Matt Stevic (born 12 November 1979) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

field umpire in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). He has umpired 449 career games in the AFL, which has him sitting currently at number 4 on the All-time Games umpired list. The 449 games includes ten grand finals. Stevic was born in

Leongatha, Victoria Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. At the , Leongatha had a population of 5,869. Canadian dairy company Saputo which trades in Australia ...

. He made his debut umpiring his first match in the AFL in Round 1, 2004, between the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

and the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football ...

at the

Telstra Dome Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...

, and he has since umpired internationally. He used to teach physical education, business management and geography at secondary schools, including

Melbourne Grammar (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

, Scotch College and

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. Th ...

. As of the end of the 2021 season, Stevic has umpired in ten grand finals. His first, alongside

Brett Rosebury Brett Rosebury (born 19 March 1980) is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has umpired 418 career games in the AFL since his debut in Round 13, 2000, as of the end of the 2017 season. He um ...

and Simon Meredith, was the

2012 AFL Grand Final The 2012 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 2012. It was the 117th annual grand final of the Australian Football ...

; after not being selected in 2013, he has since umpired nine consecutive grand finals from

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

until

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. He has umpired a total of 51 finals matches in his career, a record among all umpires in VFL/AFL history; and his ten Grand Finals puts him equal with Jack Elder for most Grand Finals umpired. Stevic studied applied science (sport coaching and administration) at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

with a major in sport coaching.

Footnotes

External links

Matt Stevic
at AFL Tables Australian Football League umpires Living people 1979 births People from Leongatha Deakin University alumni {{AFL-bio-1970s-stub