An incredible year for Georgina Sulley-Beales has finished with the South Australian umpire being honoured with the SSN Umpire of the Year Award for 2020.
After becoming the first SA umpire to officiate an SSN match in 2019 and earning the All Australian Umpire Award as a result, she was offered her first SSN umpiring contract in 2020.
The 26-year-old grabbed the opportunity with both hands, moving into the Queensland hub and facing the challenges of a condensed season following the outbreak of COVID-19.
Despite it being her first contracted year with the SSN, Sulley-Beales was chosen to officiate the entire finals series – including the Grand Final, which was watched by over 930,000 people nationwide.
Netball SA Product and Pathways Manager Roz Fraser said Sulley-Beales’ success in 2020 was a credit to her dedication to the sport and the Netball SA pathway.
“Georgina has achieved so much over the past 12 months, building on her experience in 2019 when she was invited into the SSN competition to umpire for the first time,” Ms Fraser said.
“This opportunity led to the SSN contract in 2020, and it is very rewarding to see that all the hard work dedicated to her personal development has come to fruition.
“Netball SA is so incredibly proud of Georgina – she’s been a real shining light in a challenging year.”
