The International Netball Federation (INF) has announced the outcomes from its World Class Officiating Programme Review which took place with key representatives from officiating, players, and administrators in international netball.
A review of officiating in Netball was commissioned by INF Board in 2017 to understand what ‘World Class Officiating’ in netball looked like, from the recruitment and development of officials to their performance at international events. The findings recognised the significant improvements the sport had made over the preceding years along with priority areas for future development to achieve the goal of becoming a world-class programme. The areas identified as priorities formed the World Class Officiating Programme and has been developed over a two-year period by Officiating Advisory Groups (OAG’S) set up by INF.
To understand the success of the World Class Officiating programme thus far, a World Class Officiating Programme Review Group (WCOPRG) was established in 2020 comprising of representatives from international netball tasked with determining the status of the priorities. In consultation with INF Board, it was agreed that the WCOPRG would consider the following topics relating to the elite level of the international game:
- Appointment Process for Major Matches and Tournaments
- Feedback to Officials During Tournaments
- Feedback of Official’s Performance to Competing Teams
- Tournament/Game Protocols
- Training of International Testing Panel (ITP’s) Members
- Fitness Demands of Elite Umpiring
- Welfare of Officials In and Out of Competition
- Umpire Exchange Programme
- Reward Levels for International Umpires
The WCOPRG met via video conference to discuss each topic in detail before producing a detailed report to feedback to INF Board on their outcomes and recommendations. A total of 20 recommendations were made from the review which have been broken down into 14 quick wins, 11 medium-term projects, and 2 major projects. The full report of the review with the recommendations can be downloaded via the INF website.
INF International Officiating Manager, Christina Barrow comments: “The WCOPR has given us a detailed understanding of the World Class Officiating Programme including progress, opportunities for further improvement, and success. The review has enabled us to reflect on the development of officiating over recent years, and to create a plan to put further measures in place to ensure officiating is world-class for the sport and all stakeholders involved. The findings have been insightful and informative, and I look forward to implementing these new structures and processes to develop further the standards of officiating for international netball.”
The WCOPR findings and recommendations were announced during 2 webinars on the 24th and 25th February 2021 with INF stakeholders. The next steps in the review include the WCOPRG completing all quick wins and updating existing official INF documentation and netWorld accordingly.
To download the World Class Officiating Programme Review report and outcomes presentation, click here.
For more information on World Class Officiating, click here.
