Table of Contents

Head of Operations – IT & Telecommunications 8

Head of Operations – Events & Social 10

Head of Operations – Communications & PR 11

Head of Operations – Merchandise 12

Head of Operations – Facilities & Licensing 12

Head of Operations – HR & OH&S 12

Head of Operations – General 12

Head of Operations – Finance 14

Organisation Structure

Field Umpiring	Boundary Umpiring	Goal Umpiring	Junior Field Umpiring
Head Coach Seaford Russell Davidson	Coach Adam Holland	Coach Dean Jones	Coach (FDJFL) Xavier Willis
Assistant Coach Wes Mann	Assistant Coach	Assistant Coach Brett Manion	Coach (SEJ) Darren Murray

Chief Executive Officer

James Richardson

Season 2024 again has been a steady year for the association, we went into the year with a clearer focus and strategy as a board focusing on the retention of umpires and their enjoyment at training bases not only at Kananook but at the other training venues across the AFLSE region. I was genuinely excited with the appointment of Emily Bellchambers as a board member who brings with her unique perspective, fresh views and energy which during this year. Emily certainly has developed into a more confident individual as the year has gone on and will be a integral part of the future of the association. It was great to have Tristan McDougall come on and join the board during the year. He brings plenty of experience through his involvement in business as well as Mt Eliza Cricket Club. Thank you to our sponsors in season 2024 who without their support our association would struggle to have offered the many benefits that our members and umpires had during the year with subsidised social events, prizes for Monster Raffle, venue for Presentation Night and much more! Special shout out to Frankston RSL, Irrigation Construction Victoria, Dulux, Georgie Boys Pizza, Essentia Health, Wine Hop and Coastal Tours.

The board had great commitment to making sure that we had a presence regularly at the regions training bases after the board was provided feedback that the other training bases felt that their umpires did not get the same experience from the SUA. Whilst taking this into consideration we were challenged through access to facilities combined with remembering that the volunteer nature of the board this adds a significant increase in time commitment to umpiring. Having said this the board rose to the challenge and I want to thank those on the board that committed to going to venues on a Monday each week. The board committed to social events for not only senior football but junior football as well. Unfortunately the events held for the junior football space including Bowling and a Mental Health night were not well supported at all and the association with AFLSE need to evaluate the resources that the association was putting into arranging these events and therefore through discussion with the AFLSE will look in 2025 to focus more on the engagement and experience of umpires primarily at the Kananook venue.

I want to recognise the departure of Haydn O’Connor as Operations Manger for AFLSE during the front half of the season. In the previous two years Haydn had come in and done a lot of work to improve the relationship between AFLSE and SUA as well as recruit our current coaches. We did miss Haydn’s energy and support of umpiring post his departure. We welcomed Ryan Mann at AFLSE at the start of the season who’s slotted in learning a whole new role and then taking over a lot of responsibility while a replacement was found by AFLSE for Haydn.

In our recent conversations with AFLSE we have continued to discuss how we grow the membership of the association. This year numbers increased to 130 members with nearly 120 of those umpiring senior football during the year. With just over 200 appointments a week our growth has been significant in this area for 2024 and a lot of this I attribute to the revamped membership packages that were put together in large by Matt Craig’s work with input from the rest of the board. These packages offered significant value to the umpire whether it be through merchandise, meals and drinks. Our umpires got strong value in tangible items but also subsidised social events that were generally well attended during the season. Based on recent conversations we can hopefully move towards a compulsory senior membership fee for senior umpires. This will enable the association to continue and improve the level of support that you the umpire gets from the association.

There is no current new news in terms of facility or building changes for the association with the carpark work being commenced at the train station as Phase 1 of the re development project. The board is evaluating the feasibility of using the changerooms on the wing to provide a better facility for those needs for our umpires. We have some security concerns with the lighting between the two buildings at night time which we are discussing with AFLSE and Council.

Mario made the move from facilities management to taking over the Merchandise relationship in 2024. We commenced our new uniform partnership with Belgravia Apparel which is aligned with AFLSE having them provide the on field uniform. Initial meetings were positive and productive however when our contact left the business the communication became rocky and we put the squeeze on to ensure umpires got the uniforms that they paid for even though it was some 3 months after ordering. We have a new contact that we are working with and I believe the we should have the working relationship and ease of acquiring apparel for umpires that we wanted to obtain from the start.

Finally, I want to thank each member of the board who worked tirelessly during the year to make this year as successful as possible. The team certainly banded together to put together social events, meals on every Wednesday Night, attend multiple training venues, ensure umpires received their uniform orders.

