Five New Zealand umpiring personnel have been selected to officiate at July’s Netball World Cup (NWC2023) in Cape Town.
World Netball has released its list of officials for South Africa, including 23 International Technical Officials (ITO). The experienced David Pala’amo of Christchurch will be one of six sitting on the Umpire Appointment Panel (UAP).
He will be joined at the event by leading New Zealand umpires Angela Armstrong-Lush, Kristie Simpson, Gareth Fowler and Ken Metekingi.
Pala’amo has been heavily involved in netball for over 40 years as a player, coach and umpire.
Making his name as an umpire, Pala’amo retired from top level umpiring in 2010 having officiated at two Netball World Cups, 2002 Commonwealth Games and during the trans-Tasman competition.
He has continued to whistle games while working as an umpire assessor and coach for Netball New Zealand.
It will be the first time umpiring at a Netball World Cup for Manawatu’s Metekingi and the second Netball World Cup for Armstrong-Lush and Hutt Valley’s Fowler. The trio officiated at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
New Zealand’s most experienced umpire, Southland’s Simpson umpired her first Netball World Cup event in 2015, in Sydney.
The quartet has featured heavily in New Zealand’s elite domestic competition, the ANZ Premiership in recent years while also officiating at a variety of international series.
Whistling her first elite level match in 2010, Simpson is New Zealand’s most capped national league umpire, clocking up 125 matches in charge during her extensive career.
Netball New Zealand National Technical Officials Manager Garratt Williamson is immensely proud to have four umpires and a member of the UAP selected for such a prestigious event.
“It is not only a reflection of the work and high levels of performance Ange, Gareth, Ken, Kristie and David have shown over a long period, but a reflection of the strength within our wider team both on and off the court,” he said.