Umpiring
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Ready To Start Your Officiating Journey?
Do you have an ambition to join the officiating family? England Netball’s officiating courses have been designed to help you to develop the skills you need to become a qualified official. You will find the opportunities that best suit your needs whether it ends with you officiating at a Netball World Cup or achieving your own personal goals to support netball where you live. This will be a journey you are going to really enjoy and one where you will meet fantastic people, all whilst enabling our fantastic sport to be played. To learn more about the England Netball Officiating Pathway, and to book your place on an upcoming course (bookings and payments managed via ENgage), please visit https://www.englandnetball.co.uk/be-involved/officiating/. Please note that officiating courses are very popular and sell out quickly, so please don’t worry if you can’t find a course initially. We recommend that you complete the expression of interest form for the relevant course (following the above link) to get pre-sale access to upcoming courses. |
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Been On A Course And Looking For The Next Step Of Support? We’ve Got You Covered At SCNA!
So, you've completed the England Netball Officiating Course—congrats! Now, let's walk through what you need to do next to get officially qualified. The flowchart below highlights the important steps needed to be taken and how SCNA can support you in this journey. The level of support available varies depending upon the qualification level, and this is reflected in the SCNA Officiating Bursary Packages offered.
A key contact after completion of a course is the County Officiating Lead who will give you all the necessary guidance to help you get you from course to certificate with the right support. Please get in touch and provide an update of your progress when you are ready to pursue official observations and practical assessments.
So, you've completed the England Netball Officiating Course—congrats! Now, let's walk through what you need to do next to get officially qualified. The flowchart below highlights the important steps needed to be taken and how SCNA can support you in this journey. The level of support available varies depending upon the qualification level, and this is reflected in the SCNA Officiating Bursary Packages offered.
A key contact after completion of a course is the County Officiating Lead who will give you all the necessary guidance to help you get you from course to certificate with the right support. Please get in touch and provide an update of your progress when you are ready to pursue official observations and practical assessments.
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Getting Qualified After Your Officiating Course
1. Access England Netball’s Officiating Resources
You’ve just attended both virtual sessions provided by England Netball in your relevant course, so now it’s time to get online and access the pool of resources available to you, providing further information to support your officiating journey through the England Netball Officiating Resources page.
1.5 Complete Your Online Written Assessment (C AWARD ONLY)
After attending a C Award course, you are required to complete an Online Written Assessment within two years of your course completion date. The test is similar to a driving theory test and evaluates your knowledge and application of netball rules. Most local leagues will require this to be successfully passed before you can access matches and mentors at the appropriate level for assessment.
Please note the first attempt of the written assessment is included in your course fee (if applied within seven days of the course completion). If you miss the seven-day window, or you should fail your first attempt, you'll need to pay for a retake.
2. Get Practicing with a Mentor
Start practicing your officiating skills. This hands-on experience is super important! Your clubs can support you with access to the right level of officiating. We recommend learners start officiating in training and move to competitive matches when confident with the rules, whistle and procedures. Once officiating in local leagues, start with younger age categories and lower divisions to build confidence and hone your skills. Observations are required at club level, with learners required to officiate with appropriate support from a qualified official to give you tips and feedback.
Please note if you are under 16 years old you are only permitted to officiate matches involving players who are U16 or younger (e.g. if you are 13 you can only officiate to U14 level) and have a competent adult with you at your fixtures.
3. Complete your Logbook
The England Netball Officiating Logbook is a crucial tool for tracking your officiating progress. After each match, record the details, including the date, teams, level of play, and any feedback received. Reflect on your performance and update your logbook regularly. We recommend that officials complete at least 10 matches, with an observer present 3+ times for that vital experience and feedback. When you're ready for an assessment, your logbook will be reviewed as evidence of your experience and development.
Please note that only official England Netball registered activity can be logged as part of your experience. Any officiating outside of the SCNA Junior League, Stoke-on-Trent League, Stafford League or official school competition is NOT permissible (e.g. private social netball league officiating will not be counted towards your 10 match experience).
