Community Umpiring Week 2025 – Umpire Spotlights
This week (28th April – 4th May) of the AFL Season is Community Umpiring Week. A chance for the whole AFL Community to come together, recoginse and celebrate the team in Green that officiate our great game.
To mark this exciting occasion, AFL Sydney caught up with a handful of our very own Umpires from all disciplines to hear about their experiences and highlights of picking up the whistle and how anyone at any stage can get involved.
For more information on getting into Umpiring head to play.afl/umpire
Bella Colbran – Goal Umpire
What lead you to get involved with Umpiring?
This is my first year of umpiring. I never played footy but I got really into watching it in the last few years and when I saw an ad online looking for umpires, I signed up. I’d just moved back to Sydney and was looking to meet some people and get into a new activity. I went down to a pre-season training session and loved it so kept coming back!
Who is your Umpiring hero and why?
Goal umpire Chelsea Roffey (the first woman to officiate an AFL grand final). She’s opened the door for a lot more women to reach the highest level.
What is your best on-field memory from Umpiring?
My first game at Henson Park. I was so nervous and the weather was wild, but I had so much fun. I had the support of my coach behind me which made it much less nerve wracking and meant I could improve as the game went on.
What is your best off-field memory from Umpiring?
Training sessions are lots of fun. It’s been great to meet different people, have a run around and practice some skills. I’ve learnt so much and it’s a nice break from my office job!
If you could give once piece of advice to someone thinking about getting involved with Umpiring, what would it be?
Get down to a training session and try it out – even if you don’t know all the rules yet. I came into this with very basic knowledge of the game but the coaches and other umpires have helped so much in training and games. Everyone is so friendly and supportive, you’ll have a great time!
