NEAFL Boundary umpire Matthew McKenzie has been added to the 2013 AFL boundary umpires’ panel.
The NEAFL is proving to be a fantastic pathway for not just players to reach the AFL, but also for coaches, administrators and umpires.
Amazingly, Matthew only started boundary umpiring in June this year.
Previously McKenzie was a 200 game state league and AFL rookie field umpire.
After giving some thought to his future & speaking with his coaches he decided to make the transition across to the boundary.
AFL/NEAFL Umpires’ Coach Cameron Nash praised McKenzie for his hard work and dedication since switching to boundary umpiring.
“Since making the transition Matthew has worked extremely hard to give himself every opportunity to succeed. To umpire the NEAFL GF & the NEAFL cross conference GF is great reward for the work he has put in and now to receive an AFL contract shows that if you are prepared to work hard, your AFL dreams can come true,” Nash said.
Queensland now has 2 field umpires, 4 boundary umpires and 3 goal umpires on the AFL panels.
Two further NEAFL umpires, Andrew Stephens and Aaron Hall, are currently trialling for a spot on the AFL field umpires panel.
These results prove that NEAFL is an elite competition, providing a pathway for Queensland umpires to reach the AFL.
