Rowan Sawers (born 19 October 1954) is a former

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 and umpire coach 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). Over a career that spanned 21 seasons at the highest level, Sawers became the first field umpire to reach the 400-game milestone at senior VFL/AFL level, eventually retiring after 410 games, which included four VFL/AFL Grand finals and 31 other finals. In addition, he umpired eight State-of-Origin games and was involved in two

International Rules International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...

tours to Ireland. Sawers was recruited from the Southern Umpires' Association in

Seaford, Victoria Seaford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Frankston local government area. Seaford recorded a population of 17,215 at the . History Seafor ...

. He began umpiring in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

in 1975, and began his Victorian Football League career in 1977. He was selected to officiate his first senior VFL match in Round 7 of the

1977 VFL season The 1977 VFL season was the 81st season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 2 April until 1 October, and comprised a 22-g ...

with

Ian Robinson Ian Robinson may refer to: *Ian Robinson (Australian football umpire) (born 1946), Australian Football League umpire active in the 1970s and 1980s *Ian Robinson (Australian politician) (1925–2017), Australian MP *Ian Robinson (author) (1937–202 ...

between and at

Moorabbin Oval Moorabbin Oval (also known as RSEA Park under a naming rights agreement) is an Australian rules football ground in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at Linton Street in the suburb of Moorabbin, Victoria, Moorabbin. The ground was most ...

. In a memorable umpiring debut, the Saints staged a mighty comeback in the final quarter to snatch a draw, but Sawers' main recollection was of his first bounce “My first bounce in League football didn’t bounce – the ball got stuck in the mud. Paul Callery, the St Kilda rover, plucked the Sherrin out of the bog and played on.�

Sawers eventually overtook former colleague Ian Robinson in Round 16 of the

1995 AFL season The 1995 AFL season was the 99th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The league expanded to s ...

, officiating his 354th senior VFL/AFL match at

The Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gab ...

between and His games record stood until 2007 when it was passed by

Hayden Kennedy Hayden Kennedy (born 16 October 1965) is a former Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League (AFL) and is also a teacher at St. Bernard's College, Melbourne. After five AFL Grand Finals and a then-record 495 game ...

. Sawers also umpired eight

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...

games, two

International rules football International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was develope ...

tours to Ireland, and at least one VFA grand final. He is currently a member of the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee and head coach of umpiring in the Essendon District Football League Umpires Association. He was the head umpire coach for AFL umpires for many years. After stepping down from the role of AFL umpires coach at the end of 2013, Sawers was approached by the

Essendon District Football League The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) is a professional Australian rules football league competition based in Essendon, Victoria, consisting of teams based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1930, the men's competition c ...

(EDFL) to manage and develop its umpiring department. He accepted the position in April 2014 and served until deciding to retire in October 2020 to spend more time with his family.

Honours

In 2002 Sawers was named in the

AFL Umpires Association The AFL Umpires Association (AFLUA) is the representative body for Australian Football League umpires. History The AFLUA was founded in 1909. The Association's current (as of 2021) CEO is Rob Kerr. Past CEOs include Bill Deller William R. Dell ...

''Umpires' Team of the Century'', and in 2004 he became the 11th umpire inducted into the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...

References

External links

* * Living people 1954 births Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian Football League umpires Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Victorian Football Association umpires {{AFL-bio-1950s-stub