Our great game could not be played without umpires so this Community Umpiring Round, AFL Queensland would like to take time out to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contribution of our team in green.
Coorparoo’s QAFLW team recently had the opportunity to work closely with AFL Umpires Stephanie Carter and Jason Mitchell at training as part of a greater initiative where both Community and High-Performance Umpires visited 20 South East Queensland clubs from across QAFL, QAFLW, QFA and QFAW divisions in the lead up to season 2023.
Discussions with players and team officials around laws and interpretations of the game, Q&A sessions, officiated scrap matches, and contested drills were just some of the ways the clubs chose to utilise the umpires.
Stephanie and Jason kicked off their evening at Coorparoo with a Q&A session where players had the chance to clear up any confusion around the rules of the game.
The second half of the session consisted of contested drills, where players were able to refine their skills with direct feedback from the umpires.
Stephanie said these sessions were a fantastic way to strengthen the relationship between players and umpires.
“These sessions are all about education and building repour with the players,” she said.
“I think it’s important for everyone to realise we’re all on the same team and we all want the same outcome. At the end of the day, we want a good and fair game.
“These sessions are not only a great chance to meet the players before we see them on the field, but also to go through any points of confusion or questions they might have.”
Coorparoo’s QAFLW Head Coach, Rebecca Randazzo, echoed Stephanie’s sentiments.
“I think it’s really important that players and umpires have a great relationship. We all have one goal – to have a great game,” she said.
“From a coaching perspective, it’s another opportunity to take players’ knowledge and game sense to the next level, and interpreting the rules is part of that.
“Going over the new rules and then catering for new players to the code has been invaluable for our girls.
“We’ve utilised the umpires to cater for both ends of the spectrum, from advance senior players to girls who are completely new to the code.”
This week and every week, AFL Queensland would like to thank our umpires for all that they do. Without them, there is no game.
For more information on umpiring and how to get involved, head to umpire.afl
Community Umpiring Round: AFL Umpires team up with community clubs
