By Amelia Barnes
For 25 years, Kate Wright umpired netball at the elite level across the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, ANZ Championship, Suncorp Super Netball (SSN), and international test series.
Recognising her remarkable career and ongoing contribution to netball, she was inducted as Netball Victoria’s newest Life Member at the recent 2025 Netball Victoria Awards.
Wright’s appointment to Life Member follows her retirement from national umpiring at the end of 2024. For over two decades prior, she balanced match day duties with a career in consulting, motherhood, and managing the time commitments required to officiate at the top level.
It’s a journey Wright never could have imagined when first picking up the whistle. A promising state league player, she was encouraged to umpire by some fantastic mentors including June Moore, Jan Cross, and Barbara Cox (all Netball Victoria Life Members), but had no idea what opportunities lay ahead.
“There weren’t clear [umpire] pathways then, so I never thought about it to be honest,” Wright said. “I just loved each game that I went and umpired.
It wasn’t until Wright was eligible for her All Australian (AA Badge) accreditation – the highest national umpiring award – that she realised how much the job meant to her.
“It wasn’t the be-all and end-all for me until I went for it and didn’t get it,” Wright said. “I then thought, hang on, I actually really want this – even if still not fully realising what doors would open up from there.”
Wright achieved her All Australian Umpire Award in 1999 and was first endorsed as an International Netball Umpire Awardee (INUA) in 2001 to officiate World Netball matches.
She went on to umpire at the 2007 Netball World Cup in New Zealand, 2011 World Cup in Singapore, 2022 Commonwealth Games in England, and 2023 World Cup in Singapore, in addition to numerous other tests.
One of her favourite matches came 20 years into her umpiring career at the 2019 Quad Series between New Zealand and South Africa that went into double extra time – the type of games Wright loves umpiring most.
“You’re just so thrown into the game,” she said. “Every decision that you have to make matters, and matters to the players on the court so much that you don’t think about anything else.”
Wright’s national umpiring highlights included two grand finals: the first in her debut season in 2000, and then again in 2021.
Over that time, she watched the game evolve from the fast and flowing “Australian style” of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, to the defence-heavy ANZ Championship, and the professionalism of SSN. “It’s just a melting pot of talent and different styles – it’s really lifted it again,” said Wright of SSN.
Wright believes it’s an umpire’s job to make the athletes and product shine by reading the play and determining when to assert more control. “It's all about what they can produce, and what I need to do to make what they are doing spectacular,” she explained.
There’s also plenty of behind the scenes work that goes into elite umpiring, from last minute travel to attend matches (the SSN umpire fixture is often not released until the week of the game), extensive video analysis, presentations, and maintaining fitness levels to keep up with the pace of the game.
World Netball endorsed umpires are required to pass a specific fitness test, while umpires officiating at SSN and in the Championship division of the Victorian Netball League (VNL) must achieve at least 15.1 on the Yo-Yo Test.
Wright credits her longevity in the game to her passion, flexible full-time job, and the support of her family – without whom her umpiring achievements wouldn’t be possible. “Your family have to make sacrifices as well, and that’s a huge commitment,” she said.
Post national duties, she remains heavily involved in netball, officiating at state league and in men’s international tests, and being a passionate advocate for elevating the standards and conditions of umpires across the globe.
Wright said she was surprised, but ultimately proud and “really chuffed” to receive a Netball Victoria Life Membership – a rare honour awarded only to individuals who have given outstanding service to netball at the state level.
“It's nice to know that everything that you've put in all over all those years is recognised.”
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