United States Australian Football League Umpires Association – USAFLUA

International Cup 2020 Scholarship Umpires Announced

January 13, 2020

The USAFL Umpire Association is pleased to announce the International Cup 2020 Scholarship Umpires: Ryan Minmier and Shawn Farber. They will be going to the Suncoast in Queensland, Australia to represent the USAFL and the USAFLUA in IC2020 from July 25 through the grand finals on August 8.

Ryan Minmier has been umpiring since 2016 and has worked diligently at his craft, achieving Field Level 2 accreditation at the 2019 USAFL Nationals. Minmier hails from New Orleans and currently lives in Houston, Texas. He played for Tulsa in 2015-17 and has played for Houston since 2018. He joined the USAFLUA Board as an At-Large member in October 2018 and has strengthened the Association as a member of several committees, including the Nationals Committee and the Uniform Committee that developed the current umpire uniform options.

“I am honored to be going to IC20 as a scholarship umpire. It is something that I have wanted to do since I first learned of the opportunity. It is going to be so exciting to take my whistle to Australia!”

Shawn Farber first umpired in 2016 and is currently working on his Field Level 2 accreditation.

Farber hails from Washington state and is currently in Oklahoma City. He played for Tulsa Buffaloes starting in 2015 but is now fully committed to umpiring. Shawn joined the USAFL UA Board as an At Large member in October 2017 and has also strengthened the Association as a member of several committees including, like Ryan, the Nationals Committee and the Uniform Committee that developed the current umpire uniform options.

“This is quite a surprise as I wasn’t sure I was ready yet. I am stoked and am looking forward to showing the selection committee that their faith in me is warranted. Look out, Sun Coast!”

The USAFL is the pioneer in umpire scholarships, having sent umpires to all seven tournaments since it began in 2002. The scholarships support most of the expenses associated with going to Australia for the three-week tournament. The Scholarship Selection Committee, led by Head Coach, Jeff Persson, includes Goal Coach Toby Persson, and President Jon Mills. The selection criteria includes more than just on-field performance (of course that is a requirement!); it also looks at criteria like participation in Regional tournaments and Umpire Clinics, commitment to umpiring such as service off the field (both Ryan and Shawn both have served on the Board), recruitment of new umpires, coaching and growing junior umpires, and also committing more than three weeks to the trip down under (it is a long trip, so that commitment can’t be overlooked).

Congratulations Ryan and Shawn and best wishes as they prepare for the 2020 USAFL season which now includes ‘the experience of a lifetime’ at IC2020!

If you wish to support Ryan, Shawn, and the team at the IC2020, you can send your tax-deductible donation via PayPal by clicking on the International Cup Donation Link at: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UC4HMP7N57DRL&source=url

USAFLUA Umpire wins Johns Hopkins University President’s Frontier Award

Congratulations are in order for Emily Riehl, as the recipient of the prestigious President’s Frontier Award from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), in Baltimore, MD.

Emily is an associate professor in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at JHU. In the World of Footy, we know Emily as a player, coach, and umpire, representing the DC Eagles, the Baltimore Dockers, Saturday Morning Footy (Metro DC), the USA Freedom, and the USAFLUA.

For more information about Emily’s accomplishment, check out this link: Emily Riehl – Johns Hopkins University President’s Frontier Award

Congratulations Emily!

AFL International Cup moves to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland for 2020

The AFL’s announcement of the event also included that Grand Final matches will be played at the Gabba in Brisbane, home of the Lions, as a curtain raiser and curtain closer for the Lions-West Coast Eagles Round 21 match on August 8th.

2020 will mark the seventh AFL International Cup carnival, which is a triennial event begun in 2002.

Sunshine Coast Council Tourism and Event Portfolio Councillor Jason O’Pray said he was looking forward to welcoming the best footballers from across the world to the Sunshine Coast
in 2020.

