Victorian umpire Nicholas Jankovskis will replace trailblazer Eleni Tee while she is on maternity leave in 2024

The AFL is working tirelessly to develop the next generation of female umpires, but there is no candidate ready to replace Eleni Tee in 2024. Here’s why – and who’s stepping up instead.

There will be no female AFL field umpire for the first time in seven years next season after the league replaced pregnant trailblazer Eleni Tee with Victorian Nicholas Jankovskis.

The league on Wednesday said it was working tirelessly to develop the next generation of female umpires but insisted patience was required for them to master the craft.

The AFL has set itself a target of lifting the number of female umpires to 40 per cent across the country. But the absence of Tee, nee Glouftsis, means the 2.6 per cent of female umpires recently recorded at the elite level is set to plummet.

About 10 per cent of umpires are female across all levels of the sport. This year, more than 2000 women and girls registered in umpiring, which was a 28 per cent jump on 2022.

“Pleasingly we have seen an increase of female participation in the last 12 months across our community and talent pathway levels,” AFL spokesperson Jay Allen said.

“We also had 30 per cent representation of female umpires in AFLW Season 8 (up 15 per cent).”

Eleni Tee will be replaced by Nicholas Jankovskis next year. Picture: Michael Klein

The AFL’s deep-rooted problems in recruiting female umpires were laid bare last year when a report exposing a toxic culture of sexual harassment and abuse was leaked to this masthead.

The report, “Girls and women in Australian football umpiring: Understanding registration, participation and retention”, revealed just 2.6 per cent of umpires at the elite level were female and only 10.8 per cent across all levels of the sport.

Tee joined the AFL ranks in a watershed moment for the sport in 2017.

She has gone on to umpire 85 AFL games as one of the most recognisable umpires.

She has also completed a power of community work behind the scenes for the AFL.

The AFL created an additional position on the umpiring roster when Tee joined to ease the pressure on her and ensure it did not come at the expense of an existing umpire.

But she was added on merit and the league said that extra position was not designated for a female umpire.

Eleni is expecting a baby with husband Dillon. Picture: AAP Image/David Crosling

“It is fantastic news for Eleni and her husband expecting a baby next year,” Allen said on behalf of the AFL.

“While on leave the AFL will continue to support her over via our maternity leave program and look forward to welcoming her back into the elite umpiring program whenever she is ready.

“While she is on maternity leave the next best umpire will be promoted onto our list for 2024.”

Jankovskis has umpired more than 50 VFL games, including this year’s grand final.

The AFL said it would introduce 24 female accelerator coaches to work with 48 emerging female umpires in state leagues and pathways programs next year.

The league also listed seven initiatives it hoped would improve what had been exposed as an unsafe pathway.

They included partnering with Our Watch to facilitate respectful relationship workshops for all umpire groups, a women’s umpiring coaching conference to upskill umpires and coaches and seven experience hubs to be launched in 2024.