POINT Cook schoolgirl Soreti Jibrael has made history as the first umpire to wear a hijab on an elite AFL ground.
The 13-year-old said she was nervous when she stepped on to Etihad Stadium to umpire an Auskick match on August 2.
“It was nerve-racking and a thrill,” she said.
The Hoppers Crossing resident and Cats fan attends Point Cook P-9 College, where 25 students are part of AFL Victoria’s basic umpiring course, which is designed to promote leadership, decision-making and the role of umpires to a new generation.
Assistant principal Frank Vetere said the school had been surprised at the publicity surrounding Soreti’s debut “because multiculturalism is something we take for granted”.
