Nominated by the South Otago Netball Centre, she was presented with the award to acknowledge her dedication and service to the sport, much of it behind the scenes, at the recent Netball South annual meeting in Invercargill.
"I got an email at Christmas telling me that I’d been nominated for the award and I was really blown away," she said.
"I was first introduced to netball at Balclutha Primary School when I was about seven ... and later on at South Otago High School I found umpiring was what really did it for me.
"I’m lucky to have found the thing I was passionate about so early on."
Mrs Freeman has spent her adult life organising umpires, supporting players’ understanding of the rules and helping competitions run smoothly across busy seasons.
She was pleased netball continued as one of the district’s most popular sports.
She had continued officiating and mentoring through health setbacks and now spent much of her time guiding others and administrating an array of tournaments.
"The thing I love is seeing the young ones, watching them come through, stay on at it, develop and advance," she said.
About 30 senior teams take part locally, in addition to junior grades, with hundreds of players, officials and supporters filling the Balclutha’s Cross Recreation Centre on Fridays and Saturdays.
Mrs Freeman credited her family for their long-standing support and was quick to acknowledge the local netball community.
"Rochelle Taylor, Hilary Smith and me seem to make a trio who can really get things done ... but it’s the whole committee and everybody doing their bit, from the wee girls in their first uniform to their families and teachers that’s making netball thrive."