Deputy Chair

Matthew Craig

The 2024 season concluded after what was another busy one for the Southern Umpires Association. It is hard to believe that the time from February to September can seem such a long period of time at the start of the year, but we stand at appointments night every year wondering where the time has gone so quickly! The body of work the Board of Management did in the off season was great and continues now, constantly working on the best experience for umpires in the whole region.

Giving everyone our undivided attention through our events and new three-tiered membership program. Our social and membership programs are crucial to keeping the community, connection and mateship that has been created over many years at the forefront of the umpiring fraternity.

We must always say thank you to everyone that has supported the association this year – sponsors, members, life members, umpire coaches, clubs, players, the whole community are great.

There were many highlights throughout the year, many milestones, some great connections and friendships. We welcomed Emily Bellchambers to our board a great inclusion into the Female Liaison and Communications space. Gary Hofert also who took up the Facilities space. Lastly lucky enough to have Tristan McDougal join us part of the way through the season bringing some great and much needed fresh ideas. All with a work ethic that was appreciated!

Some great events throughout the year once again, with all the board chipping in to get it done Trivia Night once again spear headed by Tony Hales, TWO fantastic Mindfulness evening conductedby Dr. Peter King from our friends at Essentia Health, yet again a successful monster raffle – with thanks to Tristan McDougal for leading the way not to mention the work of the board in selling 250+tickets with great member engagement also.

There were also meals and drink over the bar at Kananook ever Wednesday Night, to all the board this work is appreciated and defiantly not unnoticed. While there is a small amount of revenue generated by these meals. More importantly we aim for member engagement and in turn what we hope builds a club environment with retention values.

We were again lucky enough to run two Bunnings Barbeques in 2024 this was a massive success for the Association. To every board member and umpire that we called on to help at these days. Thank you very much!

Our partnership with AFLSE took a number of changes this year with the departure of Haydn O’Connor throughout the season. We thank Haydn for his efforts to strengthen umpiring and hope the new venture is going well! There was also the introduction of Ryan Mann at the start of the year as Umpire Operations Co-Ordinator. It was great to work with Ryan and the coaches throughout the season.

Unfortunately once again and to the boards disappointment there is there is still no MOU in place as per last years AGM report a body of work done on a new MOU in 2023 as the previous three year agreement had lapsed. Staffing changes can happen quite un expectably at times so it is importantto have agreements in place for this reason. We are still working away at this however with the Umpire Sub-Committee working very hard to see it is signed off on before years end.

Lastly id like to take this opportunity to thank the board for their work throughout the year, there is a large body of work that continues to wait to keep the association heading in the right direction and the doors open. The more challenges that get thrown at us the stronger we become and the more we can develop as individuals. Everything we do would not be possible without our sponsors, who essentially keep the association afloat as do our members, all of which I thank greatly for their support throughout the year.

I am up for nomination at this AGM. It has been great being apart of leading the association since 2000 and on the board since 2017. The character that the place has built in my is something I’d never imagined when I first walked in and for that I am thankful.

Here is hoping for a big 2025 coming up for all of us.

Head of Operations – IT & Telecommunications

Luke Shaw

The Southern Umpires Association (SUA) and board continues to leverage social media as a vital tool for community engagement, recruitment, and the promotion of umpiring events. In 2024, we focused on amplifying our online presence through strategic content, increased interaction, and targeted campaigns across major platforms. This report provides an overview of SUA’s social media performance for the year, including key achievements, analytics, and areas for growth.

Platform-Specific Highlights

Facebook

Followers Growth: Increased by 18%, reaching a total of 1,500 followers.
Engagement Metrics: The average post engagement rate rose from 5.6% in 2023 to 7.4% in 2024, indicating improved content relevance and audience connection.
Top Content: 370 Posts were up 13.1% YoY with 22 interactions an improvement of 4.8% on 2023. The biggest improvement was the introduction of storis with 45 launched within the 2024 season. All of this and more contributed to 164K reach, 18K+ views, with 300+ shares and 500+ comments, showcasing strong community interest in celebratory content.

Instagram

Followers Growth: Grew by 23%, now at 873 followers.
Content Reach: Stories and reels performed particularly well, with the.
Engagement: The shift to visually dynamic content—such as game highlights and behind-the-scenes interviews—boosted interaction to 7.6K and link clicks to 189 both records for the account.

Key Achievements

Community Growth: Our total follower count across platforms increased by 20% to surpassing the 2024 goal of 1500.
Increased Content Production: Published 250 posts this year (up from 180 in 2023), leading to a 28% increase in overall impressions.

