Penrith’s Tamara Welsford wins top Umpire Award, NSW Netball A-grade badge recipients
A young umpire has nabbed one of the top awards from NSW Netball at the end of a COVID affected season few will ever forget - and she certainly won’t.
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After making her Super Netball debut in 2020, whistleblower Tamara Welsford has been named the winner of the 2020 Neita Matthews OAM Umpire Award.
A member of the Penrith District Netball Association, Welsford is a product of the Netball NSW pathway.
2020 proved a break out year for the young umpire who officiated the first game of Super Netball.
The elite game, comtested by teh world’s best netballers, was played in a hub in Queensland for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Welsford’s award recognises an umpire who demonstrates a desire to strive for excellence on court, shows consistency in performance throughout competitions and continues to improve their knowledge of the game.
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It is named after the current Patron of Netball NSW – Neita Matthews – who is also the mother of former Australian cricketer Greg Matthews.
Matthews served Netball NSW in many capacities but predominantly within the umpiring sphere.
She holds Life Membership of Netball NSW and is a Hall of Fame inductee.
“This award is a well-deserved recognition for Tamara who has put in countless hours of training and learning in pursuit of her craft,” said NSW Umpire coach Sharon Kelly.
“Officials are vital to the game, and despite all the challenges of COVID19 in 2020 it’s heartening to see our umpire consistently seek to improve themselves year after year.”
Six umpires were awarded their National A Badges in 2020 in;
Sarah McNamara - Liverpool City
Sarah Toan - Penrith District
Alex Fahy - Baulkham Hills Shire
Michelle Thomas - Blue Mountains
Karlee Farthing - Gosford
Renee Marshall - Campbelltown