Top umpire praises Netball Namibia 

Newly-capped MTC Netball Namibia Premier League umpire of the season Ambrosius Eichab has reflected on his netball officiating journey while offering key insights into rule interpretations for teams.

Eichab says he was lucky to have been afforded umpiring opportunities locally and internationally by the Namibia Schools Sports Union before he became fully involved in Netball Namibia (NN).

Through coaching, umpiring and exposure, more opportunities must be created for umpires to get the feel of umpiring and improve their techniques, he says.

“It is a humbling experience to receive such an accolade. It’s easy to get to the top, but difficult to stay there,” he says.

Eichab says most defenders don’t know the difference between contact and contesting.

“Some defenders try to test umpires to see what they can get away with, and in the process they infringe on the contact rule. With the intense MTC NNPL environment; when fatigue and loss of concentration kicks in, most players are bound to infringe on the rules,” he says.

The rules of the game have changed so much that player safety is a priority, he says.

“As per netball rules, we ought to play advantage more to keep the game flowing, instead of penalising every infringement.”

Eichab says not all contacts interfere with play and therefore are not penalised.

“Some coaches get confused. Only contact that interferes with play is penalised when it leads to loss of ball or landing.

“We ought to play advantage more if there is an infringement, but the attacking player is able to make a pass. Experienced and talented players love it when the game flows instead of breaking momentum,” the umpire of the year says.

Asked about the common footwork errors noticed most frequently in the midcourt this season, Eichab singles out dragging.

“Some footwork errors are due to court surface and player footwear (without grip) rather than from opponent pressure.”

As the top-rated official this season, he says the biggest piece of advice to both players and coaches to improve communication with umpires is for coaches and players to make use of their right to seek clarity from umpires on their calls.

“Few coaches do this during and after a game. We have a discussion and sometimes laugh it off. Players and coaches must take time to understand the rules. This would better their play and adjust to umpires’ calls,” Eichab says.

With the evolution of the game, he says the short pass rule is commonly misunderstood by teams during fast-paced matches.

“Some coaches still think this rule doesn’t exist. As an umpire, it can be difficult sometimes to determine whether a pass was short or not,” he says.

“This is the rule we sometimes pitch ourselves for. Positioning, vision and timing! The battle is always in the goal circle. When those three are off, you might miss a lot of infringements.”

Eichab says spectators’ comments are always interesting when this happens.

“As an umpire, we often judge whether a team or player can benefit from an advantage or not. We only have split seconds to make decisions on the court of play.”

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