Queensland

Brisbane netballer left humiliated after umpire's dressing-down

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A Brisbane woman has been left feeling upset and humiliated after her netball team was docked two points in their grand final because her skirt was deemed too short.

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

Ms Brown said an umpire approached her captain about her dress length during a break at Wednesday night's game. When her captain told her, Ms Brown said she asked whether they thought it was too short "because I'm fat," and said the umpire responded with "yes, we're deducting two points".

"It didn't affect the outcome of the game," Ms Brown said.

"But that whole quarter I was crying on court."

The Brisbane Netball Association has said the complaint will be sent to an independent tribunal for investigation.

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"Ms Rachael Brown was flagged by officials for allegedly not complying to Section 14E, which states: 'Uniform dresses must be of sufficient length to fall below the level of uniform bike pants when a player is in a normal standing position'," a BNA official said.

"These rules were introduced in 2012 following feedback from parents to protect adolescent girls from wearing inappropriate uniforms that infringe privacy. Netball is an inclusive game which encourages participation by women of all backgrounds, fitness levels and sizes."

Ms Brown lodged a formal complaint, and the BNA official said it would be investigated by an independent tribunal next week.

"Following the independent tribunal to address this matter, we hope to see Ms Brown back on a BNA court in future."

The BNA official said it was the ninth uniform-infringement issue over the summer season.

In her original post to their page, Ms Brown questioned the way she was told off for her uniform breach.

"Hi. 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 bit short because of this, do they lose 2 game points," she said.

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

"There is a right and a wrong way to tell someone that maybe their dress is a little too short and they should maybe consider a bigger dress size."

Ms Brown said there were better ways to deal with uniform breaches.

"I reckon if it was an issue then pull someone aside and tell them, don't do it in front of everyone," she said.

I'm 30, but if it was a teenager how would they feel? Even if you try to explain to them why, I think that's the best way you can do it."