Umpire registrations across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are up almost 10% compared to this time last year as the AFL community comes together this week to celebrate Community Umpiring Week.
Community Umpiring Week sees the AFL and broader football community unite in Round 6 of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season to recognise and celebrate its team in green.
The initiative aims to highlight the invaluable contribution and role umpires play in Australian football, promote respect for the men, women, girls and boys who officiate matches across all levels of footy, and create awareness around umpiring pathways.
As part of Community Umpiring Week, elite AFL umpires will attend local community umpire training sessions across the state and territory to impart their wealth of knowledge and skills with the next generation of officiators.
Community umpire training sessions will be held in Sydney, Canberra and the Hunter, with several elite umpires returning to the regions they hail from and honed their skills to help develop their home’s emerging umpiring talent – including field umpires Nic McGinness (former AFL Canberra umpire) and Joey O’Brien (former AFL Hunter Central Coast and AFL Sydney umpire).
Other AFL umpires set to attend the community umpire training session in Sydney include boundary umpires Ben Fely, Dan Field-Read and Michael Barlow. Sydney-based VFL field, boundary and goal umpires will also be involved.
In addition to the community umpire training sessions, six junior umpires will be selected to take part in a special AFL match day experience at the highly anticipated Sydney Derby between the Sydney Swans and GWS GIANTS next Friday, April 17 at the SCG.
To reward the aspiring umpires high-performance at the junior level, the umpires will meet the officiating AFL umpires pre-game before accompanying them as they walk on to the field of play and warm-up for the game.
They will also be part of the coin toss with the captains of the Sydney Swans and GWS GIANTS, before field umpiring NAB AFL Auskick at half-time.
Umpire registrations remain open ahead of the 2026 community football season.
New umpires can express their interest here.
Returning umpires can re-register here.
For more information about AFL umpiring, visit play.afl/umpire
NSW/ACT Community Umpiring Training Sessions
AFL Canberra
Date: Wednesday April 15
Time: 6.00pm – 7.30pm
Location: EPC Solar Park (Phillip Oval)
AFL umpires in attendance: Nic McGinness (field, former AFL Canberra umpire)
AFL Hunter Central Coast
Date: Wednesday April 15
Time: 5.30pm – 6.45pm
Location: Tulkaba Park
AFL umpires in attendance: Joey O’Brien (field, former AFL Hunter Central Coast and AFL Sydney umpire)
AFL Sydney
Date: Thursday April 16
Time: 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Location: North Sydney Oval
AFL umpires in attendance: Joey O’Brien (field, former AFL Hunter Central Coast and AFL Sydney umpire), Ben Fely (boundary), Dan Field-Read (boundary) and Michael Barlow (boundary). Sydney based VFL field, boundary and goal umpires will also be in attendance