat in the house. The Field Umpire Career Path consists of three progressive stages, which could lead you to the AFL

Boundary Umpires
For those who love running, boundary umpiring is for you as it offers the perfect way to enjoy your running whilst getting paid to do it. The Boundary Umpire Career Path gives you a chance to umpire at AFL level

Goal Umpires
The Goal Umpire decides on, and records, all of the scores in the game. You will play a major part in the correct staging of the game as a member of the “umpiring team”. The Goal Umpire Career Path also gives you a chance to umpire at AFL level.

As an Umpire in the Geelong Football Umpires League you can earn around:
Field - $30 - $105 per game
Boundary - $22- $58 per game, and
Goal - $20 - $48 per game.

Qualifications and Training Provided by the GFUL
All umpires in the GFUL are trained by Accredited Coaches who have in turn been trained under the Level 1 National Coaches’ Course.

Umpire Mentor ( Green Shirt) Program
The mentor program connects new and inexperienced umpires with an umpiring Mentor to assist with their early development. The umpire being mentored is entitled to wear a Green Shirt to signify that they are being mentored and players, coaches and supporters alike, should, in the spirit of the game, take this into consideration and play their part in helping inexperienced umpires learn and develop their skills without duress.

Accredited Courses available to GFUL Field, Boundary and Goal Umpires are:

Level 1 Accreditation
Provides training in the basic fundamentals of umpiring Australian Rules Football and is a pre-requisite for Field Umpires wanting to undertake Level 2 Accreditation.
Level 2 Accreditation
Provides training of Advanced Skills in Action and prepares umpires to officiate in Open Age (Senior) football and is a pre-requisite for Field Umpires wishing to undertake Level 3 (VFL) Accreditation.

If you would like to know more about becoming an umpire, please contact the Geelong Football Umpires League on 5229 8599 or send us an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Don’t hesitate, it costs nothing to make an enquiry and you never know, it just may end up being one of the best decisions you have ever made.