Emma Stark, 16, has become a trailblazer as she officiated at the Essendon v Hawthorn AFLW game at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. | By Marnie Vinall marnievinall agerealfooty
At just 16 years old, Emma Stark has become the youngest field umpire to officiate at the highest level of the AFL after presiding over the Essendon v Hawthorn AFLW game on Saturday night.
Stark certainly had her work cut out for her on Saturday night as she umpired the two big clubs going head to head in their inaugural AFLW clash in front of an impassioned crowd, and it was a heated game between the arch rivals, with Essendon prevailing by 26 points.Stark started umpiring when she was 13 in the Northern Territory Football League and quickly rose through the ranks. Two years later she became the youngest female field umpire to officiate a 2021 men’s premier league match at 15.
What she likes about umpiring is the social side and the learning experiences that come with it. “It just gives you natural life skills like leadership, communication and then obviously lots of fitness. It’s just fantastic,” Stark said. “I just wanted to get more involved with the game and see another side of it.”
The program was run by female umpiring trailblazers Eleni Glouftsis and Chelsea Roffey and AFL community umpiring development manager and former Adelaide Crows coach Brenton Sanderson.