Sydney AFL Goal Umpire and NSWAFUA Life Member Ken Ray will officiate behind the goals in his 600th game this weekend in the clash between UNSW/ES and North Shore at Henson Park.
Ken’s passion for AFL began when he played junior football for Western Suburbs. He turned to coaching juniors in his adult life for many years, but in 1988 he found himself needing a new challenge. Late into the football season he decided to turn up to an umpires training night and soon found himself goal umpiring the last two matches of the season. He returned for his first full year ‘ducking under kicks’ in 1989.
Ken quickly took to the mental demands of the discipline and in 1993 was appointed as Sydney AFL Goal Umpires Coach. To this day he is still preparing and conducting training session each Thursday evening – educating, guiding and mentoring Goal Umpires as they come through the ranks. The Sydney AFL Goal Umpiring panel is especially grateful for the work Ken has put in during his 15 years as coach.
In 1990 Ken was appointed to the AFL panel, goal umpiring 62 games in both the Under 19s and Reserves before making his AFL debut in 1999. Ken recalls the experience as if it was only yesterday. Sydney played North Melbourne at the SCG, and the Swans found themselves behind all day until “Paul Kelly delivered the goal that turned the game around – it went straight over my head and I remember saying to myself ‘how good is this’!”
After officiating in nine AFL games over a two year period – and with limited matches being available for the Sydney based AFL umpires at the time – Ken took up the role of AFL Goal Umpires Coach and Observer for AFL matches in NSW/ACT at the beginning of season 2001. Ken still continues in this role today.
Every Goal Umpire officiating this weekend owes much of their skills, fitness – and indeed selection – to Ken. For over a decade he has helped countless young (and older) men and women gain a greater understanding of goal umpiring, and Australian Football itself. Ken takes great pleasure in seeing umpires grow and improve and has become adept at creating original and taxing drills to hone their skills on the training field.
I asked Ken if he had a story or two we may not already be aware of from his 18 years with the NSWAFUA. Ken advised that throughout his career he has found himself being appointed to Field Umpire on five occasions when numbers were down – “so this man knows his stuff”. Ken also recalls attending a match one day as the Goal Umpire Observer, only to be told that they were short a Boundary Umpire. So Ken ditched the folder and soon was running the boundary for the whole game!
On behalf of both the NSWAFUA and the Sydney AFL community we congratulate Ken on his outstanding achievement – and hope to see him straddling the line for many more seasons to come.
Ken Ray’s Sydney AFL Achievements
Member of the NSWAFUA for 18 years
Elected as a Life Member of the NSWAFUA in 2005
Total games umpired – 600
Premier Division Senior Grade games umpired – 373
Premier Division Senior Grade Grand Finals – 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005
The Michael Heinrichs Award (Best Goal Umpire) – 1990, 1996, 2003