The Ballarat Football Umpires Association (BFUA) is now in its 107th year of umpiring football throughout the AFL Goldfields Region of Victoria. Based in Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh and Castlemaine, the BFUA had 330 running members in 2019 and services the Ballarat Football League, Ballarat Junior Football League, Central Highlands Football League, Maryborough & Castlemaine District Football League as well the AFL Goldfields Women’s and Youth Girls competitions. The breadth of the AFL Goldfields region is shown on the below map and highlights the reach of the Ballarat Football Umpires Association in their involvement with football in the region.
Over the past 107 years, the BFUA has contributed significantly to the footballing community and broader fabric of the western region of the state. It has produced many current and past AFL and VFL umpires from its ranks and numbers over 100 life members. It offers opportunities for a broad range of men and women and its membership is richly diverse. Its contributions to the wider social fabric includes assistance to bushfire affected families and communities, donations to the E.J. Whitten Foundation (cancer fund), support for local refugee new arrivals and financial assistance to families of umpires who have suffered unforeseen hardship. Having celebrated its Centenary in 2013, the BFUA is looking to the coming 100 years with anticipation and the belief that the Association will continue to grow and contribute to the sporting and social environment of western Victoria.