Umpiring is very rewarding and is a great way to contribute to your community, give back to the game, and to meet and connect with others involved in the sport we love. Umpires are essential to the enjoyment and delivery of netball at our Centre.
How do you become an umpire?
To become an umpire, you need to learn how to umpire, therefore you should attend one of our “Learn to Umpire” (LTU) workshops on offer. Our workshops are held before the season starts so you can be ready when the teams you umpire start to play.
Click the register button (top right) to enter your details, select the workshop you are wanting to attend, and pay online.
Details below on the different workshops we offer for our members who are wanting to "Learn to Umpire", and which workshop would be best for you to register for.
(Learning to Umpire Courses are run during pre-season every year.)
Where do you start?
FutureFerns (FFW) Certificate
If you want to learn to umpire on our Futureferns Year 5 competition games, then the Futurefern Whistlers (FFW) workshops is the starting point for you. This competition is where players are learning to play and is the 1st year they have umpires on their games, so you both learn together in a fun environment. At the end of the season, you will be awarded your FFW Certificate. Umpires who attend the FutureFern Whistlers (FFW) Year 5 Competition Umpires ONLY LTU Workshops will be allocated to umpire the Year 5 competition games, so you will be guaranteed a game to umpire after completing the workshop. Register to attend the FFW workshops to umpire the Year 5 games.
Here is a link to the info on year 5 games – Futurefern Year 5 game format - (please note our Year 6 competition plays the 7 x 7 format at TNC)
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LTU Certificate
If you want to learn to umpire the 7 x 7 (normal format of netball game), and you are just beginning your umpire journey, the starting point for you can be to umpire our Year 6 competition games where you learn the basic skills and techniques will be of umpiring and will be awarded your LTU Certificate at the end of the season. This season (2025) we will be using the Umpires from the Year 6 and Intermediate Umpire LTU Workshops to umpire the Year 6 competition (like the Year 5 competition last season), so you will be guaranteed a game to umpire after completing the workshop. Register to attend our Year 6 and Intermediate Umpire LTU Workshops to learn the 7 x 7 rules to umpire the Year 6 games.
(Umpires who umpired the Year 5 competition games last season in 2024, should be registering to attend the Year 6 and Intermediate Umpire LTU Workshops to gain their LTU Certificate which is the next qualification for their Umpiring Journey)
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***TNC Junior Badge -New Qualification for 2025***
We are introducing a new qualification to the Tauranga Netball Centre Umpires Group Umpire Development Programme this season in 2025 - the TNC Junior Badge! This is the next step after the LTU Certificate, this new qualification aims to strengthen umpires' skills before they progress toward their Centre Awards, ultimately fostering more proficient NNZ Centre Award Umpires. Additionally, we will want toacknowledge umpires who have not yet reached the Centre Award level, providing them with recognition for achieving the status of a Junior Umpire. Therefore Umpires umpiring our Year 7, lower Year 8 Divisions, and College games will be 1st developed with Umpire Coaching and then when meeting the Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) assessed for their TNC Junior Badge.
Register to attend our Year 6 and Intermediate Umpire LTU Workshops to learn the 7 x 7 rules to umpire the Year 7 and lower Year 8 games (Umpires must find a team to umpire).
OR register to attend our College Competition LTU Workshops if you will be umpiring in the College competition in 2025.
(Umpires who umpired the Year 6 competition games last season in 2024, should be registering to attend the Year 6 and Intermediate Umpire LTU Workshops to gain the TNC Junior Badge on the Year 7 and lower Year 8 games, which is the next qualification for their Umpiring Journey)
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What is the cost of the LTU workshops?
The cost to attend the LTU Workshops is $70.
Click this link to see what else is included in the cost of the workshop - TNC Umpires Group Membership
Click this link to see more about the TNC Umpires Pathway
What’s included in a Workshop?
FFW - learn how the 6 x 6 game is umpired.
LTU - learn how the 7 x 7 games is umpired.
- Basic rule knowledge.
- Discover what the techniques of umpiring are.
- Learn the areas of the court you control.
- The various sounds of the whistle and what they mean.
- Umpire games and be supported to put your new learnings into practice.
- Participants to the LTU and FFW workshops receive a handheld whistle and a Learn to Umpire shirt.
(The workshops content will be customised to align with the competition level at which the umpire will be officiating.)
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LTU Workshop Dates for the 2025 Netball Season
Senior Competition Club/ or Adult Umpires LTU Workshops
Wednesday 19th and 26th February (2 nights) - 6.00pm to 8.30pm
recommended for Senior Club/Teams Umpires wanting to develop Umpires for their team, also Umpires Year 11 aged or older who are new to umpiring
College Competition Umpires LTU Workshops
Saturday 22nd February - 8.30am to 3.30pm
Saturday 1st March - 8.30am to 3.30pm
recommended for last year’s Year 7 or 8 competition Umpires or Umpires that are Year 9 or 10 aged or older who are new to umpiring
Year 6 and Intermediate Competition Umpire LTU Workshops
Saturday 15th March - 8.30am to 3.30pm
Saturday 29th March - 8.30am to 3.30pm
recommended for last year’s year 5 and 6 competition Umpires or new Umpires that are Year 8 or 9 aged or older who are new to umpiring
(all Umpires for Year 6 competition games will come from the above LTU Year 6 workshops and be allocated to games each week)
FutureFern (FFW) Year 5 Competition Umpires ONLY LTY Workshops
Saturday 5th April - 8.30am to 3.30pm
Sunday 6th April - 8.30am to 3.30pm
for beginner Umpire new to umpiring who want to learn on Year 5 competition games.
(all Umpires for the Year 5 competition games will come from the above FFW Year 5 Umpires workshops and be allocated to games each week)
LTU workshops will be offered to our Colleges, please contact our Umpire Lead to organise a suitable date.
If you have any umpire queries please contact our Umpire Lead, Maree Body, at Tauranga Netball Centre - umpirelead@tauranganetball.co.nz
