Hampden netball umpires return from COVID-enforced break

The league's junior competitions began on Wednesday night after being interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Portland battled the Hawks at Hanlon Park with the remaining matches to be played on Saturday.

COVID-19 means even the netball umpires are operating under a new set of rules.

They're required to disinfect the ball at each break and after a game.

Sharing of whistles and drink bottles is not permitted.

And they'll have to social distance when checking nails prior to the start of games.

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Ecklin South's Josie Logan is returning to officiate the game she loves.

Logan will umpire the 13 and under and 15 and under games between Portland and North Warrnambool Eagles at Hanlon Park.

She also oversees netball umpiring as part of her role on the Hampden league executive.

Logan, who has been on the executive for four years, joined at an intriguing time for Hampden netball umpires.

The independent netball umpiring panel, which had existed for at least a decade, was scrapped prior to the 2017 season due dwindling numbers.

Travel was a significant obstacle for people who wanted to play and umpire on the same day.

The panel supplied umpires for open and division one netball.

Since then clubs have had to supply one official each per match at all levels.

League stalwart Pam Davis spoke positively about the change at the time but expected teething problems under the new system.

She and others were keen to help develop club umpires.

The club-based strategy seems to be a working a treat four years down the track.

Logan said there were more junior umpires.

"The last couple of seasons we've tried to focus more on providing mentoring for the umpires," she said.

"I think that's got a lot more younger umpires involved."

The jump in junior numbers has come at a good time.

"A lot of the panel umpires we've had in the past are heading towards the end of their umpiring so it's exciting to see some of these new umpires coming through," Logan said.

The HFNL's representation at the statewide association championships is further evidence the system is working.

"We regularly get umpires who get allocated finals so I think that shows we're doing something right down here," she said.

Logan was on the umpiring panel for many years.

She said scrapping the system had encouraged clubs to develop their own umpires.

Previously clubs relied on the panel umpires to officiate senior games.

"They weren't developing those beginner umpires to that next level because they were always bringing the panel umpires in to do those games," she said.

Logan believes the new system combined with increased mentoring has helped many push for their C grade (base-level) and B grade badges.

Collaboration has also been a critical part of the process.

Netball Victoria has hosted umpiring workshops in Warrnambool for the Hampden, Warrnambool and District league and Warrnambool City Netball Association.

"That's the advantage of running it with Warrnambool City, Warrnambool and District and Hampden because quite often Netball Victoria sponsors that," Logan said.

The league also introduced an allocation for netball umpiring development into its budget in 2019, with about $1000 for mentoring.

That led to the netball umpire appreciation round last year in which five Hampden league mentors provided feedback to keen club umpires.

It was followed by a league sponsored afternoon tea for umpires.

"That was really well received," Logan said.

One thing out of the league's hands is umpire payment.

Clubs set their own payments for each game.

Logan said "these days they tend to pay at all levels (of competition)".

"We as a league can recommend what we suggest they (clubs) should pay the umpires," she said.

"Not so much the junior games but definitely the open and division one.

"But legally we can't make them to stick to that."

Logan said the league recommends each umpire is paid $50 for an open game.

The executive member said the expectation around paying netball umpires had changed over the years.

"Panel umpires have always been paid, club umpires have been paid for quite a while but there would have quite a few clubs that didn't pay their umpires back then," she said.

"Whereas now I think pretty much every club pays their umpires.

"(It's a) lot less money than football umpiring."

Logan acknowledged the differences between football and netball umpiring such as game-length but said "we're still at a much lower rate when you compare time and travel".

A breakthrough for Hampden netball umpires came in 2019.

They were paid for officiating at the association championships and similar tournaments. They previously just had their accommodation and food covered.

"We would have been one of very few associations that didn't pay their umpires previously," Logan said.

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