Alan ‘Ollie’ Matthews chalked up his 1500th game as an umpire on Saturday, a record that may never be beaten in the Riddell League!
“I love it, it’s in my blood and I’ve made so many friends,” Matthews said after completing his stint as goal umpire in the exciting Romsey versus Rupertswood encounter.
A Monegeetta resident and president of the Riddell District League for the past 18 years (and board member for 24) Matthews is not making any predictions about when he will finally retire from umpiring.
He received the name ‘Ollie’ at primary school and it has stuck. Very few people call him Alan.
Keen on sport from an early age, he played more than 200 senior games of football with Craigieburn and Wallan, but an accident when a motorcycle ploughed into his car near Essendon Airport resulted in a premature end to his playing career.
Matthews’ father was an umpire, and an umpires’ advisor, and he decided he also wanted to stay involved in football.
He is proud to have officiated in six senior grand finals and 10 junior grand finals.
From being initially solely a field umpire, the now 70-year-old also took up goal umpiring.
He can often do two or three matches (seniors and juniors) a weekend, and has seen many changes in grassroots football over the years.
Matthews encourages young people, and former players, to take up umpiring.
He sees umpiring as beneficial from a fitness viewpoint, and it can also help in later career paths.
Matthews still finds time to play Masters football for Victorian Country, and he received congratulations from the league’s board on his remarkable milestone.
The captains of Romsey and Rupertswood, and fellow umpires, also wished him well before Saturday’s match.
