The South Metro Junior Football League hosted the 2024 Umpiring Presentation Day on Sunday 15th September at the Kingston Town Hall and were joined by special guests Scott Simpson – VFL Field Umpire, Peter Bailes – AFL Field Umpire (former SMJFL Field Umpire), Chris Donlon – Former AFL Field Umpire (former SMJFL Field Umpire), Simon Meredith – AFL Field Umpire (former SMJFL Field Umpire), Lachlan Menara – VFL Boundary Umpire (former SMJFL Boundary Umpire), the Griffin Family, and Alan Manning.
In 2024, the SMJFL broke records with over 1000 registered Umpires (38% increase from 2023) including 156 women & girls Umpires which is a 34% increase from 2023. There were 57 Grand Finals played in 2024 which saw 120 Field Umpire appointments and 114 Boundary Umpire appointments.
OpenCorp Women & Girls Empowerment Award – Lisa Walshe
This year the SMJFL Umpiring Academy introduced the Chris Donlon Outstanding Service Recognition award to recognise those people who have given significant time and dedication to the Academy. The inaugural winners in 2024 were – Tim Beer, Peter Martin, David Smith, Michael Hegan, & Cam Watts.
Umpiring stalwart, Peter Martin was recognised for his achievement of Umpiring 300 games at the SMJFL – the highest number of games Umpired by anyone in the Academy. The Simon Meredith Most Outstanding Umpire Award was award to joint winners – Kynan Davis (Boundary) and Shaun Kwong (Field).
300 Game Recognition - Peter Martin
Attendees on the day heard from guest speaker, Scott Simpson. Scott is a current VFL Field Umpire and defied the odds in surviving and recovering from a near fatal head knock whilst playing footy. It was inspiring to hear Scott’s story and his journey from player to Umpire.
VFL Field Umpire Scott Simpson and SMJFL Head of Umpiring Doug Haworth
SMJFL Head of Umpiring - Doug Haworth on the day expressed that "We are really thrilled with the umpiring numbers we achieved in 2024! To see significant growth across women & girls, active umpires and overall registrations, is a testament to the efforts of the SMJFL Umpiring Department, SMJFL Member Clubs and the umpires themselves to spread the message of how amazing it is to get involved in umpiring. We are now looking forward to take this momentum to drive us into 2025 when registrations open up again on 1 November."
2024 Award Winners
Field Umpire Training Award – Clarkson/Donlon Group – Nikita Cutler
Field Umpire Training Award – Ronsberg/Daly Group – Jack Forster
Mohammad Bangash Memorial Training Award – Hitaishi Grover
Field Umpire Training Award – Seymour/Beer Group – Lincoln Elford
Boundary Umpire Training Award – Lea/Pain Group – Joshua Armstrong
Boundary Umpire Training Award – Lea/Tremigliozzi Group – Amelia Neville
Lachlan Menara Most Improved Boundary Umpire – Adam Bruckboeg
Peter Bailes Most Improved Field Umpire – Daniel MacRae
Rob O’Gorman VAFA Umpire Pathway Award – Finn Butterly
Cam Watts SFNL Umpire Pathway Award – Vibhan Jivanjee
OpenCorp Women & Girls Empowerment Award – Lisa Walshe
Manning Family Recognition Award – Shane, Jess, and Ethan Smith
Best First Year Boundary Award – Ava Gray
Eddie Griffin Award – Best First Year Umpire 2024 – Asher Gordon
Simon Meredith Most Outstanding Umpire Award – Kynan Davis & Shaun Kwong
Chris Donlon Outstanding Service Recognition – Tim Beer, Peter Martin, David Smith, Michael Hegan, & Cam Watts
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