60 minutes. 1200 passes. 38 actions per pass = 45,600 decisions. That is what’s asked of netball umpires every single game.
It’s a near impossible and often thankless task, but umpiring is Anita Hill's passion, and she’s on a mission to get others on board after taking out the Netball Victoria 2021 Umpire of the Year award.
Hill was first introduced to umpiring at 12 years of age, although she quickly returned to playing after failing her first exam.
That could have been the end of it, although that initial umpiring experience led Hill to notice poor umpire positioning and inconsistent calls that made her frustrated as a player.
“I was becoming a naughty player.” she said. “I was taking the umpiring pretty seriously, so I had to make a choice between the two, and umpiring won.”
The decision to start training other umpires happened naturally after Hill’s daughters started playing netball. Their local club at the time had 25 teams and no umpires, so Hill created a program to mentor 20 trainees, with several obtaining a badge.
Years later, Hill resumed umpiring again when the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League (MPNFL) was facing its own umpire shortage. Something needed to be done, so Hill teamed up in 2017 with Judi Sutton and Bridget Stonier-Gibson to found Peninsula Netball Umpires Association (PNUA) – an organisation providing umpires for clubs across the MPNFL.
Initially coordinating umpires for five clubs, PNUA now has 40 umpires servicing 17 clubs. Hill hopes to eventually work with all 22 MPNFL clubs – she just needs more umpires.
“The people I work with are so amazing and we just want to see netball improving,” she said. “There’s lots more to do yet!”
Hill also works with the Nepean Netball Association to train and supply their umpires. This relationship started in 2020, when a lack of umpires threatened to end Nepean’s upcoming season before it had even begun. Hill of course saved the day, providing contacts to host umpire clinics, and offer ongoing training.
Within months, Nepean Netball Association had eight umpires ready to be assessed for badging.
“Anita's unwavering care and commitment to our small association and supporting, [as well as] nurturing and valuing grassroots community sport, is exactly what all communities need,” said Linda Williamson, president of the Nepean Netball Association. “If only there were more Anitas!”
In addition to filling a desperate need for more umpires in the area, Hill’s work with the PNUA has created a pathway for Mornington Peninsula umpires to improve and gain in qualifications.
“It started out of a necessity to coordinate umpires, but it’s grown,” Hill said. “COVID has especially highlighted that we need to keep mentoring and developing our umpires at the grassroots level. Our real focus, we’ve realised, is to develop a community. There’s no overall body that actually looks after umpires.”
Indeed, netball relies on umpires to exist, yet there is a lack of understanding around the level of difficulty and commitment involved, as well as the valuable opportunities this presents. To build respect for the job and what’s required, Hill posits all netball players and coaches should receive umpire training, and eventually have this taught in schools alongside actual game-play.
“We really feel it shouldn't just be for the umpires alone; we really encourage the coaches and players also,” she said. “I’d love them to be learning with us, so we’re learning together.”
The creation of more avenues to celebrate umpires is also important in attracting more people to the job. “Probably what we’re missing is that body to say, ‘Hey umpires, you’re important!’”
As well as genuinely loving what she does, Hill says it’s fulfilling to give back to her local community through umpiring.
“Why wouldn’t you want to? You can umpire for so many more years than you can play and still be contributing to the sport you’re passionate about. “It's not a chore, it’s a joy.”
