Taranaki Netball officials go national

Thursday, May 11 2023

Taranaki Netball officials go national

Caroline Dhanjee

Photo: From left to right volunteers Adelaide Burgess, Paula Simpson, Robyn Rickards and Phillip Tamatea officiating in Wellington.

 

Local netball volunteers Adelaide Burgess and Philip Tamatea have been selected as bench officials at the Synergy Hair Netball League Final in Wellington on 14th May.  This is a significant step towards their personal goal of one day officiating at the Netball World Cup.

If you have ever been to a Bayleys Premier Netball League game in Taranaki you would have seen the volunteers, officially known as ‘Technical Officials’, scoring for the game.  Their commitment and enthusiasm for the sport is infectious.

Adelaide has a very personal story about how she got involved:

“I came back to Taranaki in 2014 after my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I became a bit of a recluse and a friend of mine introduced me to benching to help me get out and become a member of society again. Once I had done my initial training I was addicted.  It is such a great social sport and I have made lifelong friends.”

Philip has been volunteering at the Premier games since 2007: “I was talking to one of the volunteers, Sue Winter, one day and said I would love to come and see how it all works.  She said to come along one night in Ōpunake, so I did, and I was straight into calling out the scores.  It is a fast-paced game and very rewarding”

Having both worked their way up through their zone accreditations so they can now officiate nationally in New Zealand, Adelaide laughs when asked what is next:

“The end goal has always been to become a bench official on an international level.  We want to go big and get selected for a Netball World Cup.  We’ve done numerous ANZ Pre-seasons in Otaki, along with ANZ Premiership and NNL games. This year is the first time we’ve been selected for National Netball League finals. This is a huge deal for both of us. It means we’re one more step closer to our goal.”

“There is so much to learn still, but the rewards are awesome. We get to meet some amazing people, outstanding netballers and all the people who work hard in the background who make these events happen.  I would highly recommend this pathway to anyone.”

Interested in finding out more about how you could get involved? Email ndc@netballtaranaki.org.nz.

The Bayleys Premier Netball League games take place on Thursday and Friday nights across Taranaki.  Check out www.netballtaranaki.co.nz for more information.