Meet Miles Mpho Moshou Ikageng, Potchefstroom in the North West province. Miles has been an umpire for eight years and is currently a Netball South Africa A umpire that he obtained in 2018.
How did your netball journey begin?
My netball journey started at the age of 24, coming from being a player, I was given a whistle at a local friendly game and fell in love with it, went for my Level 1 umpires course that was sponsored by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture in 2014.
How did you get into umpiring?
I was identified by the late Joey Schoeman and Dr Hannette Brewer in 2014 at a development tournament in Potchefstroom, I was given a whistle and I fell in love with it!
Which tournaments have you umpired at so far and which one’s are your favourite and memorable moments?
Beside almost all South African tournaments since 2015 the major ones are:
Varsity Netball Cup 2018, 2019 and 2021
Telkom Netball League 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022
Males International Netball Championships 2021
All my TV matches are my favourites and the most memorable is my first international match between South Africa and Uganda.
The most difficult part about being an umpire?
There is no difficult part about being an umpire when you officiate with impartiality, according to the rule book, allowing fair play and good sportsmanship.
Your favourite part about being an umpire?
My favourite part about being an umpire I must say is being in control of the game and umpiring with rules.
What advice can you share as an umpire?
My advice is never limit yourself, there is always room for improvement, be goal driven!
