Were we disappointed by the very limited number; not really it was what we expected but it was good that Sophie Parker came along as she is the highest profile/umpire in the club to share her experience.

The object was to share information and point people in the right direction and show where information can be found that will enable people to understand how to start umpiring and also give guidance on “how to umpire”.
It’s not just about knowing the rules (as you all know them anyway!) its about how to interpret them and when to apply them at the different levels of matches available within KHC and beyond.

So here are the links to the information that we shared & are available within EH website that you can all have a read of –
https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/deliver/officiate/umpire
https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/deliver/officiate/umpire/getting-started
https://hockeyhub.englandhockey.co.uk/officiating
https://hockeyhub.englandhockey.co.uk/?login=login&from=hockeyhub.englandhockey.co.uk/index.php%3Fpage%3Dumpiredevelopment
You will have to join the Hockey Hub to gain access to the last 2 links but its free and well worth it not just for umpiring info.

The real point of the sessions was to try and encourage people to blow a whistle and to offer them the support of experienced umpires within the club but if that’s not what you want to take advantage of then that’s ok, as its your future in hockey that is at risk.

Just to set the current scene –
KHC have the following umpire groups i.e Level 1 umpires
1. Steve Hornsby, Ewan Maddrell, Mike Patton, Steve Hemm who regularly umpire, supported by,
2. Paul Heap & Ian Blamire when available.
Then a group of players who are level 1 but only umpire when not playing or back-to-back matches allow due to them still playing competitive hockey
3. Peter Sutton, Luke Heap, Tom Morgan, Charlie Goodwin, Steve Salvesen, Ryan McCully.
Plus a few from the ladies who are Katy Heap, Sally Styles, Claire Scougal but who are not able to commit to umpiring often & have not umpired this season.
Beyond this group we now have some players who are assessed as competent to umpire the Mens 3s and Ladies dev matches and who have supported the club this season by accepting to umpire this level of games but who need to be assessed for Level 1.
4. Ed Hunter, Shaun Wilson, Gavin Moore, Dean Ward, Steve Huggan, Mark Proctor and I believe a few more who have offered as well.

If I have missed anyone or not graded them correctly then my apologies.

Out of groups 1 & 2, in group 1 2 are aged 70+ and 2 are aged 60+ and in group 2, 1 is 60+ the other is approaching 60.
So, in the first 2 groups of regular umpires they are with one exception all over 60 with 2 over 70.
All the men in groups 3 & 4 are regular players.
This season not one lady has umpired a match, either ladies or mens!

My point is this, we know you all want to play hockey every week but there is no way the group of regular non-playing older umpires can continue to provide this level of support for much longer.
Time in terms of mobility, speed of thought etc catches up with us all & in some cases already has.

Simply put if there are no umpires available then you cannot enjoy a game of hockey.

But this is not just an issue affecting KHC, it is throughout hockey, as more players continue to play “masters” hockey, age range from 35 to 80+ then less are available to support by umpiring.

So, the invitation is open to come along on Tuesday evening and not only have a chat about support KHC can give to players who are willing to umpire
But
to start the discussion about how the club and its players can approach next season with a view to setting out how we can get more men & especially ladies to accept they will have to umpire some games throughout the season and hopefully give them some guidance and support to give them confidence in their ability to umpire.

As I said earlier “no umpires no hockey”.

We have another session booked on Tuesday 26th March at Titans from 7pm to 9pm and all are welcome to attend, so please come along even if its just for a chat about the views expressed.