WHEN Craig Findlay and Paula Shay started their respective umpiring careers, never did they envisage they would wind up officiating a game in India.
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But that's exactly what the Bendigo Umpires Association pair will be doing next week when the AFL India National Championships kick-off next Monday in Howrah.
The pair are travelling to India as part of a Bendigo Football Netball League delegation, headed by Golden Square club chaplain Bruce Claridge.
They departed on Thursday.
Their mission is to help run the championships, involving players from seven Indian states, and support humanitarian efforts in Kolkota's slums.
It is the third consecutive year Claridge has organised a delegation to India, usually comprising players, club trainers and fitness coaches and members of Bendigo's business community.
Shay, who took up umpiring in 2009, said she had jumped at the chance to be involved after attending an AFL India fundraiser at the Golden Square Football Netball Club in November.
"I never thought I'd leave the country to umpire football, but what a great opportunity," she said.
"Not too many people can say they have umpired football outside Australia.
"I saw some (AFL India) footage the other night - the standard is not at our senior football, so they are still learning their ball skills."
Shay said she was expecting plenty of challenges on-field.
"There will be a language barrier, so our signalling will need to be clear," she said.
Findlay and Shay will spend this Sunday mentoring and training a group of 14 local umpires, who will also officiate during the championships.
The locals will be decked out in gear donated by the Bendigo Umpires Association.
Findlay, who is entering his 34th year in the umpiring fraternity, said he was most looking forward to the humanitarian aspect of the trip.
"I'm looking forward to a bit of life changing experience and seeing how other people live," he said.
"We know we have it fairly comfortable here at home, to go to India and see how people live in their environment will be a real eye-opener.
“There’s a lot of hardship over there and people live in some pretty rough conditions. People say it’s very confronting.
"It's not so much about the football for us, it's looking at the different culture and how (the people) overcome their challenges."
