St Ives Netball Umpires
Welcome to the St Ives Netball Umpiring community!
For all umpiring inquiries, please contact Emily or Ella at umpire@stivesnetball.com.au
2025 Umpire Convenors: Emily and Ella
2025 Assistant Umpire Convenor: Karen
Umpiring Requirements
As part of the Ku-ring-gai Netball Association (KNA), St Ives is required to provide one umpire for every team in each timeslot, plus injury (INJ) umpires for emergencies. However, please note that umpires will not officiate games involving their own club. Instead, they will be assigned to umpire another game in the same timeslot.
New Umpires
If you’re new to umpiring, you’ll begin by umpiring the 9s and 10s competition on Saturdays at 8:00 AM and 8:55 AM at Canoon Road. As the season progresses, there may be opportunities to umpire other timeslots, but all new umpires start with the 9s and 10s.
Before the season begins, KNA hosts a Beginner Umpires Workshop, which is compulsory for all new umpires with St Ives. This year’s course will be held on Sunday, March 16, 2025, times TBC. This workshop will occur alongside the 9 Years Round Robin competition, offering valuable practical experience. This eventallows you to apply what you’ve learned at the workshop, with buddy umpires supporting you on the court. These experiences are essential for your development as an umpire and will help determine your progression with the club. Please note that not all aspiring umpires will be able to take on active umpiring roles due to limited slots. As such it is imperative prospective umpires attend the Workshop for a chance to be chosen for an active umpiring role.
Buddy System
To help new umpires gain confidence, we assign buddy umpires to most games. New District umpires will be paired with experienced St Ives umpires who will assist and guide them during the game. You will also be provided with a Buddy Notebook to track your development. Your buddy will use this notebook to record feedback and observations on your progress. When you’re ready for your next umpire badge assessment, the book will be reviewed to ensure you’ve made improvements.
If you haven’t received a STI Buddy Umpire Kit by the end of your workshop, please ask for one.
National Development of Umpires
Our more experienced senior umpires also mentor our HD and National C umpires. These umpires receive coaching from KNA to help them achieve their National badges, following the guidelines provided by Netball Australia. Progression through different National Badges includes two written exams and an active game panelling KNA National badged umpires.
KNA Carnivals
Umpires are encouraged to attend KNA carnivals as an excellent opportunity for additional coaching from senior umpires. If you need assistance with transportation, KNA can usually arrange a lift. Carnival payments are provided by KNA.
Changing Umpire Times
If you’re unable to umpire a scheduled game, please notify us as soon as possible by emailing umpire@stivesnetball.com.au. KNA requires any changes to be communicated by 5:00 PM on the Wednesday before the game. Last-minute cancellations due to commitments known in advance are discouraged, as they create challenges for the club and the competition.
If you are ill after the Wednesday deadline, please contact Emily (0458 668 466) or Ella (0439 243 888) as soon as possible. Both are available via WhatsApp. You can also use the umpiring email, umpire@stivesnetball.com.au.
Communication
We communicate with all umpires primarily via email, so it’s important to keep your email address up to date and check your inbox regularly. We also require a mobile number in case we need to reach you urgently, such as on Saturday mornings if we need to find a last-minute replacement or if a game has been cancelled.
For quick updates on game day, we use the SINC Umpiring 2025 WhatsApp group. All umpires are added to this group, which is the best place to communicate availability and find replacements quickly. This group will be active from the 15th of February.
Support and Well-being
If you ever feel intimidated or overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out for support. Emily, Ella, and Karen are often at the STI tent or on court and are happy to assist. Your buddy umpire is also there to help. We want to ensure that all umpires feel comfortable, supported, and confident. Most importantly, we want you to have fun and enjoy your umpiring experience!