Glenn James

Glenn James
Personal information
Full name	Glenn Robert James
Other occupation	Teacher
Umpiring career
Years	League	Role	Games
1977–1985	VFL	Field umpire	166

Glenn Robert James OAM is a former Australian rules football umpire in the Victorian Football League. James umpired the 1982 and 1984 VFL Grand Finals and is recognised as the only Indigenous Australian to umpire VFL or AFL football.

James was the tenth child in a family of 14. His father, an Indigenous Australian of the Yorta Yorta people, worked in the Ardmona Cannery in Shepparton. The young James attended school at Gowrie Street School in Shepparton.

In 1968 James was drafted into the Australian Army and spent a year in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. James is one of two VFL umpires to have served in Vietnam, the other being goal umpire Trevor Pescud.

With his brothers, James played for Wunghnu in the Picola & District Football League. After a broken jaw ended his playing career James turned to umpiring.

After starting his umpiring career in country football, James umpired 166 VFL matches between 1977 and 1985 including the 1982 and 1984 VFL Grand Finals, and was the umpire selected in the Indigenous Team of the Century.

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