4. Secure an Official Observation(s)
Contact the County Officiating Lead who can direct you to you the County’s Officiating Assessors. They will conduct an official observation(s) and provide feedback to guide you and help you get ready for your assessment. It is recommended that you have at least one official observation at INTO level (pre-practical assessment application), and at least three official observations at C Award level (over a minimum of twelve weeks, post-written test pass and pre-practical assessment application).
5. Apply for your Practical Assessment
Once the assessors are happy for you to progress, a formal application for your practical assessment can be made to the County Officiating Lead. Download the relevant form using the links below, or by accessing the England Netball Officiating Resources page.
INTO Officiating Practical Application Form
C Award Practical Application Form
You will be asked to submit a copy of your England Netball Officiating Logbook as part of the application process, so please ensure this is signed, scanned and attached to your email.
Please note you have two years from course completion date (INTO)/written test pass (C Award), and you can take the test as many times as needed in this time to qualify (three-month gap between assessments required with additional observations encouraged). The County Officiating Lead will remain in touch with you to ensure you are progressing effectively on your officiating journey.
6. Get Qualified
Once you pass the practical assessment, you'll receive your Officiating Award badge and card. Congrats, you're now a qualified official!
7. Keep Going
This is just the beginning. Look into more officiating courses and opportunities to keep advancing your skills. Continue to support your officiating development through the England Netball Officiating Resources page and local/national officiating forums, training and events.
1. Access England Netball’s Officiating Resources
You’ve just attended both virtual sessions provided by England Netball in your relevant course, so now it’s time to get online and access the pool of resources available to you, providing further information to support your officiating journey through the England Netball Officiating Resources page.
1.5 Complete Your Online Written Assessment (C AWARD ONLY)
After attending a C Award course, you are required to complete an Online Written Assessment within two years of your course completion date. The test is similar to a driving theory test and evaluates your knowledge and application of netball rules. Most local leagues will require this to be successfully passed before you can access matches and mentors at the appropriate level for assessment.
Please note the first attempt of the written assessment is included in your course fee (if applied within seven days of the course completion). If you miss the seven-day window, or you should fail your first attempt, you'll need to pay for a retake.
2. Get Practicing with a Mentor
Start practicing your officiating skills. This hands-on experience is super important! Your clubs can support you with access to the right level of officiating. We recommend learners start officiating in training and move to competitive matches when confident with the rules, whistle and procedures. Once officiating in local leagues, start with younger age categories and lower divisions to build confidence and hone your skills. Observations are required at club level, with learners required to officiate with appropriate support from a qualified official to give you tips and feedback.
Please note if you are under 16 years old you are only permitted to officiate matches involving players who are U16 or younger (e.g. if you are 13 you can only officiate to U14 level) and have a competent adult with you at your fixtures.
3. Complete your Logbook
The England Netball Officiating Logbook is a crucial tool for tracking your officiating progress. After each match, record the details, including the date, teams, level of play, and any feedback received. Reflect on your performance and update your logbook regularly. We recommend that officials complete at least 10 matches, with an observer present 3+ times for that vital experience and feedback. When you're ready for an assessment, your logbook will be reviewed as evidence of your experience and development.
Please note that only official England Netball registered activity can be logged as part of your experience. Any officiating outside of the SCNA Junior League, Stoke-on-Trent League, Stafford League or official school competition is NOT permissible (e.g. private social netball league officiating will not be counted towards your 10 match experience).
4. Secure an Official Observation(s)
Contact the County Officiating Lead who can direct you to you the County’s Officiating Assessors. They will conduct an official observation(s) and provide feedback to guide you and help you get ready for your assessment. It is recommended that you have at least one official observation at INTO level (pre-practical assessment application), and at least three official observations at C Award level (over a minimum of twelve weeks, post-written test pass and pre-practical assessment application).
5. Apply for your Practical Assessment
Once the assessors are happy for you to progress, a formal application for your practical assessment can be made to the County Officiating Lead. Download the relevant form using the links below, or by accessing the England Netball Officiating Resources page.
INTO Officiating Practical Application Form
C Award Practical Application Form
You will be asked to submit a copy of your England Netball Officiating Logbook as part of the application process, so please ensure this is signed, scanned and attached to your email.
