Teenager Emma Stark made sporting history on the weekend, becoming the youngest ever field umpire in the highest level of the AFL, when she officiated the AFLW’s Essendon v Hawthorn match.
The 16-year-old Darwin-based umpire made the trip to Melbourne last week, after being called up to officiate the opening round match at Marvel Stadium.
“Surprisingly I was actually really calm – to my shock – but in the lead up to the game, the two hours before the game I was packing my bag and that’s when it finally hit me,” Stark told ABC Darwin on Monday morning, just minutes before heading off to school.
“I finished packing my bag and I was like ‘Oh my gosh, this is actually going to happen: I’m going to umpire at Marvel, under the lights’.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Stark, who is also a player for the NT Thunder, said her experience umpiring in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) put her in a confident position heading into the AFLW match on the weekend. Stark was previously named the Northern Territory’s 2022 Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
Last year, she was named the Under 15s best and fairest in the NTFL.
“I made my debut last year [in the NTFL] on the 16th October and I’ve done eight men’s premier league games so far. Having that experience under my belt is definitely something that helps me,” she said.
“You have to be fit, you have to know the rules. It all comes in hand when you’re on the field. Because I play as well, I do train every day which can be tough sometimes with my schoolwork, but you’ve got to make sacrifices sometimes and make sure you’re organised.”
Stark said at the moment she is happy to continue pursuing both umpiring and playing, but is aware that at some point down the track she may have to choose between them.
“I understand it’s going to be tricky one day and I may have to choose which path but I’m happy to go with the flow at the moment – I don’t actually have a favourite,” she said.
Stark said the feedback she received on her performance on the day was really positive, and she is looking forward to receiving some more formal feedback shortly.
“From what I gathered in person, I did really well and I’m really happy with my performance on the Saturday. I’ll get some formal feedback tomorrow about my match.”