Lucy Bingham - Netball in Australia Part 2!

Back in 2022, we interviewed Lucy Bingham, an Australian grass-roots netball player. “Netball makes me feel like myself. In games I can show people who I am by using my strengths that others don’t usually see and use them to win a game for me and my team. As it’s a team sport, it’s nice to have other people supporting you and motivating you to do your best.”

Photo courtesy Cath Grey: Lucy in 2022

We went back to Lucy to see what she’s been up to since then and whether she has continued playing netball.  

How old are you now and tell us about your netball career to date?

I am 16 years old and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I have been playing for 9 years this year. I started in the Net Set Go program, which is a program for aspiring young netball players to get an introduction before they start playing full games. When I turned 9, I joined a local netball organisation and am now in the under 18’s division. I started umpiring three years ago and coaching two years ago.

How did you begin coaching?

I started umpiring three years ago and then got into volunteer coaching netball for an under 15s team in the spring season. After coaching spring, I got a job coaching an under 11’s team in the winter season, which I get paid for, while also continuing umpiring.What was the process to become an umpire?  What training did you do, any shadowing of other umpires? 

Before becoming an umpire, I had to take an online exam where I needed to score over 80% to be able to make it to the next round. After submitting my test results, I had a trial day where they test your skills in person on the actual court. You are there with a small group of other aspiring umpires and the trainers take you through some of the basics of umpiring. Before I even did the first exam, I went to a training course to prepare me for the in person trial so I could have a better chance of getting in. 

After I was accepted into the job with many other trainees, I worked on three games where I shadowed another umpire who’s been working for a few years. This allowed me to gain a great introduction to my job. Then I started umpiring by myself with a bib that said ‘Umpire in training’ and with a mentor that helped me along the way and provided feedback in the breaks. 

Lucy in her whites, 2025

Once I got into my whites, which is the official uniform, I was able to become qualified to umpire without a mentor. The next step for me is to become badged which allows me a greater certification and the ability to umpire finals and higher-stake games.How are you finding it?  Is it difficult if you have to make an unpopular decision?  What do you like about it?When I started umpiring, it was quite stressful to get used to calling players out for mistakes because I was afraid my calls would be wrong, but as I have gained more experience, I have grown much more confident to calling things and have realised that even if they are the wrong mistakes, both the parents and players are usually quite nice about it. 

As I’ve continued, I have also gotten a better understanding of the rules and I make fewer mistakes than I did before but they are still sometimes unavoidable. I really enjoy the people I work with as they are all so kind and were very inclusive to me when I first joined. I also really enjoy being able to educate and watch younger players learn to love the game that I love so much and have even had younger girls come up to me after a game to thank me for umpiring. The whole community of netball is so welcoming and kind to not only umpires, but to coaches as well.

That’s so good to hear!  Are there many female coaches in your area?

In my netball club, from what I have observed, the majority of both the netball committee and the coaches are females. The coaches are mostly either mothers of some of the children in the team or young adults who love netball, such as me and my friend that I coach with. The coach for my team is a female as well and she got into coaching as she is also an umpire and loves to spend time at the courts and with children who aspire to grow as netball players. Although there are many females in the netball community, there are still many fathers that have stepped up to be coaches or team managers for teams. I think that netball used to be just a girls sport but it is slowly integrating males into both the wider community and as players.

What made you decide to move into coaching?  

I decided to get into coaching as I think it’s a great pastime for the weekends instead of spending time on a device. I also got into it because I spend most of my Saturday at the court for umpiring and playing and thought that it would be nice to help younger players to enhance their skills. I coach with one of my friends who encouraged me to coach with her so now we get to use both of our individual skills to create motivated and skilled teams and individuals.How do you find coaching?I really enjoy coaching as both the kids and the parents are so welcoming and sweet to both me and my co-coach. I love to create bonds with children who have the same interests as me and to help them develop the skills that they need to go wherever they want in netball. Coaching is also quite easy for me as I have been playing netball for many years now and the younger kids are very eager to learn to get better in their skills. I have also had really amazing bosses who have given me everything I need and continue to help me grow as a mentor.

Which do you prefer coaching or umpiring?

I really love them both as they keep me fit and mentally activated throughout the week but I believe I like coaching better as I like to work directly with kids and umpiring limits me to working with them from the sidelines. Being able to coach children allows me to create bonds with them and allows me to be a direct influence on their growth.

Wow! Thank you Lucy. It’s great to hear how you’ve continued your involvement with netball. Keep in touch!