Challenges and Areas for Improvement

Engaging Younger Audiences: TikTok was underutilized, with limited growth. A targeted strategy for this platform is essential to connect with younger demographics but requires a large amount pf content creation.
Consistency in Posting: Although engagement improved, there were some periods of inactivity. Establishing a content calendar for 2025 and recording more content will ensure steady interaction.

Conclusion and 2025 Outlook

The Southern Umpires Association made substantial progress in 2024 by growing its social media presence and deepening its connection with the community. In 2025, we aim to:

Continue to create bespoke, video content
Implement a regular content calendar for sustained engagement.
Expand live-streaming or insight coverage of pre-game and training events.

We thank our followers, partners, and the SUA community for their continued support in driving our mission forward through digital platforms. Together, we’re not just making the calls—we’re making a difference.

Head of Operations – Events & Social

Troy Bellchambers

Season 2024 saw the SUA hold a number of social events. At the start of the season we held our Annual Jim Voss Memorial Golf Day at Mt Martha golf club on Easter Monday. There were around 20 players who took up the challenge. There was plenty of friendly banter between all the groups and at the end of it all the pairing of James Richardson and Rick Taig came out on top and won the day.

In June and July we held our bowling nights for the Senior and Junior groups at General Public and Bowland Cranbourne. Both being great nights surrounded by friends, food and some questionable bowling.

On the 13th July we held our trivia night, there were around 80 people in attendance which was as large a crowd in our rooms that I can remember. It was a great night from start to finish. A big thank you goes to former SUA Director of Umpiring Tony Hales who was our quizmaster and did a wonderful job as always. Another big thank you goes to Emily and Kathy Bellchambers for organising the silent raffle for the night. There were plenty of prizes up for grabs and a lot of money was raised from these items.

In August the Monster Raffle was held which had a mixture of prizes to choose from. There was a cash prize but also a selection of power tools from Milwaukee Tools available. A big thank you to Tristan McDougal for all his hard work in organising and running the whole night and for being able to secure the great prizes. Congratulations to Andrew Shields for winning and taking home a brand new range of power tools!

In early September, one of the biggest nights on the calendar was the Grand Final Appointments night. As always the room was full with running members hoping for a grand final spot, we also welcomed a large group of Life Members, who enjoyed drinks and food before the night began. There were two special guests in attendance, we had former coach Peter Marshall and recently retired AFL Field Umpire Chris Donlan who had a great 20 minute chat about everything football and umpiring.

Towards the end of October the annual Presentation Night was held at the Frankston RSL. A good crowd of 96 people enjoyed a great night with plenty of awards and trophies up for grabs and some very worthy winners.

All throughout the season we ran the joker poker on a Wednesday night. It was a good little money spinner for us. The joker card was on the board for most of the year until it was finally won by Grant Budge. Thanks to all who took part and supported by buying tickets and supporting the association.

Bring on 2025!

Troy Bellchambers

Head of Operations – Communications & PR

Emily Bellchambers

For my first year on the SUA board and the second female board member, I took on the role or communications. That meant I was the person who answered any emails, occasionally a phone call and face to face conversation on a Wednesday night or Saturday morning at the ground. You'd often find me where Dad was umpiring, tagging along for the day.

Through the hundreds of emails sent to all members, I delivered upcoming important events information, Wednesday night agendas, menus, and other important details for the following weeks.

I also was lucky enough to become SUA Female Liaison for the year, which meant I worked closely with Olivia Grcic, as we organised a number of events and workshops, for women in umpiring. This also meant regular Zoom calls as a group to discuss ways we can improve young women and their experience in umpiring. We also were lucky enough to have guest speakers, on the Zoom calls.

I have quite few highlights of the year, the first being our annual Monster Raffle. This night is always a great success and huge turnout. It is a great night, that is spent with friends, fellow umpires and families.

We ended the year with a bang, also being one of my favourite highlights, This being 'The Last Decision' AKA Presentation night. Amazing to see so many umpires and families there as well.

I would love to thank all of the board, for supporting me in my first year in this role and I look forward to seeing what the next year has in store for us.

Head of Operations – Merchandise

Mario Ring

This year the association chose to change suppliers and move to the New

Balance brand. The start of the partnership didn’t take off as smooth as we

hoped, with our area Manager leaving NB and no one notifying us, this put a big

strain on the first order. With the uniform orders running over six weeks late

from placement did not install a lot of confidence in us.

We had many phone calls from both umpires and parents asking where their

order was going to be delivered, making many calls to NB we finally got the first

order in and in full. New Balance has now placed a new area Manager in place

which will deal directly with us, and have promised this will not happen again.

