This year the Upper North Island Secondary Schools tournament (UNISS) saw over 140 umpires take part, with the support of 17 umpire coaches who were a part of the Netball Northern and Netball WaiBoP Zone Umpire Panels.
One of these umpire coaches, was Brooklyn Mangakahia, from Whangārei Netball Centre. We hear from him his experiences as a first-time umpire coach at UNISS.
Umpire Coaching at UNISS
Brooklyn says he was a part of the Netball Northern Zone Umpire Panel, which had the largest pool of umpires - which meant for a busy week as an umpire coach.
One thing that stood out for him at UNISS, he says, is that it allowed for umpires to come to tournament and receive quality coaching in relation to their games.
“It also allowed for those umpires working toward the next qualification, to be recognised for their efforts,” he says.
Skill Development, Mentorship and Motivation
Brooklyn says that umpire coaches are there to support skill development and ensure consistent standards in umpires, but it’s also around mentorship and motivation.
“Giving the umpires a confidence boost, can sometimes be the biggest difference to them at tournament.”
Seeing the Positive Impact
Brooklyn says as a first-time umpire coach for UNISS, he found great fulfilment and pride in witnessing the growth of umpires throughout the week.
“It was rewarding to see how the coaching we provided, positively impacted their performance throughout the tournament.”
“The best thing is when you’re able to recognise the umpires for their efforts and see their reactions!” he says.
Umpire Coaches within our Zone
Netball Northern Umpire Lead, Sharleen Morrell, says we have over 160 umpire coaches across the 16 netball centres within our zone. They support the learning and development of umpires through an umpire-centred coaching approach and aim to create an environment where umpires are active in their learning and supported to reflect on their own game.
Sharleen says umpire coaches are often umpires themselves who work hard to find time to support the development of umpires at their centre and across the zone.
They also work closely with the Umpire Coach Developers within our zone to continue with their own development.
