Gillian Leslie has become a familiar name in Scottish netball for her impressive journey as an umpire. Her story is about passion, hard work, and the joy of staying involved in the game she loves. Earlier this year, on February 5, 2024, Gillian’s dedication and talent were formally recognised when World Netball awarded her International Talent Identified Umpire (ITID) status—a significant milestone in her umpiring career.

From Player to Umpire

Gillian’s love for netball was always strong, but umpiring wasn’t something she initially considered. “I always loved netball, shockingly enough!” she says with a smile. But life brought her to a point where she wanted a new challenge. “I wanted to stay in netball but wanted to take some ‘stress’ out of it at that time of my life. Umpiring seemed the way to go…”

Her journey into umpiring began when she was looking for a different perspective on the game. She found that umpiring offered not only a fresh challenge but also a way to continue enjoying netball without the same pressures she had experienced as a player. With the support of her mentor, Arlene Sinclair, who saw potential in her, Gillian quickly moved through the ranks. “With her support, belief, and a lot of hard work, I moved from my C to A within two years,” she shares. This rapid progression laid the foundation for her future success in umpiring.

Memorable Moments on the Court

Throughout her umpiring career, Gillian has had many rewarding experiences that fuelled her love for the role. One of the earliest and most memorable moments was when she was asked to be a ‘super sub’ at a U17s tournament in Malta. “To have someone believe in your ability so much to nominate you for that level is amazing,” she recalls. “Umpiring in front of a crowd, on TV, and meeting officials from other countries for the first time was amazing!” This experience not only validated her skills but also sparked a deeper passion for umpiring at higher levels.

Another highlight for Gillian was her involvement in significant events like the Commonwealth Games warm-up in Glasgow and her first game as a Grade A umpire. Each of these moments, she says, was special and motivating, pushing her to strive for even greater achievements. “There have been so many rewarding moments, all special,” she reflects. “From my first GNA game to achieving my ITID status, each one has contributed to my journey.”

The Power of Support

Gillian’s journey wasn’t always smooth, and she faced her share of challenges. She credits much of her success to the encouragement and guidance of key figures in her life, including her mentor Anne Abriatis, who played a crucial role in her development as an umpire. “My poor long-suffering mentor Anne Abriatis adds to my motivation to be the best, even when I don’t believe in my ability. Most of the time, she has no idea how much she helps!” Gillian says. “However, we are a small bunch, us umpires, and I am really lucky to have the best support from them.”

Her network extended beyond her mentor to include her family, especially her husband, and friends, who provided the emotional and logistical support she needed to balance her umpiring career with her other responsibilities. “Without this support network, I wouldn’t have been able to commit or be motivated to get to this level in my umpiring career,” she emphasises.

Balancing Act

Balancing umpiring with life’s other demands isn’t easy, but Gillian manages with careful planning and organisation. “Organisation, organisation, organisation!” she stresses. As a lecturer at Glasgow Clyde College, her schedule is packed with teaching duties, marking, and preparation. “Not a minute of my week doesn’t have some sort of commitment to it,” she explains.

Gillian’s success in netball umpiring is not just a result of skill and experience, but also of immense mental determination. Navigating the challenges that come with advancing to the highest levels of the sport requires a resilient mindset. “There were a lot of crying, talking it out with the nearest and dearest, soul searching… but I am quite a determined person,” she shares. It’s this inner drive, coupled with her ability to push through tough moments, that has enabled her to achieve such remarkable success. Gillian’s journey is a powerful reminder that mental strength and perseverance are just as crucial as physical ability in reaching the top.

Looking Forward

As she looks to the future, Gillian hopes that more people get involved in umpiring. “Ideally, there will be more people confident to get involved in umpiring,” she says. She encourages those considering this path to keep working on their skills and knowledge. “Never expect anything and always work hard when you think no one is watching. It’s amazing what will come to you!”

Gillian Leslie’s journey in netball umpiring, crowned by her recent ITID status awarded by World Netball, is a testament to what can be achieved with passion, determination, and the right support. Her story shows that umpiring can be a deeply rewarding way to stay connected to the sport you love. If you’ve ever thought about picking up the whistle, Gillian’s journey might just be the inspiration you need.

Match Report: Scotland v Fiji

Scotland stepped back on court today after their first day off since the competition began six days ago.

In their sixth clash with Fiji at a World Cup, Scottish Thistles had something to prove and a win to secure if they were to stay on track with a top ten finish. The last time Scotland finished within top ten was 1991.

Their last meeting was a solid win from Fiji 51-41 at the 2015 Netball World Cup in Sydney for 11^th/12^th playoff where only Claire Maxwell from Thistles squad was present.

Today was a chance for the Scottish Thistles to show their growth on the world stage and secure a playoff spot higher than their previous finishes of 11^th in 2019 and 12^th in 2015.

Tamsin Greenway explained her game plan heading into the match “they were a targeted team for us so we wanted to beat them. Fiji and Barbados were the games we thought we could go for.”

Scotland coaches used their pre-match training well orchestrating a match with Fiji days before the 16th Netball World Cup kicked off in Cape Town.

“It was great having a pre-match against Fiji, it was really helpful to build the confidence coming into the competition.”

A change to what has been a consistent starting seven was backed up with a strong focus on attack according to Greenway,

“The game plan was very much in the attack end which is unlike us but that was our focus. We’ve been working on getting around the box and understanding what ball can go in and so that focus was very much on us and how we can use the width and how we opened up some space in the attacking end.”

“We started strongly, and we got that 7-1 lead but you can’t keep winning ball off teams. It was closer at half time that we would have liked because we didn’t win any ball in that second quarter, and we didn’t adjust necessarily to their defensive style quick enough so that was a tough one.”

