Kaitlyn Barr is one of seven female umpires recently promoted to rookie positions within the 2025 senior AFL umpire list.
There has never been a female boundary umpire in AFL men’s history. Kaitlyn Barr wants that to change.
Barr decided to try umpiring in 2016 in her final year of high school and was instantly hooked. She quickly progressed and has umpired AFLW and men’s VFL games for the last two years.In the 2024 season, 32 per cent of AFLW umpires were female – the highest representation in the league’s history and a nine per cent increase from last year.
“We’ve got a record 20,396 umpires registered nationally this year … which is a huge improvement,” he said. “But we are also facing an increase in registrations with 585,000 registered footballers across the country.“Fifteen or 20 years ago, there was nowhere for girls to play football. Now we can provide a game for an aspiring girl who wants to play football in community all the way up to AFLW ...
In 2022, the AFL introduced a dissent rule designed to improve on-field respect towards officials and crack down on umpire abuse, including demonstrative verbal and non-verbal reactions from players.
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Kaitlyn Barr Aims to Become AFL's First Female Boundary UmpireKaitlyn Barr, a 26-year-old physical education teacher, is part of the AFL's female talent acceleration program. She is one of seven female umpires promoted to rookie positions on the 2025 senior AFL umpire list, aiming to break the male-only tradition of boundary umpiring in AFL men’s history.
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