Behind the whistle: What being a netball umpire feels like

By Natalie Choy

Angelene Singh, an umpire of seven years, has officiated games in Thailand, Brunei, and Malaysia. PHOTO: VALERIE LAY

FROM amateurs to royalty, netball umpire Angelene Singh has seen them all.

Singh, 23, who has been an umpire for seven years, counts the Princess of Brunei as among the players whom she has officiated.

“The Princess plays netball too and I managed to umpire her game (at a local carnival in Brunei),” said the final-year student at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

“She seemed like an average person, and we wouldn’t have known if no one told us (the umpires).”

As a member of the National Umpire Squad, Singh has also officiated at competitions in countries like Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia. The NTU netballer currently umpires at local competitions in her spare time to earn extra pocket money.

The overseas opportunities exposes her to different netball scenes abroad, said Singh.

Despite netball being a predominantly women’s sport, an umpiring stint in Brunei saw Singh officiate in a men’s competition.

“The interest in netball in Brunei is very high, even among men,” observed Singh.

“Men react very differently (compared to women),” she added.

“They tend to question a lot — it was a bit more intimidating to umpire their game.”

Singh first started umpiring when she was 16, after undergoing a compulsory umpiring course when she was studying in the Singapore Sports School. Initially, she admitted, she was easily affected by comments from spectators, which made her second- guess her calls.

Fending off such comments is now second nature to her.

“You need to be thick-skinned,” she said. “When you don’t hold your own ground and let them get to your head, it becomes a problem.”

If the umpire is fickle-minded, it may also disrupt the momentum of the game, which can frustrate players at times.

“The more frustrated the players are, the more difficult it is to control the game and it snowballs from there,” added Singh.

Umpiring has also helped Singh understand the rules better and discover loopholes in the game, which benefit her as a player.

For example, when doing a throw-in from the goal line, a player can throw the ball against the goal post before stepping on court to catch it — a move that is not explicitly banned.

This saves a pass to a teammate, which runs the risk of interception from the opponent.

“I’ve never tried it before, but I’ve seen a midfielder throw the ball against the pole then run to catch it to get closer (to the goal circle),” said Singh. “It’s risky because you don’t know where the ball will bounce towards, but if you can do it then it’s quite helpful sometimes.”

But the occasional benefits present their fair share of obstacles.

When Singh blows her whistle to start a match, she is already mentally prepared to shut out an onslaught of criticism directed at her.

“It’s common to have players challenging your calls or spectators yelling at you,” said Singh. “We are always the bad guys because umpires are like the ‘police’ in netball.”

But Singh has accepted that it is part of the job and stressed that umpires must learn to “zone out and focus on the game only” — a skill that comes with experience.

A good level of fitness is also needed to officiate a netball match, which consists of four 15-minute quarters. Umpires have to go through several fitness tests annually.

One example is the beep test, a multi-stage examination that involves continuous running between two lines 20 metres apart to assess a person’s fitness.

Like players, umpires also have certain indicators to gauge their performances. One such indicator is positioning. Umpires need to read the game and anticipate the next move to determine where to stand or run, said Singh.

“If the ball reaches the destination before you, chances are you’ve made the wrong decision,” she added.

Another indicator is the players’ attitude towards the umpire. Umpires are expected to hold an authoritative tone throughout the match.

“Players and coaches can tell when you’re not confident and they will try to influence your decisions,” Singh also said. “You know you didn’t set the right tone when they don’t listen to you.”

To Singh, receiving a simple “thank you” after the match is the most rewarding part of the job.

“As umpires, you get scrutinised and criticised so much during the game,” she said.

“The best feeling is when people come up to you and tell you they appreciate your effort.”