Umpiring an AFL game is a lot like teaching a classroom of rowdy schoolboys, Eleni Glouftsis says.

Knowing your stuff – whether it's the content of the lesson or the rules of the game – is the key to confidence and success.

The Melbourne PE teacher and AFL rookie umpire will be the first woman to officiate a pre-season game when she runs out at the NAB Challenge match between Essendon and Carlton at the weekend.

Glouftsis said she was excited and had been enjoying the moment this week, but come Sunday she would try to think of the occasion as just another game.