In 2026 AFL Queensland\u00a0is\u00a0taking\u00a0further\u00a0steps\u00a0to create a safe and welcoming environment for\u00a0developing\u00a0umpires,\u00a0with new uniform initiatives to be introduced. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Next season,\u00a0umpires under the age of 18 will be\u00a0required\u00a0to wear orange wristbands on\u00a0match\u00a0day, clearly signalling to players,\u00a0coaches\u00a0and spectators that they\u00a0are\u00a0developing umpires.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inspired by Netball Queensland\u2019s green band initiative, the aim is to promote respect between umpires and all spectators,\u00a0coaches\u00a0and players, which will then encourage a safe and more enjoyable match day experience for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next season\u00a0crew socks will\u00a0also\u00a0be introduced to junior and youth umpires\u00a0who officiate Under 8 to Under 17 competitions in\u00a0South East\u00a0Queensland and regional Queensland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Traditionally, all umpires, including junior and youth umpires, have worn knee-high socks.\u00a0The introduction of crew socks\u00a0will allow for\u00a0a more relaxed and comfortable uniform\u00a0option\u00a0for junior and youth umpires, which could\u00a0previously\u00a0have\u00a0been a barrier of entry for someone interested in picking up the whistle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Bradnam's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC02287.JPG\")
\nSunshine Coast\u00a0Youth Umpire Coach\u00a0Paul Jones, Ben Stackelberg, General Manager South East Queensland Bradnam’s Windows and Doors,\u00a0Under 18 Umpire Huon Jones, Umpire Opal Jones, David Lake, Tribal Sport Founder and Sam Bridges, Umpiring Development Lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Head of AFL Queensland and International Trisha Squires said these new initiatives could inspire more juniors and youth to try umpiring. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team in green are the eyes and ears on our\u00a0Australian rules football\u00a0fields across\u00a0Queensland\u00a0and our game simply\u00a0would not be possible without them,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur young umpires are learning the game, just as our young players are, so we need to work together as a community to enforce a positive environment for our next generation of officials. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe introducing the\u00a0orange\u00a0wristband for our\u00a0Under 18\u00a0umpires will encourage\u00a0a respectful environment, which in turn will\u00a0assist\u00a0in creating a more\u00a0enjoyable match day experience for everyone. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe\u00a0introduction of crew socks\u00a0in our umpire uniforms\u00a0aims to appeal\u00a0to\u00a0a younger demographic. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen the success of the\u00a0crew socks\u00a0for umpires\u00a0in the NAB AFL Women\u2019s competition\u00a0this season, so\u00a0believe\u00a0the new socks will be well received.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunshine Coast\u00a0Youth Umpire Coach\u00a0Paul Jones\u00a0identified\u00a0the need\u00a0for\u00a0more casual uniforms\u00a0for young\u00a0Queensland\u00a0umpires. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have found that the young umpires coming through are\u00a0hesitant\u00a0to wear\u00a0the long socks,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe introduction of the crew socks is a\u00a0little step to get more young kids into officiating\u00a0as it\u2019s the coolest job in the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019\u00a0daughter Opal,\u00a018 and\u00a0now in her\u00a0fifth\u00a0year of umpiring, said\u00a0the short socks created an even playing field\u00a0for all. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the players\u00a0already wear short socks, I\u00a0think the crew socks\u00a0bring the players and umpires together as one,” she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love wearing the short socks and they\u00a0already\u00a0feel more lightweight.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019\u00a0son Huon is\u00a0in his first year of umpiring and is thrilled by the introduction of the new socks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are really\u00a0comfortable and better for\u00a0kids,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In further exciting news for season 2026, Bradnam’s Windows and Doors have signed on again as the official sponsor of Queensland umpires for a fifth straight year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ben Stackelberg, General Manager South East Queensland Bradnam’s Windows and Doors, said the company\u00a0were proud to continue the partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Our company has invested in community sport for more than 30 years and we are thrilled to again be supporting AFL umpires across Queensland in 2026,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We support umpires with equipment and training, as strong, confident umpires, only strengthens\u00a0Queensland competitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Next season\u00a0we\u00a0are excited to\u00a0play a role in the new uniform initiatives and hope more people will be encouraged to join the team in green.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
2026 umpire registrations are now open, with the orange wristbands and\u00a0crew socks available to order. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2026 AFL Queensland\u00a0is\u00a0taking\u00a0further\u00a0steps\u00a0to create a safe and welcoming environment for\u00a0developing\u00a0umpires,\u00a0with new uniform initiatives to be introduced. \u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-263011","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}