Historic Finals Debut for Female Umpire

Gabby Simmonds will celebrate a major achievement this weekend when she becomes the first female umpire in the WAFL competition to be appointed as a field umpire in a finals game.

Simmonds has been selected for Sunday’s Elimination Final between East Fremantle and Claremont at Revo Fitness Stadium alongside Ryan Shelton, James Kerr and Ben Laycock.

She made her WAFL League debut in 2019 and has spent a decade on the WAFL Umpiring Panel.

As part of her journey Simmonds has also umpired in the AFLW.

Dean Margetts, WAFL & WAFLW Umpiring Operations Manager at the West Australian Football Commission, has declared the appointment thoroughly deserved.

“We are so thrilled for Gabby, and this is a historic appointment for Umpiring in WA,” Margetts said.

“I know Gabby will not want a fuss made about this, but she absolutely deserves to be recognised.

“After a nasty ankle injury earlier in the year, Gabby has had to fight back hard and has demonstrated a resilient mind set and with her Coach Justin Orr.

“They both have worked diligently together to get some positive results, so selecting Gabby was easy because she simply picked herself.”