Long-time Riddell umpire Alan Matthews marks a big milestone

ALAN  “Ollie” Matthews says football is in his blood.

Riddell goal umpire Alan ‘Ollie’ Matthews passed a massive milestone recently.

ALAN  “Ollie” Matthews says football is in his blood.

And it’s hard not to believe him when you consider he has spent more than 50 years in the sport.

Alan Matthews in action.

The Monegeetta resident recently passed the 1400-game milestone in the Riddell District Football League.

He played more than 400 times for Craigieburn and Wallan, before a serious car accident ended his playing days in 1984.

But the football bug was one he could not help but scratch, returning two years later to take up a position behind the big sticks as a goal umpire — a position he is yet to relinquish.

“I just enjoy football,” the 68-year-old said. “I have been involved in football for over 50 years and it’s in my blood.

“I enjoy the game, enjoy the company and enjoy doing something on the weekends.”

When he first started umpiring, one match a weekend was the norm because the clubs provided officials for the reserves and under-18 games.

Now they are all officiated by the Riddell Umpires Association, even extending to field umpires for the under-10s, 12s, 14s and 16s.

Still going strong, Matthews is involved in two or three games a week, goal umpiring a couple of senior games before running out as a field umpire in the juniors on Sunday.

Former Riddell field umpire Kieron Nicholls graduated to the AFL.

This is in addition to him being the league’s longest serving president, having held the position since 2002, and a board member from five years before that.

There are other challenges to his longevity.

“I looked at the temperature gauge a few weeks back and it was minus 2 degrees,” Matthews said.

“Spending the morning running around in shorts isn’t one thing I appreciate coming out of a warm home.”

And his wife ensures that all the time away from home doesn’t go unnoticed.

“There is a list on the fridge of all the jobs I need to do,” Matthews said. “At the end of the football season, it’s always a fairly long list.”

Having spent such a long time in the association, Matthews has seen his share of youngsters step up from the Riddell association to AFL ranks, including goal umpire Jason Venkataya, boundary umpire Andrew Pizaro and field umpire Kieron Nicholls.

Not least is the most recent graduate, Jordan Andrews, who was part of the 11-strong umpiring contingent that travelled to Shanghai for the AFL’s first game in China earlier this year.

“He still hangs around and was at umpires training (recently), so it’s good that he still passes on his knowledge,” Matthews said of the 24-year-old boundary umpire.

“It is an honour for him and the RDFL that we have umpires officiating in the top level of football.”

The veteran umpire put out the call for more people to join the umpires association’s ranks — youngsters and elders alike.

“What I say is that you get paid for umpiring, so instead of kids working at Hungry Jack’s or McDonald’s to get pocket money, you can earn equally as much on weekends umpiring football and also getting a bit of fitness at the same time,” Matthews said.

Jordan Andrews is the latest Riddell Umpires Association graduate to enter the AFL. Picture: Nathan Dyer

“We are also trying to encourage guys who’ve just left football — either through sustaining an injury, which meant they couldn’t continue playing, or otherwise — because they can have a better knowledge of what the players are thinking.”

Matthews is not the only long-term umpire in the association, with Graeme Carter passing the 1000-game mark last year, while Bruce Pizaro is approaching four figures.

But is 1500 games on the cards for Matthews?

“I’ll have to see how the body goes,” he said.

“It’s difficult to get to training these days … I know the importance of being at training and part of the team.

“But I do enjoy it, that’s the main thing.”

Anyone interested in taking up umpiring can visit ­riddellumpires.com.au