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Eleni Glouftsis to be footy’s first female field umpire

Eleni Glouftsis is the latest trailblazer for women in the AFL, with the experienced SA field umpire to have control of Sunday’s Carlton-Essendon game.

It will be the first time an AFL match has featured a female field umpire.

Her appointment comes four years after goal umpire Chelsea Roffey was the first woman to officiate at an AFL grand final.

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Last Friday, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan also revealed more details of the inaugural women’s league, which will probably have eight teams when it starts next February and March.

There will be 10 exhibition games this year as the league ramps up the women’s competition, which McLachlan calls a revolution.

Glouftsis has already broken ground three years ago as the SANFL’s first senior female field umpire.

The 23-year-old started umpiring in 2008 and was in charge of the 2013 and `14 SANFL reserves grand finals.

In late 2014, she was put on an AFL female pathway scholarship as the most promising female field umpire at state level in Australia.

She is not on the AFL senior umpiring list this season, but can be an emergency at games as part of her development.

Glouftsis umpired Essendon’s intraclub hitout last week and will now help officiate their NAB Challenge game against Carlton on Sunday at Ikon Park.

– AAP

 

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