Netball mum's apology morphs into strategic tips for umpire

Guys. Guys. I never thought I'd have to make this video. So, as a lot of you know, on Saturday I got asked to leave the under-13 courts in Kilbirnie. The convener called it "coaching the umpire from the sideline". Which, okay, is not what happened. But also it's exactly what happened, and I'm owning that. deep breath I'm owning that. I'm not here to relitigate the contact call in the second quarter. It was three feet, she was nowhere near three feet, but that is not what this video is about.

I've spent the last few days really sitting with it. I read the rulebook front to back, which is more than some people did. I'm not naming names because she's fifteen and I've known her mum since Plunket. I'm doing the work. I'm growing as a person. And part of growing as a person is admitting that when I said "open your fucking eyes, Mikayla" at a child, that was not my best self. That was the southerly talking. Anyone who's stood on those courts in a southerly knows what I mean. Anyone who doesn't can get in the bin.

To my community, I am so sorry. To Denise, who walked me to the carpark, I'm sorry. Although Denise, you said yourself on the way past the cones that the obstruction call was "a bit soft". So. To the Lyall Bay parents who had to hear it, sorry. To my daughter, who has asked me to "never come to anything again", I hear you, and I'll be at Thursday training. I'll be quiet. I'll have the rules in a plastic sleeve but I won't be holding them up. They'll just be with me. On my lap. Face out.

I'm not going to lie to you, this is take four. Craig made me redo it. In take two I started going through the footwork calls one by one and apparently that's "not an apology, that's a podcast". Someone on the club Facebook said I've got a lot to learn. Which, fine. Greg O'Connor said the same thing about himself last week and they gave him a seat at council, so maybe there's hope for all of us. pause That was a joke. Denise, that was a joke.

So here's where I've landed. I've accepted the stand-down. I've deleted the voice memo. I've apologised to Mikayla's mum in person, in the Pak'nSave carpark, which went about as well as you'd think. She still reckons it was three feet. It was not three feet. Anyway. I'm choosing peace. I'm choosing the sideline, the bit past the fence where Denise can't technically see me. Links below for my new course on accountability.