It's time to UMPower our women umpire coaches

Twenty-four emerging umpire coaches will make their way to Melbourne this weekend to take part in the inaugural National UMPowered Coaching Conference.

Designed to help women take their umpire coaching to a new level, the UMPowered Coaching Conference aims to increase the number of women in umpire coaching and support their pathway and further development.

The conference will enable the selected 24 participants to hear from industry leaders, aid the visibility of umpire coaching role models for women, and develop a network of women in umpire coaching across Australia.

The initiative links to the AFL's Women and Girls Action Plan which at its core, aims to continually progress the game for women and girls across all levels of Australian football.

As part of that vision, it is imperative the AFL creates inclusive pathways for women in the umpiring department as it strives to achieve its goal for women to make up at least 40 per cent of all accredited umpires by 2030. A key driver of this is more women in umpire coaching roles.

Fittingly, the conference falls on the same weekend that goal umpire Chelsea Roffey will adjudicate her 300^th AFL match, becoming the first women to achieve this milestone across the AFL and VFL – an incredible accomplishment and testament to the growth of women in umpiring roles within the game.

AFL Executive General Manager of Game Development Rob Auld congratulated the 24 women selected to take part in the conference.

"I'd like to congratulate all the women who have been selected to attend the first National UMPowered Coaching Conference – it's a testament to their contributions to umpiring which are integral to the continued growth of the game," Auld said.

"We're proud to support these women from each state and territory as they continue to develop their skills, coaching nous and leadership within the local umpiring ranks. The investment is enabled through our commitment to enshrine 10 per cent of the game's revenue back into game development."

One of the attendees is Ella Spinks from Western Australia, who said she's excited to create new networks and develop her coaching capability.

"I am most looking forward to building connections and networks with other female umpire coaches, and ultimately improve my coaching capabilities to support and develop umpires and I'm also so excited for the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be an AFL Umpire Coach," Spinks said.

"I aim to engage in reflective personal growth and develop my leadership skills, enhance my communication, and ultimately improve my coaching capabilities to support and develop umpires at all levels."

UMPowered Coaching Conference attendees: