Umpiring
None of us can play and enjoy our hockey without umpires, and we always need new volunteers to give it a try!
As part of our club’s aspirations to improve the hockey, we wish to encourage more people to umpire and help develop the skills of our existing umpires.
Don’t worry if you don’t know all the rules – it doesn’t take long to pick them up and this might actually help if you’re playing hockey too! It is perfectly possible to umpire a higher standard of game than you play – lots of people do – so it really doesn’t matter what level of hockey you play.
Level 1 - qualified umpires
If you are already qualified, let us know and we’ll get you involved with the club. Don’t worry if you qualified elsewhere – there’s a good chance your qualification is transferable. If you can help out with club umpiring that’s fantastic; if you wish to umpire at a higher standard even better, we can get you involved in league appointments (see below).
Level 1 Umpires Course – getting qualified
This comprises two evening classroom training sessions, including a written test (you’ll need to read the rule book, which will be provided to you). Once you’ve passed the written test, you’ll be assigned a mentor from Oxfordshire Hockey Umpires Association (OHUA). The mentor will watch you umpire practice matches and will give you encouragement and support until you have met the required standard (any Oxford HC matches you help with can be used). OHUA will give you a final assessed match in order for you to complete the course.
Club Support for Level 1 Umpires Course
The club can add to the OHUA mentoring, and send Oxford HC Level 1 umpires to games with you to lend you as much support as you feel you may need. Level 1 umpires course fees are £90, which includes a £40 deposit that will be refunded to you if you qualify within 1 year of the start of the course. This fee also covers your first year’s membership (£10) of the OHUA, which includes insurance. Once you pass the course, Oxford HC will refund the other £50 of your course fees, via treasurer Paul Wilson.
Thereafter it’s £10pa subs for the OHUA, which covers ongoing support and insurance (the rule book is sent to you every 2 years). For active club umpires this annual subscription will paid by the club in future seasons.
What you’ll get out of umpiring
- Umpires who whistle 7 or more games for the club during the winter season may claim a free dinner dance ticket – 14 or more – two free tickets. The onus is on the umpire to claim – make sure you complete your personal match record page on the umpiring website. More details from Paul Wilson.
- The skills you learn as an umpire are transferable – the key skills being communication and leadership – and will add to your CV.
- The pleasure of giving something back to the sport we know and love.
- Enjoyment: there is much satisfaction to be gained from umpiring well and contributing to a great hockey match.
Ladies’ League Appointments
The ladies’ league currently requires umpires to be appointed for all games from Premier 2 in the Trysports 3 Counties league upwards (i.e. the division that our 3rd team is in and higher).
If you have a level 1 qualification, please consider volunteering to be available to whistle ladies’ league appointments. These games are good quality games, but unlike the men you are unlikely to need to man manage the testosterone. The OHUA have a website where, once you’ve registered, you can note your times of availability several weeks in advance. This way you can plan appointments to avoid clashes with games you might be playing. You can even specify the geographical area you wish to take the appointment in. OHUA pays mileage to cover your fuel, and you should be fed after the game (if you’re very lucky, you get a beer too).
Find out more
If you’d like to get involved in umpiring or have any questions – please email info@oxfordhc.org.