We thank all umpires and parents for their patients during that time.

At the start of the season, we had many types of merchandise packages

available, this was for all new umpires and umpires wonting to upgrade their

membership.

The three packages were, White for juniors, Blue for the older and

Gold for the more senior and those wanting more out of their sponsorship to the

SUA. All three packagers were a great success, the packages included, whistle,

drink bottle, polo top, backpack and discount membership card.

The new packages will be released very shortly on our website, indicating what

each package will contain. We will also be advertising the pre-season off field

gear which will be available for the start of pre-season once your order is placed.

A new backpack will be also available to purchase, this will have the SUA logo as

well as your own personal name on the bag. We re just waiting on the price,

before we place on the website, these can be used for field, boundary and goal.

There is a very good stock of polo tops at the rooms, that can be purchased at

any time. They will be available AGM night before the light pre-Christmas run at

the ground. You can pay by cash or with credit card, there is also a small supply

of shorts and jackets left over from our last order available for purchase just

come up and ask and I will let you know what I have.

It is very important that all umpires are dressed in the correct attire, which

should be worn on game day. This gives yourself and the Association a

professional look, when you arrive at the ground, this also lets you stand out

when team managers are looking for you.

The correct attire that should be worn on game day to the ground is, black

trousers, SUA polo top, SUA hoodie or jacket and clean black shoes. Wearing of

team colours to the ground is forbidden, this also includes Sundays on Junior

days if you are umpiring those games.

Thank you for your support during the year, have a safe and Merry Christmas.

Head of Operations – Facilities & Licensing

Gary Hofert

There were no major maintenance works undertaken during the year.

Several minor works/repairs were undertaken including –

Steam cleaning of the carpets

Installing a new retractable video screen

Repairs to locks on the office and toilet doors

Pest control program started

Several honour boards re hung

Council were contacted due to some of the training lights were not working

Several sponsors advertising installed on the oval fence

Weekly cleaning of the facility by a cleaning contractor

Head of Operations – HR & OH&S

Rick Taig

Dear Members,

This year has been one of continued growth, development, and success in strengthening our community and supporting the dedicated umpires who make our association thrive.

In 2024, the SUA welcomed many new umpires, reflecting the effectiveness of our targeted membership initiatives. Throughout the season, we facilitated wellbeing initiatives, including access to mental health resources, to better support our umpires’ resilience and overall satisfaction. We will be looking to build on these offerings into 2025.

I want to thank the board of the SUA and AFLSE, in particular Sam and Ryan, and the entire SUA community for their dedication and hard work. Your contributions have ensured that we continue to set the standard for umpiring excellence while fostering a supportive and inclusive culture.

As we look ahead, the SUA remains committed to investing in our people, enhancing our membership offerings, and ensuring that every umpire has the opportunity to grow, succeed, and feel valued.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Rick Taig

Head of Operations – General

Tristian McDougal

1. Opening Acknowledgments

On behalf of SUA I would like to extend our gratitude to the Chairman, for their ongoing leadership and the opportunity to be apart of the board in 2025.

A sincere thank you is also due to the members of the board for their dedication and collaboration. Your hard work behind the scenes ensures that we remain an essential part of local football

To our umpires: thank you for your efforts week after week. Your professionalism, fairness, and commitment are the values of this association.

Lastly, to AFL South East (AFLSE), we are grateful for your continued support and improving partnership

2. Summary of the Year’s Activities

Social Functions

This year, our social events have been a highlight for many members. From the mid-season trivia night to our annual presentation evening, thank you to all who attended and assisted in putting on these great events

Weekly Meals

Our weekly meals after training have been a continued success. A special thanks to those who have contributed to organizing and preparing these meals. Looking forward to growing and building these in 2025

Umpiring Achievements

The 2024 season has been a remarkable one. Our umpires have not only met but exceeded expectations across all levels. It’s been a year of personal bests, milestone matches, and growth for both new and experienced members of our umpiring team.

3. Acknowledgment of Sponsors

Our sponsors are vital to the success and sustainability of our association. To all our partners, we cannot thank you enough for your generous contributions. Your support allows us to provide resources that enhance the experience for all our members.

4. 2025: Key Movements Forward

As we look to 2025, we are committed to strengthening our position as a leading umpiring association. Key initiatives for the upcoming year include:

· Launching a new SUA with new goals and values

· Improving the training and social experience for umpires

· Implementing a strategy for the building

· Growing our relationship with the leagues and AFLSE

· Improving communication and bolstering our financial position

Thank you all for your dedication to this association and to the game we all love