Billy Mitchell will take the helm of the panel as head of umpiring operations and senior field coach.

He will assume overall responsibility for umpire coaching and development and will manage the BFUA's three training bases in Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh and Maryborough.

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He will also take the lead on recruitment and retention initiatives, and liaise with the Ballarat Football Netball League, the Central Highlands Football League and the Maryborough-Castlemaine District Football League to develop umpiring across the region.

BFUA chair Justin Davey said the appointment reflected a change in the association's structure, whereby Mitchell will oversee all umpire operations to further embed the BFUA in the football community.

"This model is common within umpiring associations and enables us to combine our operational management with umpire coaching, which is critical for our education and growth" Davey said.

"Billy has twelve years of experience in umpiring and has been involved in four umpiring associations across Australia.

"He is also an accredited high-performance umpire coach.

"We have a goal to be the largest and best umpiring association in regional Victoria, and we look forward to utilising Billy's skills and experience to make strong headway"

Mitchell will be backed up by Paul Miesen, who has been appointed boundary umpire coach. His experience includes five years umpiring at a VFL/AFL level.

For the past two seasons he has led the Bacchus Marsh training base and has held several volunteer roles with Bacchus Marsh Football Netball Club and Darley Football Netball Club.

He also has over 15 years of experience in athletics as a coach and committee member with the Bacchus Marsh Little Athletics Club.

Meanwhile Brodie Bennett has taken on the role of Goal Umpire Coach, while Paul Clark serve as Development Umpire Coach.

Davey said the BFUA recognised the challenge of bouncing back post COVID-19, after 12 months of no football.

"We believe the expertise of this coaching panel sets us up to counter the impact and grow to new heights in the years ahead," he said.