Gartside, who has been in action with the whistle at Regional State League games this season, has been invited to attend a state development camp for C-grade umpires in Melbourne this week

Sixteen of the most promising umpires from across Victoria were selected to attend the two-day program, which aims to help them prepare for their B-grade exams.

Participants will attend workshops and gain first-hand experience by umpiring matches at Waverley Netball Association on Saturday, and the Victorian Police Games on Sunday.

Umpire coaches will provide one-on-one advice while they are on the court.

Gartside, 29, said she was thrilled to get the opportunity to take part.

She began umpiring as a junior, but in recent times has been encouraged by her father Bob - himself a B-grade umpire - to take on more officiating duties and work towards higher badges.

“I love umpiring,” she said, “We are all pretty passionate about it in my family.

“And as a player, I think you gain a better understanding of how the game really works from an umpire’s point of view.

“You also get to a point where you realise you haven’t got many playing years left in you and you see umpiring as another avenue of continuing in the game.”

Gartside played netball for Southside at Golden City for many years and at YCW last season, but will line up in defence this year for Marong, where Bob has been appointed A-grade coach.

NV umpire educator Anne Castles said Gartside had impressed her when she saw her umpiring in Bendigo earlier this year.

She said the camp was a wonderful chance for talented umpires to develop their skills.

“It will be very intense but I think they will get a lot out of it,” she said.

“This will help give them the extra skills required to go from C-grade umpires to the higher level B-grade by the end of the season.

“They have all got the potential to do it.”

Castles said those taking part in the invitation-only camp were aged 15-40, and all but two were from regional areas. This would give Netball Victoria the chance to find out what obstacles country people faced as they progressed along the umpiring pathway.

“It is a learning curve for us as well, to see how we can work to make sure country umpires get to where they have the potential to be,” she said.

Other local umpires joining Gartside at the camp include Maddie O’Nial, Madeleine Allman and Narelle Costello, from the Echuca district, and Alyssa Cole, from Maryborough-Castlemaine.