Don Lovett Officiates His 800th Game

Don began his involvement with lacrosse in 1963 when he started playing for the Glenroy Lacrosse Club, an association that lasted for 27 years before he turned his attention to officiating in 1990 as the club referee for Glenroy.

In 1991 Don joined the Australian Lacrosse Referees Association (ALRA) and subsequently the Victorian Lacrosse Officials (VLO) where he has attained the following achievements:

• Officiated in Victorian Junior and Senior finals games between 1992 -2023 including 21 State League Grand Finals including 11 as the Head Referee
• Officiated in the Womens 2022/2023 Championship League and Under 16 competition
• Was awarded the Lacrosse Victoria Club Referee Award for the Womens competition in 2022

At a National level Don:

• Officiated at 9 Junior U/15, U/17, U/18, U/19 Championships
• Officiated at 14 Senior National Championships including 12 Gold Medal games at which he was the Head Referee in 7 games.

On the International stage Don excelled:

• Attending the 2004 Asia Pacific International event
• Officiating at the 1999 Under 19 World Championship
• Representing Australia at the Senior Mens World Championships in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2018
• Don was the Head Referee in the Championship 2006 Final in Manchester

Now entering his twilight years in officiating, Don continues to give back to the sport he loves by officiating on a weekly basis across both the men’s and women’s competitions here in Victoria. Over 35 years of officiating Don has earned the respect of the lacrosse community, both here in Australia and across the world, and we salute you Don on a remarkable career.