SA umpire Rebecca Ferguson reached a major milestone in her umpiring journey last weekend as she was chosen to officiate her first ever Suncorp Super Netball match.
Fittingly for the Adelaide local, who has come through Netball SA's umpiring pathway, her first SSN match was for the Adelaide Thunderbirds as they took on the West Coast Fever in Round 11 in Perth.
As the outbreak of COVID-19 continued to impact the SSN season, Ferguson was given just hours to prepare to fly to WA.
"It was all a bit hectic when I found out. I was told I was umpiring on the Friday morning and was on the plane to Perth that afternoon," Ferguson said.
"I was quite nervous all day leading up to the game but once I got going on court, I felt settled and was able to focus on the job.
"Taking it up a step with the higher intensity and faster pace of the game was a good challenge, and I really enjoyed testing my umpiring techniques on this."
Even sweeter for Ferguson was sharing the experience with fellow SA umpire and close friend Georgina Sulley-Beales.
"I felt very excited when I found out and it was extra special to know that I was umpiring with Georgina who is a good friend of mine," Ferguson said.
"We had spoken before about how cool it would be to umpire SSN together one day, and it was nice to be able to represent SA together in the umpiring space.
"George was really supportive the whole day, taking the stress out of the little things and helping me to relax which I really appreciated."
Despite being interstate, the support from her loved ones was unwavering, and a special surprise was waiting for her post-game.
"Mum and Dad were both very excited for me as they have been a big support through the years but couldn’t make it to the game with it being interstate, so they watched closely at home," Ferguson said.
"However, I did get a nice surprise after the game when I found out my partner had flown to Perth to watch and support me."
