Perth Umpire Reaches Magic Milestone

Local umpire Peter Stanton will reach a remarkable milestone this weekend when he officiates in his 1500^th match.

The 79-year-old has been a constant in local footy for more than a quarter of a century, so reaching 1500 matches hasn’t left him overawed.

“It is the same as the first 1499 games, do my best and hope someone says thank you,” Stanton explained.

“I believe I have been involved for 26 years either as an umpire, an umpire’s coach/manager or vice president while umpiring juniors on Sundays.

“I also am a current goal umpire for the Perth Football League which I have done for the past five years.

“Now at the age of 79 and after umpiring for 54 years my wife tells me that I have umpired 35 out of the 54 yrs on consecutive Saturday and Sundays.

“I get great satisfaction out of umpiring years 7 and 8 matches, and on the odd occasion I will have a grandfather come and tell me I umpired their matches many years ago and now I am umpiring their grandson.”

Stanton’s umpiring journey began in the 1970s.

“I started umpiring in 1972 at the age of 26 in the East Perth Junior Council,” he said.

“In 1977 I commenced with the amateurs, umpiring juniors on a Sunday.

“1982 saw me move to WAFA for three years before I joined The Sunday League from 1985-1986.

“The following year I returned to East Perth juniors and early in the season the WAFL umpires went on strike for one week and I was called on to officiate a Reserves match between West Perth and Claremont played at Leederville Oval.”

Much of his time in football has been spent as an umpires coach, mentoring aspiring whistle blowers.

“In 2014 I was asked to become an umpire manager to take pressure off the umpires coach which I did for the next six years.

“As an umpires coach you get a lot of satisfaction with umpires who go to the next level, including boundary umpire George Pampacos and field umpires Mark Fussell and Stuart Parry,” he said.

Jordy Pearce, Umpiring Club Coordinator & Chairperson at the Claremont District Junior Football Umpires Association, has paid tribute to Stanton. 

“Reaching 1,500 games is an extraordinary achievement and one of, if not the most, significant milestone in Junior Umpiring history,” Pearce said.

“To put it into perspective, it represents more than 50 years of dedication to umpiring, countless hours spent supporting young people and the game, and a level of commitment that very few people in football will ever match.

“It is a generational achievement that speaks not only to Peter’s longevity, but also his passion, resilience and love for community football.

Pearce has also lauded Stanton’s character.

“Peter is incredibly well respected throughout the umpiring and wider football community,” he said.

“He is known not just for the number of games he has umpired, but for the way he has carried himself over decades with professionalism, humility and a genuine willingness to help others.

“Generations of players, coaches and umpires have crossed paths with Peter, and many have benefited from his guidance and support, including myself.

“He is regarded as one of the great servants of umpiring and junior football and someone who has made a lasting contribution to not just CDJFUA but the game of footy both on and off the field.”

Stanton plans to umpire for one more season, providing he’s given the all clear by his wife.

He will officiate a Year 7 match between Scarborough and Swanbourne at Kevan Langdon Reserve in Karrinyup on Sunday at 11.30am and will be joined by former AFL umpire Dean Margetts.