The Arnewood School’s Head of PE has become one of a select few international netball umpires – and has just returned from a tournament in the Caribbean.
Megan Elliott began officiating in the sport when she was 14 and has now gained her International Talent Identified Umpire status (ITID).
The New Milton School has supported the whistle-blower as she travelled across the country to umpire tournaments, gaining valuable experience. Her dedication has finally taken her to the top rung of netball officiating and could lead to her umpiring at World Cups and Commonwealth Games.
The 31-year-old, who trains Arnewood pupils in the sport and still plays herself, said:
“Ever since I was small I wanted to be involved in elite sport. I thought I wouldn’t make it as a player so I decided to start umpiring when I was 14 – I thought ‘I can do this whistle thing’.
“I worked my way up to umpiring in the Premier League and Super League – it is like having a second job, with a lot of travelling. Ultimately I received my ITID status and it means I’m one of the top umpires in the UK and I get to umpire internationally."
“My first trip for World Netball was to St Lucia where I umpired games between islands in the East Caribbean. It was very competitive with teams attempting to win ranking points. I am so grateful to the headteacher Jamie Anderson and to the school for allowing me to pursue this dream."
“There is no payment for umpiring in netball – just travelling expenses - so it requires dedication and understanding employers. In order for the sport to be included in the Olympics it requires more men’s teams – it is one of few sports that really only girls and women play, and it is very much dominated by Commonwealth countries. The girls at Arnewood love it and we have a really well-attended netball club.”
Headteacher Jamie Anderson said:
“We are all incredibly proud of Megan getting to the top of her sport as an official. Her dedication is remarkable and it is really in the school’s interest to have a Head of PE with so much elite sport experience.”