• When did you get started with umpiring?

“I started umpiring for my sister’s school team when she was in primary school (Year 5&6) when I was in Year 7 and have now been umpiring now for around 4 years. I was offered more opportunities and now I umpire for Year 7, 8 and 9 teams.”

• Why do you umpire?

“Umpiring is a great way to help me develop myself in the netball world, and I think of it as a backup that I can do alongside playing. I am quite a firm umpire, and I try not to take much notice of any comments or anything – if I see something I will call it! I really like the intense games, and I enjoy being able to watch and learn from being part of the games, it really helps me to develop my netball skills.”

• What can be tricky about being an umpire?

“Definitely the sideline comments or when a parent who thinks that they are an umpire believes that their opinion is right. When I hear sideline comments it can affect me a bit sometimes, I try not to care about them but it can have an impact on my mindset and adds to the pressure. Sometimes if you make the wrong call, the whole game is blamed on you, and people say “she was such a bad ref” based on two or three mistakes. The players make mistakes too, but people don’t look at umpiring in the same way.”

• What is the next step in your umpiring journey?

“I will be going for my Zone Theory exam in August so that is what I am preparing for now. I want to go further but will take it one step at a time. I have lots of support around me including Fran at Windmill Park and my school coordinator – I’ve received some really great advice from people. Having so much support has helped me to get where I am as I can always turn back to the people around me and ask for help. I want people to remember me as a good and fair umpire and I see myself umpiring for quite a few years through high school and see where it takes me.”

• What advice do you have for anyone considering becoming an umpire?

“Don’t care about anyone trying to put you down. There are so many people that are around who can help with your umpiring journey so just reach out and keep going.”

For more information about becoming an umpire, visit our Umpire page here. 

Article added: Monday 05 August 2024