Umpiring is a great way to get involved in hockey, giving you the opportunity to give something back to the sport you love and help to widen participation. Remember, we can't play the game without them!

We have a pool of qualified umpires at the club but acknowledge the need to recruit new umpires and develop existing ones. We are very lucky to have an Umpire Development Officer, Graham King, at BHC. Graham is qualified as a Level 1 Umpire, Level 1 Coach and Assessor with 27 years’ experience. His role is to mentor and develop new umpires and encourage them accordingly.

KEEN TO DO IT BUT WORRIED IT’S NOT FOR YOU?
Getting started as an umpire is not as daunting as it may seem but we often hear people say:
• I don’t know where to begin
• I’m not confident enough
• I don’t know the rules well enough
• I may look stupid if I make a mistake or a wrong decision
• I don’t like conflict and don’t know how to deal with it
• It’s just not for me
We can help you with all of these … please just get in touch and we’ll talk to you about your concerns. We hope never to force anyone to umpire but some weeks we find ourselves with just not enough umpires. We have seen how it benefits players both in their knowledge of the game and in developing personal confidence and are keen to share the success stories with you.

WHO GETS INVOLVED IN UMPIRING?
• Are you a parent who wants to be more involved than just standing at the side getting cold?
• Have you been asked to umpire when no umpire is available and actually found it to be ok?
• Are you a player who is coming to the end of your playing career but still want to be actively involved in matches?
• Are you a player who sees the benefits to your game if you better understand the rules?
• Are you someone who just wants to give back to the game / your club?
Umpiring can be fantastic for anyone who fits these profiles!

GETTING STARTED
Read up on this very useful introduction to umpiring:
England Hockey’s “Getting started” webpage

Firstly, you will need to complete the online Rules of Hockey test.
Then you’ll be ready to do your Level 1 course. This course is designed for anyone (age 14 and over) who is going to be umpiring the 11-a-side game and is delivered fully online.
Book your Level 1 Umpiring Course
The Level 1 course is made up of 4 modules:
1. The game from a players' perspective
2. The role of the umpire
3. Player management
4. Preparation and planning the next steps
Once you have attended the course, you will receive your Level 1 Unassessed Umpires Certificate.

If you commit to becoming a BHC umpire, the club will pay the £30 course fee. And once you are qualified and ready to umpire games for the club, BHC will give you a discount on your membership subs.

To find out more, please contact:

Graham King
Umpire Development Officer
T: 07796 773745
EMAIL

Bruce Hanley
Umpire Liaison Officer
T: 07443 845826
EMAIL bruce@braintreehc.co.uk