Christmas came early for four Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association proteges, after they were namrf among the first crop of graduates from the V/Line Community Umpire Talent Academy in mid-December.
Community umpires from across Victoria officiated the under-15 V/Line Cup carnival in September and state league scouts were in attendance to not only watch the next crop of young football stars, but to scout out the next batch of Victorian state league umpires.
AFL Goulburn Murray umpires Ashlee Ball, James Meek, Jai Smith and Bryce Barker were named among the 46 graduates of the V/Line academy.
Ball is the sole boundary umpire, Meek and Smith graduated as field umpires and Barker’s speciality is in goal.
All four had extensive experience umpiring across the Goulburn Valley’s four football leagues during the past three years within the GVFUA program.
GVFUA president Andrew Moore said the association couldn’t be prouder of its four young graduates, who now have the chance to officiate at Victorian state league level in 2023 — in VFL, VFLW, NAB League boys and NAB League girls competitions.
“It’s a great effort from the four boys, they’ve put in a lot of hard work and they’re getting the reward for that now,” Moore said.
“It also shows great dedication and commitment from our coaching staff to put the time in to develop not only those four boys, but the entire group.
“It shows our processes work to develop and improve umpires in the area.”
Moore said a strong community of umpires in the GV were to thank for helping usher through an exciting crop of young umpires.
“The boys are all really proud and really excited and the coaches and senior umpires who have helped mentor them — it takes a village to raise a child,” he said.
“It takes not only the coaches, the senior umpires and the committee, it’s every umpire that they umpire with that helps support and develop them.
“To have four graduates in one year, it’s an amazing effort from them and something as an association we’re really proud of.”