2024 Bendigo Bank MENA Club Umpire Trainer Program

MENA Umpiring Program

MENA’s Umpiring Program thrives on the commitment and expertise of our community. With around 2,000 players competing each Friday night and Saturday, our program brings together a remarkable network to support umpiring at every level:

• 110+ Umpires: from beginners to nationally badged officials
• Club Umpire Coordinators
• MENA Umpire Coordinators on-site at the courts
• Club and MENA Umpire Trainers
• Workshop Presenters and Testers

Our program’s success comes from the dedication of these individuals working together to create an environment that fosters learning, skill development, and growth. Our Volunteer Marian Fitzpatrick’s role as Club Umpire Convenor coordinates is to ensure our umpiring community is well-supported, encouraged, and continuously improving.

Club Trainer Program

One of our standout initiatives is the Club Trainer Program—a long-time dream of ours, designed to empower Club Umpire Trainers with the skills and confidence they need to guide beginner and learner umpires effectively. With funding support from Bendigo Bank, we provided each participant with program resources, including a t-shirt and yellow vest, giving them a strong presence at the courts.

Program Highlights

The Club Trainer Program included sessions on:

1. The MENA Umpiring Pathway
2. MENA Support and Resources, such as “Talking Umpiring” workshops and NetSetGo
3. Child Safety, Fair Play Code, and Play by the Rules
4. Understanding the Role of Mentor vs Trainer vs Coach
5. Effective Communication
6. Umpiring Skills Development
7. Building Resilience
8. Netball Victoria Workshops on Mentoring & C Grade Testing Competencies

Goals Moving Forward

Looking ahead, we aim to:

• Establish a support group for Club Umpire Trainers to meet and discuss successes and challenges, facilitated by MENA Umpire Coordinators.
• Build on this program to develop a “Train the Trainer” model, empowering Club Trainers to further cultivate umpire trainers within their own clubs.

Congratulations to our Club Umpire Trainers

• Cassie McCallum – Blackburn Lake NC
• Kate Hine – East Ringwood NC
• Gabi Johnson – Heathmont United NC
• Daniela Schipano & Erin Gualano – Holy Spirit
• Dilly St John – Mullum
• Elodie Malcolm -Nunawading
• Our Ladys – Lilly Dowling
• Carol Hage – HFNC Jets
• Madi Smith -Southwood
• Kaylah Loy-Abrahams – St James
• Jenna Carter & Geraldine Coombes – Trinity
• Cass O’Donnell – Ringwood North
•  

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to Marian Fitzpatrick for formulating and coordinating this program. Without Marian’s vision and dedication, none of this would exist.

A special thanks to everyone who supported this program:

• Bendigo Bank for their grant, which made this program possible.
• Participating Clubs that prioritize umpire training and support.
• Workshop Presenters:
  • Gill Greenwood for leading our communication session.
  • Miranda Hardenberg for an inspiring, thought-provoking session.
  • Jo Davidson  board member and invaluable contributor to training and testing.
  • Lisa Koster for her support in skills development and her ongoing work coordinating umpires.
  • Merryn and Jo in the Office for their patience and support with program logistics.
  • The MENA Board for their unwavering support of umpiring.

Finally, to our dedicated Club Trainers—thank you for your commitment, enthusiasm, and belief in this program. They now have tools and confidence to mentor the next generation of umpires.