The East Fremantle Umpires Association has scored some goals in terms of boosting their numbers of female umpires, doubling from eight female umpires in 2023 to 16 heading into season 2024.

East Fremantle Umpires Association coach Ella Spinks says: “It hasn’t been easy trying to get women involved in AFL, especially umpiring. I remember my first session; I was the only girl at training. I wanted to change that.”

A study in 2019 by Victoria Rawling found that 10.8 per cent of umpires nationwide are female and women make up only 2.6 per cent of umpires at AFL level.

In response to this underrepresentation, AFL communities have intensified their efforts to spotlight and encourage women to pursue umpiring roles in the sport.

East Fremantle Umpire Caitlin Zapelli said, “I used to hate footy until I watched a game on TV, because everyone at school talked about how good the games are.”

“Whilst watching the game I thought goal umpiring would be really fun.”

The AFL introduced a Gender Action Plan in 2019 to address discrimination against female umpires in a meaningful way. The AFL’s commitment to equity and inclusivity was significantly reinforced by this plan.

The plan included grassroots initiatives to encourage female players’ journeys to elite competition and the creation and major funding of the AFLW, which debuted in 2017.

To strengthen the field of female umpires in Western Australia, the WA Minister for Women’s Interests Sue Ellery introduced a Female Umpiring Academy called Umpire Your Way in March this year. 

The Department of Communities is funding the project, based on a report called Girls and Women in Australian Football Umpiring, which recommended increasing the number of female umpires nationwide to 40% by 2030.

Spinks says, “Women in umpiring is being promoted more and more in recent years. You often see females on the front cover of advertisements for umpiring AFL. Umpiring associations also often reach out to female football clubs to encourage females to umpire.”

She says 2024 is a huge year for women in umpiring,and these workshops are increasing visibility for girls and improving the overall experience of umpiring: “I’ve seen so much positive change with promoting umpiring for females, making it a safe and inclusive environment for all.”

The project is specifically designed for coaching and support courses for female umpires as well as gender-segregated training sessions.

Zapelli says: “I have seen Ella go from an umpire like me to becoming the coach for the whole club and it has given me so much confidence that the AFL is supporting female umpires to push the limits.”

In a predominately male powered sport, women may feel intimidated or face some kind of abuse while umpiring AFL. 

Zapelli says, “I have experienced some degrading comments from people while umpiring and it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. People, especially fans, are so passionate about the game, but sometimes it goes too far and there needs to be a line drawn.”

Appointment hostility, discomfort in change rooms and gender-based harassment emerged as themes in Rawling’s 2019 data analysis about girls and women in umpiring.

These themes frequently made female umpires feel discomfort when they were assigned to games, feeling recognised as being “different” from other umpires, says Rawlings.

The findings indicated that girls’ and women’s confidence was harmed when they were made to feel concerned about their ability to officiate games and whether they “deserved” to be assigned to specific games or grades.

They were also hesitant to ask for help from coaches or other umpires when they encountered issues with gendered harassment in coaching, selections, or other areas of their umpiring.

The study highlighted how dominantly masculine cultures exist in AFL communities and how girls and women feel they must “fit in” to these cultures to succeed as umpires.

Zapelli says: “I think umpiring for females can definitely be intimidating, especially being a minority in a male dominated field, it would be intimidating for anyone.

“As a female, knowing I’m in an inclusive environment at training and in games with other girls by my side really helps me feel safe.

 “I’m sure if more women knew about the progress being made in that area, they would want to be a part of it.”

The AFL aims to tackle umpire dissent, as it is seeing a growing number of umpires walking away from the game because of abuse.

The AFL, which aims to set an example for the community, has been warning clubs and players about the tightening of regulations around umpire abuse.

The AFL calculates that there are approximately 6000 fewer local umpires than there should be.

 Spinks says: “Every day we strive towards an inclusive environment and we have grown so much in the past few years. At East Fremantle Umpires Association, we have a group chat with all my new female umpires, so we can talk about anything that happened on game day or for anyone to reach out for support.

“Even though there are barriers for women in AFL umpiring, there has been so much recent improvement to allow women of all ages to be able to succeed in a growing environment.”

In April this year, a female-powered coaching conference is being held in Melbourne with female umpires from across the country selected to take part to help unleash strength, confidence, and development.

Spinks said: “I have the pleasure to be able to go over to the conference in Melbourne, where I can develop my skills as a coach and hope to retain female umpires.

“I’m looking forward to going over to learn off other women, to improve myself as a coach, and to make umpiring as fun and inclusive as possible. It is a great opportunity that has been made possible from the persistent work of everyone to promote AFL umpiring for females.”

Spinks looks at umpiring as a way of staying fit, building confidence, and contributing to the sport she loves.

By encouraging more women to get involved in umpiring, she believes they can benefit mentally and physically and play a vital role in shaping the future of AFL.