Children in the Shepparton area will get their chance to learn from top-level AFL umpires at a clinic this week.
On Thursday, April 11, four AFL-accredited umpires will bring the AFL Umpiring Roadshow to Kialla Park Reserve for a one-day training clinic.
The session is open to registrations from any children 11 and older.
Field umpires Matt Stevic and Nathan Williamson will lead the session from noon to 4pm alongside boundary umpire Michael Saunders and goal umpire Steve Piperno.
Stevic is second only to all-time games leader Brett Rosebury among the active AFL umpiring stocks, having officiated 476 games across 21 seasons.
His 57 finals and 11 grand finals are all-time VFL/AFL records.
Williamson began officiating at AFL level in 2017 and has amassed 166 appearances and eight finals call-ups.
In addition to almost 300 games umpired from the boundary, featuring 18 finals and a grand final berth in 2013, Saunders serves as vice-president of the AFL Umpires Association.
Piperno has received the nod for three grand finals in nine seasons between the sticks, having overseen more than 160 AFL games.
AFL Goulburn Murray umpires boss Andrew Moore has already seen a surprising response from kids acrossd the Goulburn Valley getting on board.
“We’re at about 54 enrolments right now and we’ll take all we can get,” Moore said.
“When we started, we thought if we got 30 or 40, that’s a good thing, but it’s already a really impressive number.
“I think it’s the calibre of umpires that are coming; there’s no-one bigger than Matt in the umpiring world.”
With such a healthy enrolment and registrations still open, participants stand to learn tools that can carry them to the top.
“Whether they’re umpiring AFL or umpiring locally, the fundamentals are the same, and that’s what they'll be teaching,” Moore said.
“What you have to do well at the AFL level, you still have to do well at the community level and vice versa.
“We’re excited to have these guys coming with around 15 grand finals between them; to have that kind of experience doesn’t happen every day.
“It’s exciting to have them in town.”
Potential applicants can register their interest using this link.