The first female field umpire to officiate an AFL sanctioned match, Eleni Glouftsis, has been named as one of Insight Sport’s ‘100 Most Powerful Women in Sport.’
As previously reported by Neos Kosmos the former Adelaide High sports captain began umpiring in 2008; progressing through the SANFL under-16s, under-18s and reserves before making her senior state league debut in August 2013.
The South Australian native moved to Melbourne at the end of 2014 to take up a three-year AFL Female Pathway scholarship.
Her first spot on the field adjudicating an official match was in 2016 when she made her NAB Cup debut.
In 2017 at the age of 25, Glouftsis became the first woman in history to serve as a field umpire during the AFL season, when she officiated a match between Essendon Football Club and the West Coast Eagles at Marvel Stadium (then Etihad) in that year’s ninth round, presiding over the kick-off to boot.
Named SA Young Australian of the Year in 2019, in 2021 she was honoured by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley, when she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her ‘service to Australian rules football, particularly as an umpire.”
Growing up as the youngest of three children in a Greek Australian family, her upbringing helped her learn a thing or two about grit and determination, which comes through hard work.
Speaking previously with Neos Kosmos, Glouftsis highlighted the support and encouragement of family as a driving force behind her continued success.
“There’s been so many people to thank for their support in me being able to reach this point. I think in particular my mum, dad and nanna, who come to all my games. They’ve been so supportive through my whole journey; it’s just been fantastic.”
“Nothing comes easy in life. I train hard every day so that I can keep my fitness levels up and keep up with the extreme demands of the game,” Glouftsis said in a later interview.
Having certainly made her mark in the realm of AFL, Glouftsis’ accomplishments should serve as a point of pride not just for herself, but Australia’s entire Hellenic community.
