Melissa Sambrooks is a PE Teacher by day and an AFL Rookie Boundary Umpire, having progressed from community leagues near Kerang, where she began umpiring at age 12, through to the VFL, AFLW and AFL. She made her senior VFL debut in 2022 and, in 2023, was part of the first all-female boundary umpire team to officiate a senior men’s state league match, earning the AFLW Umpiring Rising Star award that same year.
She has officiated key AFLW matches, including the inaugural game between Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, and the 2024 First Semi Final between Adelaide Football Club and Fremantle Football Club. In 2025, she achieved another milestone, making her AFL men’s debut as a boundary umpire in Round 24, becoming one of the first women to reach this level.