By Callum Ludwig
From the wet, cold and mud in the Yarra Valley to the hallowed turf of the MCG, Ian Burrows has seen it all in his storied career as a boundary umpire.
Burrows will celebrate his 400th AFL match umpired on Saturday 15 June, running the boundary line as Richmond takes on Hawthorn at the MCG in Round 14.
Burrows said he’s very excited for the weekend.
“I’ll be umpiring with a few of my good mates, it’s shaping up to be a good match, and a lot of my family and friends are going to come along,” he said.
“The AFL does a really good job helping us celebrate these kinds of milestones and although the week has been a little bit overwhelming, it’s very exciting.”
Growing up in Launching Place and playing footy for Seville as a junior, it wasn’t until the age of 15 or 16 that Burrows swapped his mouthguard for a whistle and took up running the boundary with the then-Yarra Valley Umpires Association.
Burrows said he never really thought he’d be an umpire growing up.
“I didn’t continue on to play senior footy but I was keen to stay involved in sport and keep fit and healthy so I ended up joining the local league and umpired a couple of years in the Yarra Valley which was really enjoyable,” he said.
“It was just a nice atmosphere being around a footy club or a netball club and after a couple of years there I was doing pretty well and I got a nomination to try out the VFL and then started moving on from there,”
“I never really had any ambitions until I got going and then realised it was quite fun and that there was a career path, so I started getting reasonably serious about it and working hard on the craft to see if I could get better and better.”
Better and better Burrows did get, with his nearly 20-year AFL career starting in 2006 now including 10 AFL Grand Finals, being named an All Australian Umpire three times and an estimated 1280km run backwards, about the distance from Melbourne to Brisbane.
Burrows tried to recall any particular favourite memories of his time umpiring in the Yarra Valley but admitted it was very hard to remember back that far.
“I remember all the different grounds and have very fond memories of being at some of the picturesque places like Warburton and Olinda, as well as Seville where I played and Woori Yallock which was just down the road from where I lived in Launching Place,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure I might have done a game or two when Nicky Winmar was playing at Warburton and I remember in my first year getting the Division Two Senior Grand Final at Gembrook and the next year doing the Division One Senior Grand Final at Healesville which at that point in my career was the pinnacle of what you could do.”
Burrows’ achievements consist of:
AFL Grand Final umpire – 2008, 2010 and 2010 replay, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2023
Murray Williams Shield (Boundary Umpire of the Year) – 2014 and 2016
All Australian Umpire – 2010, 2012 and 2015
Yarra Valley Grand Final – 2000 (Division Two), 2001 (Division One)
TAC Cup Grand Finals – 2002, 2003
VFL Reserves Grand Final – 2004
Interstate Match, VFL v SANFL – 2005
VFL Grand Final – 2005
Bill Sutton Medallion (Best First or Second Year Boundary Umpire) – 2007.
Burrows said any time you are selected for an AFL Grand Final is a massive moment.
“Last year was one of the epic grand finals of the last couple of decades, I was also lucky enough to do 2010, which feels like ages ago now, and was a draw so that was pretty extraordinary, the feeling at the end of that match to realise that everyone was going to be back again the following week,” he said.
“There’s been heaps of other good ones but one of the big highlights obviously is getting out there and umpiring with your mates and enjoying that.”
The record for most AFL games by a boundary umpire is currently held by Mark Thomson with 438. Burrows sits in fourth overall, with Adam Coote (414 games, second overall) the only active boundary umpire with more.
Burrows said he has no plans yet to give up as he’s still performing well and still enjoys it.
“I would encourage anyone to get into it, there are so many benefits to umpiring, whether you’re a young person or if you’re not a young person, at the very least, it’s a great way to get a little bit of pocket money and an excellent way to keep fit and healthy,” he said.
“It’s got the feeling of a sporting club in being around the umpiring association as well as it teaches you really good life skills around decision-making, communication, teamwork, conflict management, all those kinds of things,”
“There are really great pathways now, probably a lot more so than when I was back there, where talented young umpires are identified and helped to develop to reach their potential and if you make it to the top and are able to walk out in front of a packed MCG, there are not many better sporting feelings than that.”
AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Dillon and General Manager of Football Laura Kane commended Burrows on the achievement.
“Ian’s dedication to Umpiring at the highest level is outstanding. To reach 400 games is an incredible milestone. His peers and the broader umpiring and football industry is thrilled to be celebrating him this Saturday,” Mr Dillon said said.
“This weekend, I’m looking forward to applauding Ian and his work in our umpiring team. It truly is an amazing accomplishment and we thank him for his contribution to our game thus far,” Ms Kane said.
Burrows will share his special day and what’s expected to be a massive crowd as Richmond star Dustin Martin, who will return to the Tigers’ side after a week out, celebrates his 300th game.
