real life

"I was crying on court." Netballer humiliated when umpire docks points for her skirt.

Rachael Brown, 30, was enjoying playing for her Brisbane netball team in their grand final last week, until an umpire’s decision left her humiliated and crying on the court.

During a break in the Wednesday night game, Rachel said the umpire approached her team captain about the length of her uniform.

Rachael was told her uniform was "too short" during the game. Image via Facebook.

The umpire is understood to have advised the team they would be deducting two points because Rachael's dress was too short.

Rachael said she asked whether her dress was deemed inappropriate "because I'm fat", before the umpire responded with "yes".

"I've worn the same size uniform for 22 years, not once have they said anything to me," Rachael told the Brisbane Times.

Rachael in her netball uniform. Image supplied.

"It didn't affect the outcome of the game...But that whole quarter I was crying on court."

After the game, Rachael posted on the Brisbane Netball Association's Facebook page, asking whether they thought the decision was appropriate.

"Just wondering where on your uniform and colours 'rules' on your website state that if a girl is overweight and her dress may be a little short because of this, do they loose 2 game points (sic)?" she wrote.

"I'd also like to know why umpires find it ok to advise this player in front of everyone else to humiliate them?

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"All humans regardless of their size, exercise to try and keep fit, and in my case, lose weight and try and ignore the bullying going on in the 21st century about their appearance...there is a right and wrong way to tell someone that maybe their dress is a little too short."

Rachael's post was soon deleted from the Netball Association's official page.

"I'm usually one to just let it go, but this has hurt me and nobody should ever be felt this way about wanting to be active and play sport," she wrote on her own Facebook page when she discovered her complaint had disappeared.

Image via Facebook.

The Brisbane Netball Association responded to Rachael's comment, writing that it is not the intention of the policy to make players "feel badly about themselves".

"The purpose is to protect and prevent adolescent girls from wearing inappropriate uniforms," they wrote.

They added that her complaint would be sent to an independent tribunal to be investigated.

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