AFL history will be made this weekend when Eleni Glouftsis becomes the first female field umpire to officiate a top-level men’s game.
Glouftsis, 23, will take charge of Carlton’s pre-season clash against Essendon at Ikon Park on Sunday.
She has previously umpired 15 games in the SANFL and is just over a year into a three-year AFL scholarship in Melbourne.
“We’re really happy to say that Eleni will now make her NAB Cup debut this week,” umpires head coach Hayden Kennedy told the AFL’s website.
“It’s a great step forward in her development but also for umpiring development as a community. It’s fantastic.
Glouftsis, one of 12 rookie umpires this season, is not on the AFL’s senior umpiring list for the forthcoming campaign, but could yet officiate a match if an emergency replacement is needed.
“Anything can happen,” Kennedy said. “Eleni is now a rookie umpire on the AFL list so she can sit on the bench. If the opportunity comes and someone is injured, then yes, Eleni will be out there umpiring.”
The AFL already has three female umpires on its officiating roster – Chelsea Roffey, Rose O’Dea and Sally Boud – who are all behind goal.
In football, Katie Patterson became the first woman to referee a match involving an A-League team during an FFA Cup match in September 2015.
A year previously, Belinda Sleeman broke new ground in the NRL by running touch, although a woman is yet to take full control of a professional rugby league game in Australia.
