July Volunteer of the Month

One name you will undoubtedly be familiar with if you are involved in South Wales’ netball and umpiring scene is Becky Scott. Becky goes above and beyond to promote netball and umpiring in Wales. We are proud to have her as our July Volunteer of the Month because of her unwavering commitment and passion for her work.

Becky Umpires and is the Umpiring Officer for the Cardiff & District Adult League. There are seven divisions in the league, with 45 active umpires. To manage and organise such a large number of umpires, Becky and her team have put a system in place, where umpire rotas are published ahead of the season. This allows umpires to see which team they are assigned to ahead of time; any last-minute adjustments are handled by Becky to ensure all matches are played. Becky has formed an Umpiring Mentor team consisting of eight individuals, who approve umpires for advancement through divisions and guide them on their umpiring journeys. As Umpire Secretary of the league, she will also organise umpire assessments and provide mentoring to many trainee umpires.

To demonstrate how Becky goes beyond the ordinary for umpires in Cardiff, she has established many opportunities for them to learn, be inspired, and acknowledged. To ensure umpires are keeping up with the rules and regulations, she will post on social media and describe a ‘rule of the week’ to fellow umpires. When umpire mentors decide that an umpire can move up a division, Becky will publish a congratulations post on the league’s Facebook page. At the end of the season, the league holds an awards ceremony, and Becky has ensured that selected umpires from all seven divisions are acknowledged for their efforts. Finally, feedback forms have been implemented, allowing players who disagree with an umpire’s decision on court an opportunity to provide feedback on their calls and judgement. Becky will then investigate these to ensure that everyone is heard and that improvements are made as needed to maintain high standards.

Not only does Becky do so much for Cardiff and District Adult League, but she will also go out of her way to help us at Wales Netball and Cardiff Dragons. Becky has frequently volunteered at Cardiff Dragons games, recently taking on roles such as Steward and Sub-Writer. She also regularly attends all our National Competitions, curtain raisers and performance training matches. Becky’s commitment to Umpiring and holding the position of Umpire Mentor on these days is unmatched.

As well as committing to regular tutoring of Intro to Umpiring and C Award courses, Becky volunteers her time to the Wales Netball Umpire Steering Group and is readily available to offer officiating advice to all that need around Wales. Our Umpire Steering group meet quarterly to discuss ways in which to improve the Wales Netball Umpire Pathway across Wales. She’s always available for any advice to improve course delivery and content.

What we have mentioned might just scratch the surface of all the wonderful contributions Becky is making to Umpiring in Wales. Thank you, Becky, – for committing so much time towards developing umpires, organisation and volunteering. You are a true gem of the netball family!

Wales Netball’s Volunteers of the Month will be announced at the beginning of every month, with an article going on our website and posts going out across all social media channels.

If you would like to nominate your coach, an umpire, or someone who helps your netball club and the wider community, complete the nomination form using this link – https://forms.gle/fREqFRkPFyHnoPRn6