Please note you have two years from course completion date (INTO)/written test pass (C Award), and you can take the test as many times as needed in this time to qualify (three-month gap between assessments required with additional observations encouraged). The County Officiating Lead will remain in touch with you to ensure you are progressing effectively on your officiating journey.
6. Get Qualified
Once you pass the practical assessment, you'll receive your Officiating Award badge and card. Congrats, you're now a qualified official!
7. Keep Going
This is just the beginning. Look into more officiating courses and opportunities to keep advancing your skills. Continue to support your officiating development through the England Netball Officiating Resources page and local/national officiating forums, training and events.
SCNA Officiating Bursary Packages
We know getting qualified can be expensive, and we don’t want cost to be a deterrent. To support and grow our pool of qualified officials across the County, we offer two officiating bursary packages for the 2024/25 season, accessed on completion of your course.
The County does not offer a bursary for course fees - if you are struggling with paying for a course we recommend that you speak to your club, school or local authority to access funding with them. Instead, we focus our packages on subsidising the mentoring, official observations and practical assessment costs, ensuring you get the best support post-course for success.
To access these bursaries, you must be a primary member of Staffordshire, registered to a Staffordshire-based club or school, and commit to officiating in an England Netball registered Staffordshire league (SCNA Junior League, Stoke-on-Trent League and/or Stafford League).
We know getting qualified can be expensive, and we don’t want cost to be a deterrent. To support and grow our pool of qualified officials across the County, we offer two officiating bursary packages for the 2024/25 season, accessed on completion of your course.
The County does not offer a bursary for course fees - if you are struggling with paying for a course we recommend that you speak to your club, school or local authority to access funding with them. Instead, we focus our packages on subsidising the mentoring, official observations and practical assessment costs, ensuring you get the best support post-course for success.
To access these bursaries, you must be a primary member of Staffordshire, registered to a Staffordshire-based club or school, and commit to officiating in an England Netball registered Staffordshire league (SCNA Junior League, Stoke-on-Trent League and/or Stafford League).
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INTO Officiating Bursary cash value of £43 – 37% funding support Post course completion, learners will have access to: Up to two FREE official observations with England Netball accredited assessors* Subsidised practical assessment cost, reducing the cost of this to £23 per learner ** |
C Award Officiating Bursary cash value of £145 – 74% funding support Post course completion, learners will have access to: Up to five FREE official observations with England Netball accredited assessors* FREE practical assessment *** |
All course, observation and assessment costs are regulated by England Netball.
* Official observations include access to one England Netball accredited assessor, who will provide verbal and written feedback for learners against the practical assessment criteria. The assessor will recommend how many observations are required pre-assessment, and their sign off is a requirement of the practical application process. Any additional observations required beyond the free allocation are provided at £15 per observation, paid direct to the assessor.
** INTO practical assessment costs are set at £33 per learner. SCNA will pay £10 towards the cost of the first assessment, with the learner paying £23 direct to SCNA on confirmation of practical assessment application. The discount is applied only to the first practical assessment, after which the learner is to pay the fee in full (£33) for any subsequent re-tests.
*** C Award practical assessment costs are set at £70 per learner. SCNA will pay to full cost of the first practical assessment, after which the learner is to pay the fee in full (£70) for any subsequent re-tests direct to SCNA on confirmation of practical re-assessment application.
* Official observations include access to one England Netball accredited assessor, who will provide verbal and written feedback for learners against the practical assessment criteria. The assessor will recommend how many observations are required pre-assessment, and their sign off is a requirement of the practical application process. Any additional observations required beyond the free allocation are provided at £15 per observation, paid direct to the assessor.
** INTO practical assessment costs are set at £33 per learner. SCNA will pay £10 towards the cost of the first assessment, with the learner paying £23 direct to SCNA on confirmation of practical assessment application. The discount is applied only to the first practical assessment, after which the learner is to pay the fee in full (£33) for any subsequent re-tests.
*** C Award practical assessment costs are set at £70 per learner. SCNA will pay to full cost of the first practical assessment, after which the learner is to pay the fee in full (£70) for any subsequent re-tests direct to SCNA on confirmation of practical re-assessment application.