SPORT -
| 2013-07-24Anna set to train umpires
Sheefeni Nikodemus
THE All Namibian Netball Associations (Anna) groundbreaking umpires workshop will start in Walvis Bay today.
The course, which will run until Sunday, will be conducted by internationally acclaimed umpire Heather Gleadall from Britain and has been made possible by the International Netball Federation.
Anna hopes to have the country’s first internationally graded umpires by the end of the course.
According to Anna secretary general Lydia Mutenda, the 20 candidates are already C Plus grade holders and hail from the Oshana, Omaheke, Khomas, Erongo, Kavango and Khomas regions.
The course will deal with the theoretical, physical and practical aspects of the sport.
“This is the first time we will have a course like this. You can know all the rules but if you are not physically fit and cannot keep up with the game then you cannot qualify to be a match official,” Mutenda told The Namibian Sport yesterday.
Mutenda said Anna was keen to produce international standard umpires as this would help raise the profile of Namibia in the netball fraternity.
“At the moment we don’t have graded umpires. We only have umpires that can officiate in the country and not internationally. If they do very well then they can become graded umpires and qualify to officiate at events in Africa. After this course, there will be another one to train umpires for events outside Africa,” Mutenda said.
The course, which will run until Sunday, will be conducted by internationally acclaimed umpire Heather Gleadall from Britain and has been made possible by the International Netball Federation.
Anna hopes to have the country’s first internationally graded umpires by the end of the course.
According to Anna secretary general Lydia Mutenda, the 20 candidates are already C Plus grade holders and hail from the Oshana, Omaheke, Khomas, Erongo, Kavango and Khomas regions.
The course will deal with the theoretical, physical and practical aspects of the sport.
“This is the first time we will have a course like this. You can know all the rules but if you are not physically fit and cannot keep up with the game then you cannot qualify to be a match official,” Mutenda told The Namibian Sport yesterday.
Mutenda said Anna was keen to produce international standard umpires as this would help raise the profile of Namibia in the netball fraternity.
“At the moment we don’t have graded umpires. We only have umpires that can officiate in the country and not internationally. If they do very well then they can become graded umpires and qualify to officiate at events in Africa. After this course, there will be another one to train umpires for events outside Africa,” Mutenda said.
