The annual award celebrates New Zealand’s most talented officials  in the Netball umpiring community and recognises dedication and commitment both on and off the court.

A 22 year old student at Auckland’s University of Technology, Nicholl is based out of Netball North Harbour in the Netball Northern Zone, however his inclusion in the NNZ National Umpire Squad in 2017 has seen Nicholls umpiring matches throughout the country over the last 12 months.

Nicholls was a regular feature at Beko Netball League matches throughout the season, with his performance throughout the season seeing him take control of the Beko Netball League Grand Final in June.

Nicholls also officiated at the inaugural Netball Super Club competition held in Nelson in July, which featured top domestic and international club teams battling it out over four days of competition – a challenge for both players and officials. 

NNZ Technical Officials Manager Garratt Williamson said it was great to be able to recognise talent within the umpiring community. 

“We are very fortunate to have young talent like Cory as part of the umpiring programme in New Zealand.” 

“We’re really happy with Cory’s performance both on and off the court in 2017. 

He’s still young and has loads of potential so we’re looking forward to seeing him develop as a member of the Squad in 2018.”

The Umpire of the Year Award is selected by the NNZ Umpire Selection Panel based on a number of criteria including participation at defined national domestic events as well as performance both on and off the court.

Nicholl’s achievement will be recognised with a presentation at the Taini Jamison Trophy series in Auckland, in March 2018.