“We’re really excited to host this event and we trust participants of the 2020 AFL International Cup will relish the opportunity to play at the first-class facilities provided at the Maroochydore
Sporting Complex and also enjoy an opportunity to visit our pristine beaches, wander through the hinterland and meet some of the fascinating locals.”

2020 USAFL Nationals – 10-11OCT20

The USAFL Executive Board has announced that the 2020 USAFL National Championships will be held Ontario, California during the weekend of October 10 and 11, 2020.

Silverlakes in Norco, CA, we be the location for the 2020 USAFL Nationals. Silverlakes a 130-acre complex, houses 24 soccer fields, a full-service restaurant, and a 10,000-person concert venue.

The USAFL National Championships is the largest Australian Football tournament in the world, with 4 men’s divisions, 2 women’s divisions, a juniors clinic, multiple development programs and over 1,000 athletes competing in over 75 games in one action packed weekend.

2020 USAFL Regionals Schedule Announced

The USAFL executive board has announced the schedule and venues for the 2020 USAFL Regional Championship Series.

Now in its sixth season, the Regional Championship Series has become one of the most anticipated parts of the USAFL calendar. In addition to regional championship glory, the results of these tournaments will strongly impact seedings for the 2020 USAFL National Championships.

The 2020 USAFL Regional Tournament Series Schedule:

Central Regional – June 13, 2020 – Harold Patterson Park, Arlington, Texas

Eastern Regional – June 27, 2020 – Miami Meadows Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

Western Regional – July 11, 2020 – Westminster City Park, Westminster, Colorado

Time to renew your 2020 USAFLUA Membership dues

November 3, 2019

United States Australian Rules Football Umpires!

The USAFL Umpires Association (USAFLUA) is looking forward to another great year of Footy in 2020.

As was discussed at the USAFLUA Annual General Meeting, we had great success collecting our USAFLUA dues at the beginning of the year, so that we have an early idea about available funding for the USAFLUA activities throughout the year.

Please help us again by paying your dues now.

Our USAFLUA dues are now $25 US.

There are a few ways to pay your 2019 USAFLUA Dues:

Go to our website at USAFLUA.org and look for the “Buy Now” PayPal button on the right side while scrolling down past the header.
Log onto PayPal.com and send $25.00 to PayPal@USAFLUA.org.
Send a check for $25 directly to Sid Caesar, the USAFLUA Treasurer at –

Sid Caesar

USAFLUA Treasurer

3 Maryland Avenue

Rockville, MD 20850-2327

As the year goes on, the dues will go up. Don’t wait. Get your dues paid today.

Thank you!

Play On!

Millsy

USAFLUA President

Congratulations – 2019 USAFLUA Esprit de Corps Award Recipients – Brendan & Liam Dye

The USAFLUA Board of Directors selected Brendan and Liam Dye as the 2019 USAFLUA Esprit de Corps Award recipients for 2019. The Board recognized the father and son teams’s dedication to the USAFLUA by attending and umpiring during numerous USAFL National tournaments, making the trip to the US from Australia each time.

Pictured from left to right – Jon Mills, USAFLUA President – Liam Dye – Toby Persson, USAFLUA Nationals Tournament Director – Brenden Dye – Jeff Persson, USAFLUA Umpire Coach

Congratulations – 2019 USAFL Hall of Fame Inductee – Steve Arnott

Steve Arnott was recognized for his dedication to the game of Australian Football by the leadership of the United States Australian Football League (USAFL) with induction into the USAFL Hall of Fame during the Finals closing ceremony and awards presentation on Sunday October 13, 2019.

USAFL Founders Rich Mann (L) and Paul “Plugger”O’Keeffe (R) congratulated Steve (C) for his years of dedicated service to Australian Football in North America.

USAFLUA.org – The official site for Australian Rules Football Umpiring in the United States.

USAFL Umpires are invaluable volunteers who give their time to ensure that the league has professionally run games. Without the umpires, the games would not exist. It is important that these individuals become and remain accredited and that they are available for all USAFL games.

The USAFLUA is proud to be partners with these Umpire Associations