Playing 650 games in any sport is a huge achievement let alone officiating that many!
It’s a milestone Townsville AFL umpire Darren Abercrombie just reached in the RMS Senior Men’s Preliminary Final in September.
Darren has been goal, field and boundary umpiring for almost 20 years in Townsville and doesn’t plan on hanging up the whistle anytime soon.
“I started umpiring in 2001 when I blew my knee playing football,” Darren said.
Injuries can be the demise of sporting careers, however for Townsville’s Darren Abercrombine it was the start of a long umpiring journey.
“I love the game. I’ll be out there umpiring every weekend – two to three games. I just keep doing it for the love of the game,” he said.
“I know a lot of these players and have watched them grow up.
“I’ve seen them play as kids and now some of them are playing senior grand finals.”
While umpiring keeps him in the game, Darren also enjoys the fitness side to it.
“During senior games I have a goal to cover roughly about 10kilometers a game,” he said.
The AFL Townsville umpires Association life member looks forward to continuing his umpiring journey and encourages others to give it a go.
“If you want to become an umpire and you love the game, you’ll have the best seat in the house,” Darren said.
Player turned umpire lines up for milestone match
