The winners of the 2021 Umpire of the Year Awards, presented by Fruchocs, have been revealed in both the Community and Premier League categories.
For community, joint winners were named as Debbie Green from the Hills Netball Association and Uraidla Netball Club and Mel Ryan from SADNA and Strikers Netball Club both selected after being named finalists alongside Shelley Heir from Yorke Peninsula Netball Association.
Green was chosen for her many years of service amongst the umpiring within her local community in Uraidla and the Hills Netball Association.
Throughout her umpiring career, she has officiated at various levels including both the Netball SA Premier League and Adelaide Metro Netball Division competitions.
In recent years, Green has stepped into a coaching and mentoring role within the AMND and her local competition where she is passing on her acquired knowledge from personal experiences to young and developing umpires.
A Nationally Accredited B Grade Umpire, Debbie is also integral to the A grade umpire pool for the Hills Netball Association, regularly umpiring the association’s highest level games.
She has become a strong ally for emerging umpires and her commitment to her local netball and wider netball community is commendable. She was nominated for her encouraging and supportive nature and her effervescent personality.
Ryan was selected for her dedication to developing umpires at the newly-founded Strikers Netball Club. She took on the role of Umpire Coordinator and over one year, has helped the club grow from just two teams to 20.
She single-handedly recruited juniors and started an umpiring program to ensure the club had enough umpires capable of officiating all games. As they learned their trade, the new umpires have thrived with her expertise and guidance, with at least six people umpiring their first games in 2021.
Despite being willing to assist in any area she can, it’s clear her passion is for umpiring. She spends four nights a week mentoring and guiding the club’s up and coming talent and the club’s future umpires. She umpires herself at state indoor level and is badged to umpire A grade games.
In Premier League, Daniel Roe was chosen as Umpire of the Year for his achievements and growth as an umpire coming through the Netball SA pathway.
In 2019, Roe received his National A badge during the Netball SA Premier League season and in 2021, he was selected to officiate the 2021 Premier League Grand Final.
This year, he was selected to represent South Australia in the Netball Australia National championships, although the event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Roe has showed outstanding commitment to both his own development and development of other South Australian umpires, making him a worthy recipient of this award.
