The role is vital to sport, but in years gone by, umpires, in senior and junior grades, have been treated with contempt by players, coaches and parents.
However, in recent years, sporting codes and leagues such as Shepparton Netball Association have placed more emphasis on offering support to its umpires and demanding that they be given more respect by punishing the heckling and abuse.
The focus on respect has meant that junior umpires haven’t been discouraged from playing their vital role on weekends across the various netball courts in the Goulburn Valley.
It has also meant that talented junior umpires such as Ivy Henderson (16) and Janaya Pettie (18) have been given the opportunity to work on their umpiring skills without the fear of abuse.
This freedom to enjoy governing the game they love has led to Henderson and Pettie being scouted to umpire at a higher level during the recent Association Championships.
The championships had Victoria’s best netball leagues (junior and senior) send representative sides to play each other to determine who was the best in the state.
And in the middle of all the action were the two young star umpires, Henderson and Pettie.
“It was good, I did about seven games during the (one-day tournament),” Henderson said.
“It was high-quality netball; it was fast.
“At the Association Championships that the netball squads went to, we were selected by Shepparton Netball Association to go with them.
“From there, there were umpire scouts who picked their people to go to the finals.”
While Pettie enjoys her umpiring role, the 18-year-old also plays netball for Shepparton United’s B-grade side in Goulburn Valley League.
Pettie’s love for the sport runs deep, with her family being in and around netball for as long as she can remember.
“(I have been) involved with netball through Mum from (since I was) young,” Pettie said.
“It was a pathway (umpiring) that Mum didn’t take, but she got me and my sister into it.”
Having sisters who umpire is a common theme for Pettie and Henderson.
The latter said that her sibling helped inspire her to take up the role, while having a few extra coins in the purse was a bonus.
“My sister was already umpiring and I thought it looked cool, so I went for it,” Henderson said.
“And the money (helped convince her to start).”
Henderson doesn’t play netball anymore, but the sky is the limit in terms of her umpiring aspirations.
The 16-year-old already knows what her next step is towards adjudicating professionally.
“I want to get my B badge,” she said.
“There are stages of getting badged, which is like qualifications, which show how good you are.
“We (Henderson and Pettie) both have our C badges, which is the first step; then there is B badge, A badge and AA.
“AA is international, A is national, and B is the next step (for us).”
Umpires must adjudicate different leagues (to their usual) across the state to obtain higher grade badges, and Henderson said they were offered good support in doing so.
Pettie doesn’t think she sees umpiring professionally in her future, but she understands how important her role is to keep the sport running, especially in regional Victoria, where netball is so popular.
Although Henderson and Pettie are small in stature, don’t be fooled into thinking they will be pushovers on game day, with both young umpires ready to stand their ground.
“(Get arguments from) players more than parents,” Henderson said.
“But you don’t get too much trouble.
“They quiet down once you give them a verbal warning.”
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