It was a historic moment for the Australian Women’s Baseball Championship with an all-female contingent of umpires – leading the charge, the first to ever do so at the Championships.
Across the 7-day tournament the umpires fronted up an impressive 12 times. Umpire Leanne Gearside was 1 of the 12 umpires across the tournament and noted that the Championships were an opportunity to grow and to “add to your repertoire.”
With many of the umpires meeting for the first time at the Championships, it was a great opportunity to foster new relationships and learn from one another.
Umpire in Chief and 4-time World Cup umpire – Fiona Lambrick was a valuable source of information and great mentor for the cohort, particularly for Gearside.
“She is a wealth of knowledge, but she is also here for each of us, to help make us better and more confident,” she said.
But it’s about more than just individual growth, it’s about inspiring the next generation of women and girls in baseball to follow in their footsteps and see a clear pathway.
“We’re starting a legacy here – a new era for baseball,” said Gearside.
Doubling as both a mentor and umpire, Lambrick knows all too well the challenges that can pop up through the pathways for women officials in baseball.
“It is a very male dominated field and that can be intimidating,” Lambrick said.
Australian Umpire in Chief, Brett Robson planted the seed 5-years ago to Lambrick about establishing an all-women umpiring crew and she hasn’t looked back since focusing on empowering more women and girls to feel supported when taking the pitch.
“It’s great to see so many ladies not only taking up umpiring but also inspiring others to get involved.”
Coming through different paths, one thing that both Gearside and Lambrick emphasised was the importance of just having a go, because “you never know where it will take you.”
If you would like to get involved in umpiring baseball or want to read more about the experiences of the crew, check out Baseball Australia’s website.
Australian Women’s Championship
Leanne Gearside – NSW
Alisha Jewry – QLD
Lilian King – ACT
Jen Langlands – NSW
Carla Pinder – QLD
Janine Thompson – VIC
Australian Youth Women’s Championship
Irma Cortez – QLD
Jan Gatti – NSW
Liliana Ostara – QLD
Anahera Russell – QLD
Tess Sard – VIC
Jenelle Stafilis – VIC
Page last updated: 7 May 2025
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