Little Maleya Raitava would often marvel at the shiny gold trophies her mother had won as a netball player. 

"I remember looking at those trophies and then deciding I wanted to play netball," she said.

At just six years old, she stepped onto the courts and set about earning her own accolades to add to the family collection.

That was four years ago. Now 10 years old, she has soared to success both on the court and skirting its sidelines in her outback Queensland home of Mount Isa.

Maleya was recently named the youngest person in Queensland and "possibly Australia" to earn her C-badge in umpiring, according to Netball Queensland.

It means she could be blowing the whistle at Netball Queensland state carnivals and competitions if called upon.

Both Maleya and the governing body hope her story proves age is no barrier to taking up leadership positions in the game as netball struggles to attract new umpires.

A 10-year-old boss on the courts

One of the biggest barriers to enticing people into umpiring was the "behaviour of spectators", said Netball Queensland officials development lead Claire Kleinschmidt.

"Often spectators in netball … can be quick to criticise our umpires and it can be a challenge [for umpires] to manage those emotions and expectations."

But Maleya said disciplining players and copping it from the crowd had helped her build a thick skin.

"If I call them [a player] and they give a dirty look, well, too bad. I've called you and you need to play to the rules. They get over it eventually," she said.

She said it was easy to brush off being underestimated when she kept her sights on her goals and dreams.

"People do think I am too small and too young to umpire but you can umpire at any age as long as you're doing what you love and working toward your future in the sport," Maleya said.

Maleya wanted to prove to other kids that umpiring was worth the hard work.

"It would be great to see more kids and young people taking up umpiring. I think we would surprise all the adults," she said.

Kids on the whistle

Ms Kleinschmidt said an increase in young people umpiring netball would help fill a gap.

"When you're enthusiastic and put yourself forward for every learning opportunity and seek feedback … I think that has been a huge contributor to Maleya's success at such a young age," she said.

As for Maleya's next move, she has her sights firmly set on the sidelines of elite state championships and, maybe one day, the Olympic Games.

"It usually takes about four years to get the next level up, the B-badge," she said.