“Defensively we knew it was going to be that rotating circle which is exciting at times and really hard to shut down so we knew we would struggle at winning ball if we didn’t stick to some structures. The plan was to try and at least get some good first phase and second phase landings so then we could slip into our defensive position which I think other than the second quarter we did a really good job at.”

Fiji used their bench throughout the match, but Greenway says they expected that and were prepared;

“We talked about that, we knew that was going to happen, it’s the way they play but actually our focus was very much on us today and how we were going to manage what we were doing out on the court. I think it cost them in the end because they made so many changes it didn’t help them with any momentum. The focus was very much on how we wanted to play the game and work that out rather than worry about who was coming on and off.”

“At half-time is where the real impact was felt in terms of the tactical information we wanted them to take on. I think giving Emily Nicholl some time on the bench to look at the game and then re-enter was key.”

Greenway points to some tactical changes from her that influenced the match;

“We wouldn’t usually put Hannah Grant in at goal keeper against some teams because she doesn’t match up with the height but I thought this was her game and that move really helped to shut down options.”

“Hannah Leighton was my player of the match for how she kept us in the game at times, how she won ball. I think that is she can be really dangerous across both positions because she can open some stuff in attack but we know that shift of hers to wing defence is a lethal one, the wing attacks really have a tough job on their hands.”

Q1: 13-8

Q2: 29-26 (16 -18)

Q3: 45-39 (16-13)

Q4: 62-46 (17-7)

Player of the Match – Niamh McCall

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – AUGUST 03: Player of the Match Niamh McCall of Scotland during the Netball World Cup 2023, Pool F match between Fiji and Scotland at Cape Town International Convention Centre Court 2 on August 03, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Shaun Royn/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023)

Scotland have one final match in their World Cup campaign:

Scotland v Wales

9^th/10^th Playoff

Saturday 5^th August

MATCH REPORT: Malawi v Scotland

Day one of the 2023 Netball World Cup saw Scotland take on Malawi in Cape Town.  It was the first time these two sides have met in the history of the sport’s showpiece tournament.

The Scottish Thistles started the match with “intent” according to Head Coach, Tamsin Greenway;

“They started the match exceptionally well, it was kind of a textbook start. We knew if we went early at Malawi they wouldn’t be expecting it and I think that played out with the score line. We turned over a good amount of ball and we punished them for it. I thought we were really sharp in attack, I couldn’t be prouder of how we started the game, they really went with the intent that I wanted them to show.”

Malawi struggled to retain possession, with only 37 per cent of the ball in their hands. Scotland held a comfortable 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and it looked like an upset was on the cards.

A physical battle on court meant the young Scottish side had to stick to task and tactics. They held a convincing lead for the first half;

“I thought Rachel Conway did such a great job. She won us enough ball in that first half to really stamp our authority and that’s where we got that lead. Attacking wise, I though Hannah Leighton did an exception job on Lwazi and her work rate. Claire Maxwell had a real captain’s performance.”

The turn came in the final quarter where Malawi changed their line up and clawed back at the score line. The physical battle resulted in a two-minute suspension for wing-defence of the Malawi Queens but the experience of the African side was enough to push them over the line.

Q1 17- 9

Q2 29-22

Q3 41-35

Final Score 55-49

Speaking after the match, Head Coach Tamsin Greenway commented on her young squad, seven of which have never played in a World Cup before.

“The reality is this is a really young group, we had two kids out there in goal-keeper (Rachel Conway and Cerys Finn) against Mvula and Kumwenda and the reality is you can only do so much, tactically I thought we were great. We had patches in each quarter where we went 3 or 4 goals unanswered that killed our momentum and that is something you have to learn out there, it’s personal accountability, it’s riding hits and its game sense, those are all the things that you get from years of playing. It will come.”

Stepping on to court in their first World Cup match tonight, Rachel Conway, Hannah Leighton, Iona Christian, Emma Love and Cerys Finn showed real passion and intent.

“I am gutted for them, and they’re gutted. We said that we were going to go hard at this game and the risk was always going to be worse than the reward. If we had won this game today they would be riding the wave but we’ve got to pick ourselves back up and play Barbados tomorrow and that is a must-win game.”

“They will learn so much from this game, the rubbish part of it is they have to have these experiences to learn and that I’m afraid takes time and it’s something you have to do to ride the wave of international netball. They’ve got tonight to be upset about it and then they come tomorrow nice and fresh ready for Barbados.”

Captain Claire Maxwell, who made history tonight becoming Scotland’s most capped player added;

“We had an incredible start and maintained our lead for most of the match. We always knew Malawi would fight back and unfortunately for us we didn’t maintain our composure at key points.”

Scottish Thistles play again tomorrow in Pool B at 3pm (UK time)

Following a recruitment campaign in April 2021 which attracted athletes from all World Netball Regions, Scottish Thistles and Strathclyde Sirens Athlete, Emily Nicholl was successfully selected to join the first World Netball ‘Voice of the Athlete’ group.

Under its core strategic pillar, ‘Govern’, World Netball highlights the importance of working collaboratively with those that live and breathe netball every day in order to develop the sport. The Voice of the Athlete Working Group will begin this process by working together throughout 2021 to determine a suitable framework for a future Athletes Commission, which will be established following recommendations by the Working Group to the World Netball Board.

The Working Group consists of current international athletes with at least 3-years’ international playing experience and have been endorsed by their Member/Regional Federation or Executive Board. The athletes have been selected to ensure representation across the 5 World Netball Regions across teams ranked 1-5, 6-20, and 21+.

For more information on the World Netball ‘Voice of the Athlete’ Working Group herd to the website here – https://netball.sport/archives/20208