The South Metro Junior Football League (SMJFL) Umpire Academy is officially the biggest umpiring group in the state!

The latest registration figures from AFL Victoria show not only an increase in umpire numbers across the state but the continued increase for the SMJFL Umpire Academy as the largest in the state at 606 registrations.

In a statement sent earlier this week to all Umpiring bodies in Victoria, AFL Victoria announced the positive figures.

“AFL Victoria is delighted to announce that state-wide umpiring numbers are nearing record levels”.

“For the second year in a row, umpiring numbers in AFL Victoria Country Umpiring Groups have exceeded 3,000 whilst numbers in Melbourne Umpiring Groups have exceeded 4,000.

This is an exceptional result that demonstrates the collective hard work and dedication by our Umpiring Managers and Coaches, the many people associated with the tasks of the day-to-day administration of our Community Umpiring Groups and the many volunteers who contribute to the “umpiring environment” – ensuring it remains so vibrant, diverse, inclusive and positive”, the statement read.

SMJFL Umpire Academy Manager Cameron Watts was also pleased with results after a successful campaign to recruit and retain umpires in the region.

“It is overwhelming and truly exciting to see SMJFL havie the most umpires in all of Victoria.

It is testament to our skilled coaches, who make training entertaining and applicable, who are certainly a major reason why our retention percentage has increased.

Thank you to Monash University, our 26 SMJFL Clubs, and local community groups who we looked to for numbers on our recruitment drive.”

Latest Umpire Figures – AFL Victoria