First female AFL umpire hopes to go unnoticed

This weekend Eleni Glouftsis will perform the centre bounce when Essendon meets West Coast. But the limelight won't effect the way she operates as umpire.

AFL umpire

Eleni Glouftsis is the AFL's first female umpire. Source: SBS News

Breaking ground as the first woman to umpire an AFL match hasn't gone unnoticed.

But unnoticed is exactly the way Eleni Glouftsis wants to be on Sunday afternoon once the match between Essendon and West Coast has ended.

"To me it's just another game and it's great to be helping females in this role but I don't see myself as being any different from any of the other umpires," she said.
AFL umpire
Eleni Glouftsis Source: SBS News
The 23-year-old's performances this year in the second-tier VFL(Victorian Football League) have confirmed her rise.

AFL Umpires Coach Hayden Kennedy had little choice but to give Glouftsis her moment.

"Her VFL performances meant we had to do it," he said.
AFL umpire
Eleni Glouftsis Source: SBS News
She's a teacher by trade, and along with the schools she's been involved with, it's her family that have had the most to do with her rise.

"I just hope I can do them proud," Glouftsis said. "My family,  my friends, all of the people who have supported me along the way."

On the back of the massive success of the AFLW earlier this year, Glouftsis is about to prove that it isn't just playing the game that can give young women a career in the sport.

The Feed: AFL Women


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2 min read

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By John Baldock



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