WHEN Matt James went house after umpiring the 2002 AFL Grand Ultimate, the second in an historic trio of premiership wins for Leigh Matthews’ marvellous Brisbane Lions staff, his father turned his again and refused to speak to him.
James was a part of a household whose blood ran black and white – passionate Collingwood supporters who had been proud to be one-eyed fanatical followers of the Magpies, the staff the Lions had overwhelmed by simply 9 factors on the final Saturday in September.
And his dad blamed James for the defeat.
Matt James, who umpired 206 AFL video games, together with 16 finals, and was named All-Australian umpire in 2004, was all the time a Collingwood supporter himself.
“In case you develop up in Melbourne everybody barracks for one specific staff,” he mentioned, “and also you’re all the time fanatical about it.
“After I umpired Collingwood video games I suppose I used to be all the time subconsciously powerful on them,” he mentioned. “I feel that’s a part of human nature – like a guardian being more durable on his personal child than some other little one.”
Former AFL Grand Ultimate umpire Matt James has discovered a contented house at Yamaha Queensland.
James retired on the age of 35, his umpiring profession reduce quick by a persistent calf damage.
Given his background, it was no actual shock that he ought to then bob up because the umpire supervisor for AFL Cairns in Far North Queensland, or in gross sales for a corporation that manufactured staff attire or, later, because the operations supervisor of the fledgling Collingwood WAFL ladies’s footy squad. And even because the founding father of Restoration Lab, a series of restoration and wellness studios he developed and later bought.
But it surely does appear one thing of a stretch that he ought to now be the Queensland gross sales supervisor for Yamaha golf carts – regardless of James’ insistence that it’s actually only a pure development.
“Umpiring is about battle decision and other people administration,” he mentioned. “It additionally teaches you about getting together with folks, being attentive to element, and it opens a whole lot of doorways.
“I’d all the time been a mad golfer, and when this chance got here up I believed it was the right position,” he mentioned. “All the things I’ve executed has led to this position.”
James, who grew up within the internal Melbourne suburb of Ascot Vale, first performed golf on the native Riverside Golf Membership when he was seven. He was junior participant, slicing his handicap to single figures earlier than leaving the sport behind to pursue his profession in soccer.
He started umpiring within the previous Footscray District League earlier than spending 5 years as a VFL umpire. He was in command of the 1997 and 1998 VFL Grand Finals earlier than becoming a member of the AFL in 1999.
One of many extra memorable incidents in an impressive profession got here that very same yr in Perth when fellow umpire Peter Carey famously marked the ball throughout a match between Fremantle and St Kilda.
Jeff Gieschen, who was then AFL umpires supervisor, mentioned James was an exquisite umpire.
“All people who watched Matthew on the high of his recreation between 2001 and 2005 would say he was most likely the prototype of what AFL umpiring was all about – athletic, incredible decision-maker, a superb bouncer and he had a terrific relationship with the gamers,” Gieschen mentioned.
When James relocated to Brisbane he resumed his love affair with golf and joined Nudgee Golf Membership. He shortly rediscovered his recreation and presently owns a handicap of two.5.
Now 50, he performs Masters pennants for Nudgee, and was a member of this yr’s profitable Masters pennant squad.
After we spoke, James was about to start his fourth week with Yamaha, an organization he finds terribly spectacular.
“The very first thing that blew me away was the workers,” he mentioned. “They had been very welcoming and everybody was so eager to assist me.
“And all of the shoppers I’ve met converse extremely of the product. It’s not laborious to promote such a top quality product.”
He predicts a brilliant future for golf carts, suggesting extra golfers will decide to trip quite than stroll, looking for better consolation and a faster spherical. “Upwards of 500 folks play on a Saturday at Nudgee,” he mentioned. “Tempo of play is changing into an actual difficulty.”
Nonetheless a staunch Magpies supporter, James is disenchanted Collingwood missed out on enjoying on this yr’s AFL finals. “In the event that they’d sneaked in, I reckon no staff would have needed to play them,” he mentioned.
