Behind the Starting Line: The Call Room Officials Who Keep Athletics Moving

When spectators watch a national athletics championship, their attention is naturally drawn to the athletes, coaches, and officials visible on the field of play. Yet before a sprinter settles into the blocks or a thrower steps into the circle, every athlete has already passed through one of the most important checkpoints in the competition process: the call room.

As the first article in our series profiling the officials who work behind the scenes of athletics events, we spoke with two highly experienced call room judges at the Australian Athletics Championships, Heather Mitchell from New South Wales and Zoe Eastwood-Bryson from South Australia.

While their work rarely appears on television broadcasts, both officials are quick to point out that the call room is one of the gateways to competition.

The call room is where athletes gather before competition. Here, officials verify uniforms, shoes, bibs and competition equipment, ensuring everything complies with the rules before athletes are escorted to the field of play.

For Eastwood-Bryson, who transitioned into officiating after her career as a an javelin and discus thrower, the importance of the role is often underestimated.

“I just love it, everybody undermines the call room a little bit because people don’t quite understand it,” she explains. “But if there’s no call room, there’s no athletics. This is the place where the athletes have to come and get checked before they go onto the field.”

Although call room officials spend most of their time away from the spotlight, they interact with every athlete competing at the championships. “We’re in the background and we don’t get to see much, but we get to help every single athlete out in the field.”

Unlike some officiating roles that can be highly individual at times, the call room operates as a tightly coordinated team.

Mitchell, whose officiating journey began through Little Athletics while supporting her four children, appreciates the camaraderie the role provides. “As an umpire, you’re an individual out there,” she says. “But here, we’re a group of people, and you meet people from all states, all centres, all clubs.”

That teamwork becomes critical during major championships where athletes must be processed efficiently and accurately under strict timelines, often while television schedules are running to the minute.

Both officials agree that success in the call room relies on more than simply knowing the rules. “You’ve got to be calm. You’ve got to be patient. You’ve got to have respect,” Eastwood-Bryson says. “Not only for the other officials, but for the athletes as well.”

Athletes arriving at the call room may be preparing for the biggest competition of their season or even their career. Officials must balance firm rule enforcement with an understanding of the pressure athletes are under. “You’ve got to be well organised,” she adds. “And we’re a team. If another bay is struggling and you’ve got nothing to do, you go and help because we’re on a tight time schedule to get these athletes out on time.”

Officials must maintain an extensive knowledge of competition rules and procedures. Before the championships, the team attended seminars and worked through detailed briefing materials to ensure they were fully prepared. Attention to detail can be the difference between an athlete competing or facing a preventable issue on the field.

One of the unique rewards of call room officiating is the opportunity to see athletes develop throughout their careers.

For Eastwood-Bryson, one athlete who represents that journey is Australian discus star Matt Denny. “I remember when Matt was a junior wanting to be a great discus thrower,” she recalls. “Through the years, seeing him progress to where he is now, and when he comes into the call room he says, ‘Hi Zoe, how are you?'”

But the most memorable moments are not always Olympic achievements. “It might not be that they’re an Olympian,” she says. “It might be they’ve done a PB or they’ve got through the first round. Then they come back and say, ‘I made the next round.’ And you go, ‘Fantastic.’ It’s just a wonderful feeling.”

Mitchell shares similar experiences from decades in the sport.

For officials who dedicate years to the sport, those moments provide a powerful reminder that their contribution extends well beyond a single competition. Both officials are passionate about encouraging others to experience call room officiating.

“If somebody says, ‘Go to the call room,” Eastwood-Bryson says “Do it.”
Many officials who arrive for the first time quickly discover a role that is far more engaging and important than they expected.

“We get other officials that come in and they say, ‘We didn’t realise how important it was. We didn’t realise it wasn’t boring.'” Eastwood-Bryson also notes that the call room would welcome more male officials to join its ranks. “We’re really welcoming, and there’s a lot of knowledge in here.”

For Mitchell, the appeal lies in seeing a side of athletes that the public rarely gets to witness. “Once they leave here, it’s 100 per cent concentration,” she says. “When they come in here, they’re not the public figure they are outside. You get to see them in a more relaxed style.”

Every personal best, every national title and every championship performance begins with a walk through the call room. While the cameras focus on the finish line, the throwing circle or the podium, officials like Heather Mitchell and Zoe Eastwood-Bryson are ensuring that athletes arrive prepared, compliant and ready to compete.

Their work may happen behind the scenes, but the smooth operation of a championship depends on it. For those willing, the call room offers something special: a front-row seat to a part of the athletics journey.

–ENDS–