As the first Voices of the Community, I couldn’t start anywhere else but with our beloved Sean. Read below to hear from Sean in his own words and be sure to like and comment below. If you would like to shear your experience or know someone who should please email us at contact@netballumpires.com.au and tag them in the comments.

We hope you enjoy reading the first Voices of the Community.  Cheers, Amanda x

I started playing netball at 10 yrs of age in 1988 when my local netball association,  St Albans Netball Association, started a junior competition.  I was rather good. My younger sister started to play in rep squad and I wanted to play as well.  But boys couldn’t play after turning 12. I was bitterly disappointed.  But one of the other netball mum’s suggested that I should pick up a whistle and umpire.

So I went and got mum to buy me my first whistle,  a cheap Kmart brand, and a bag. I has white shorts and t-shirt from playing tennis.  I was all set. Mum worked with a lady who used to umpire netball and she gave mum a rule book for me to have. This was 1990. The rule book was a 1983 rule book.  I read the book from front to back.

One cold April Sunday morning out at the Waverley netball courts I stepped out onto the court to umpire for the very first time.  I loved it. I would watch the Mobil Super League back in the day, watching umpiring greats Jan Cross, Maureen Boyle and Chris Burton and was in ore of what they were doing.  I picked up tips from watching them, throw it in from Burton,  advantage participating from Boyle and your all over her Goal Defence from Cross. They were my idols and I wanted to umpire on the television as well.

I started umpiring open  ladies competitions at St Albans in 1993 as an unbadged umpire. I also sat my first level 1 umpires exam still using my rule book from 1983. One of the netball mum’s husband who was a football umpire got me my first Acme thunderer. I’ve never looked back.  I was umpiring A, B and C grades as well as junior grades. In 1994 I was awarded my C badge at St Albans.

In 1996 I was invited to come into Parkville Netball to begin training for my B badge. I was tested for my B badge in 1999 and despite falling over flat on my face in front of the testers I was awarded my B badge.

I finally bought an updated rule book and have kept myself up to date since.

In 2000 I umpired my first Mens National Netball Championship in Melbourne at Jells Park. I have continued umpiring the men’s nationals every year up til 2019. I umpired a men’s Trans Tasman series in 2010, one of the highlights of my umpiring career.

In 2005 I began umpire mentoring at Parkville Netball on a Monday night.  I continue to do this to this day. I have really enjoyed being able to pass on my passion for the game of netball to my fellow umpires. I have awarded over 20 C badges,  5 B badges and have seen many umpires who I have mentored go onto to get their A badges and some even  their AA badge.

I’m now 42 and have been involved with netball for 32 years. My passion for the sport is as strong today as it was when I started with my 1983 rule book in 1990. I still watch the netball on the tv and learn from the best in the business.

I may not have made it to the television but I have enjoyed my umpiring journey. It has had its ups and downs. There have been good times and  there have been disappointments.  But I have always maintained my passion for what I am doing.  My technique and style are not text book, but you can’t contain my passion and enthusiasm for my umpiring.

My best umpiring experience:

In 2010 I got to umpire in the Mens Trans Tasman Series . I umpired the 23 & under game in Packenham. NZ won game 1 of the best of 3 series. It was a tough game played in good spirits.  It was also only my 2nd ever time wearing a buzzer on my wrist for timing. In the last quarter NZ was up by one goal with under a minute to go and some slowing the game strategy was being employed by NZ. There was a contact at my end and the ball went rolling away so I blew time to stop the clock. Just after I did that the buzzer on my wrist started to vibrate.  I looked across at the timing bench and they are all looking at me nodding their heads so I then had to blow full time on the game. It was a deer in the headlights moment for me but was a thrilling experience to be apart of and one I will never forget.  NZ took a 2-0 unbeatable lead in the series.

My most worst umpiring experience-

In 2007 I traveled to Perth to umpire in the Australian Mens Netball Championship.

On my first game of the tournament I was umpiring and felt a muscle go really tight in my neck and I couldn’t turn my head to the right. I had to come off the game in the 3rd quarter as I was in so much pain. The trainer came over to me and said my neck was extremely tight. I didn’t umpire any other games that day. I went back to the motel that night and went to bed. The next morning when I woke up and tried to get out of bed my entire left hand side of my body was paralyzed and I couldn’t move. I fell out of bed and was screaming for help on the floor. Fellow umpires heard my screams but I couldn’t get to the door to let them in so they had to go to management to get a spare key to come into my room. I was taken to hospital where I was given a needle to release the muscles.  Oh my god was that a relief.  For the next few days the trainer worked on my neck to help keep the muscles loose.  I managed to be able to umpire one final game on the last day of competition.  I flew all the way to Perth and only umpired 1 1/2 games.

3 tips to share

*never stop learning- there is always something new to learn

*listen to critique- but have the ability to prioritize how your going to work on the critiques given

*honest self evaluation- be honest with yourself and don’t put yourself on a pedestal.  You’ll only disappoint yourself if you don’t make it.

Sean Steele