Written by Amelia Barnes
Jayda Young started umpiring netball when she was 11 years old as a mandatory club requirement.
What was initially a fun way to earn some extra pocket money is now her passion that sees Young involved in the Netball Victoria pathway.
Young has officiated netball for many years, but it wasn’t until after COVID lockdowns that she began taking the sport more seriously.
Netball was one of the first sports she was involved with to recommence, so Young jumped at the chance to take on a bigger role.
“I kind of just hooked onto it and thought, all my drive and passion is going to go into this one thing,” she said.
“It's kind of been like that for the past two, nearly three, years now. It’s become a very big focus in my life.”
Young began umpiring the open divisions at Parkville Netball and was invited to attend an Association Championships competition where she was talent identified (TID).
Being TID officially introduced Young to the Netball Victoria umpire pathway, exposing her to more coaching and programs such as the Netball Victoria Talent Academy. This program is an opportunity for talented players and officials to develop technical and tactical skills, improve their wellbeing, and focus on physical preparation.
As part of the Central West Talent Academy, Young attended monthly sessions involving warming up with the players, working on theory, and umpiring match play.
“Each session had a different focus, so sometimes it would be the minor infringements, and other times it would be the major infringements or positioning… Then we'd get to go on and actually put into practice what we'd been working on.”
More recently, Young was selected to be part of the Netball Victoria Elevate Program. This new pathway program sees umpires and athletes attend twice weekly sessions comprising gym and court sessions.
“We also then had access to some extra coaching on a Tuesday night. We've had some of the AA Badge umpires come in and coach us, which has been very helpful,” said Young.
“During the game they’ll give us feedback to try to improve on immediately, and then after the game we'll have a chat with them about how it went during the game, how we adapted, what to look at and work on next.”
Young said both Talent Academy and Elevate have played a key role in her development as an umpire.
“I have enjoyed it and I definitely think it's helped just getting the introduction to a high performance pathway and opening up to where you can go and what's possible.
“Having access to so many other people and so many other coaches I find very valuable.”
Being exposed to more experienced players has also enhanced Young’s understanding of the game and its nuances.
“We get to really see what the players can do and then allow that to happen within the rules,” she said.
“There's so many rules and things you can't do [in netball], but it's finding what you can do within those rules that makes it such a good sport.”
Between earning her umpiring C badge in late 2021 and her B badge in May 2023, Young has noticed her ability to enjoy the game without fixating on inevitable mistakes or criticism has markedly improved.
“I think the most important thing that I was told near the end of last year was to stop trying to be so perfect and stop trying to criticise myself, especially in the moment,” she explained.
“[Criticism] is something I can work on during the week or between games. But in that moment, it’s about just moving on, continuing the game, and making decisions.”
As well as participating in pathway programs, Young regularly umpires men’s and women’s competitions at the State Netball Centre.
Earlier in the year she officiated at 2023 Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) National Championships.
Strengths of Young’s umpiring include her quick thinking, knowledge of the game, and speed on the ground.
In addition to doing what she loves, umpiring has allowed her to build new friendships, earn money, and develop skills that benefit her life outside of netball.
“I think as I've gotten higher up, it's really helped me with my confidence and general life,” Young said.
Umpiring has also introduced Young to Victoria’s wide community of officials who provide support and encourage constant learning.
“As umpires, as a community, we're always discussing things, always asking questions, and talking about things that happened in our game,” Young said.
“You really get deep into the sport and the game and what can and can't be done, which is so fun.”
Interested in becoming an umpire? Find out more
