This week, Netball Australia’s Performance Umpiring Coach Stacey Campton mentored and assessed the top-tier of talented Fijian umpires during matches throughout the Rising Stars: Fiji 21/U Tour.
Litia Rabitu, after years of dedication to umpire development in Fiji, has been rewarded by achieving her Australian National B Badge Accreditation - a first for umpires in Fiji and a hallmark step for umpire development in the country.
For Rabitu, this accreditation is a recognition of the hard work, dedication and commitment she has shown to her umpiring, a role she took up when she was 15 years old. Hailing from Naila, Bau (Tailevu), with maternal links to Nabudrau, Noco (Rewa), Nasinu Netball Association was her local netball courts in the early days.
In addition to her netball involvement, Rabitu is also a Fiji Corrections Officer, and has combined all these commitments with her role as a mother to two boys.
Obtaining the Australian National B Badge will continue to open opportunities for Rabitu to umpire internationally. She is already a two-time Pacific Games umpire in 2019 and 2023.
The accreditation will also allow her to contribute to umpire accreditations locally in the future , being able to be on assessment panels under the Netball Australia National Umpire Development Framework (NUDF).
Georgina Sulley-Beales, Losalini Bainivalu, Stacey Campton and Litia RabituRabitu expressed her excitement at being awarded the accreditation.
“Programs like this give umpires a new kind of perspective for where they can head to,” she said.
“Since I’ve been given the B Badge, I have had umpires across the country telling me this has inspired them to reach another level of accreditation.”
Rabitu has also been nominated by Netball Fiji for the Technical Officials Award at the Fiji National Sports Awards.
The Fiji Netball umpiring community is a strong and supportive group. Fiji’s National Umpires Manager, Losalini Bainivalu, a former talented umpire herself, highlighted the importance of Rabitu receiving her B Badge to their community.
“Litia getting her B badge will inspire every young umpire in Fiji,” Bainivalu said.
“Having our umpires listen to people such as Stacey helps them develop and grow in Fiji, and we are thankful for programs like this.”
CEO of Netball Fiji Vivian Koster said that Litia is contributing towards the end goal for Netball Fiji of having an international umpire as part of their organisation.
'Litia has put in a lot of hard work to achieve this accreditation and we're looking forward to the next stage of her umpiring career.'
In addition to the practical elements on umpire development, former top international, and All-Australian (AA) umpire Stacey Campton also facilitated a Q&A workshop with over 20 local umpires in Suva.
Campton shared insights on game management for upcoming umpires.In attendance and sharing their knowledge and experience were AA and Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) umpires Georgina Sulley-Beales and Jordan Kiss – with whom the Fijian umpires were able to co-umpire during the Rising Stars tour.
The participant-focused workshop provided a rare opportunity for the umpires officiating over the Fiji Secondary School Netball Championships to ask questions of Australia’s most knowledgeable umpires.
Topics included:
- Tools for game management
- Tips for assessing obstruction, contact, three-second, and three-feet rules.
- Education on new World Netball rules
- Advice for officiating youth netball
Sulley-Beales, Kiss and Campton shared their journeys with the group and leading activities aimed to help umpires sharpen their rule knowledge and application into games.
Umpire workshop group in Suva, Fiji 2024Campton highlighted to the umpires the importance of building rapport with athletes, making brave decisions with a strong whistle, indication, voice and vision.
She spoke on the importance of programs such as this, emphasising the progress being made in Fiji and the importance of sharing knowledge.
“There’s great work being done across Fiji, by people like Losalini Bainivalu, Tom Hicks, and Litia, in developing the standard and scope of qualified umpires.”
The workshop was supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports and the Pacific Women's Sports Administration programs, initiatives which build people-to-people links and further strengthens Australia and the Pacific’s close regional ties through a shared love of sport.
Interested in Netball Australia’s work with Netball Fiji? See more here: https://netball.com.au/fiji-netball-association
