Norfolk Hockey Association
Norfolk Hockey Association
Level 1 Umpires
The Level-1 Umpire Award is the first of several nationally recognised umpire Levels of achievement. Once accredited the umpire is registered on the England Hockey national register of Level-1 umpires. Active members of this register are eligible to umpire competitive club hockey in local/county leagues etc. In addition they are eligible for selection to umpire matches in the lower divisions of Regional Leagues. Each county umpiring association is responsible for keeping their part of the register up to date.
The Level-1 Umpire Award is a nationally recognised Level of Achievement. Once accredited the umpire is registered on the England Hockey national register of Level-1 umpires. Active members of this register are eligible to umpire competitive club hockey in local/county leagues etc. In addition they are eligible for selection to umpire matches in the lower divisions of Regional Leagues. Each county umpiring association is responsible for keeping their part of the register up to date.
The award is in three parts; The only restriction is that the entire Award (the 3 parts) are completed inside any one 12 month period (under review), although exceptions can be made in special circumstances. However, in practice the Award normally follows the sequence given here.
The course is suitable for players over 16yrs with some playing experience and/or for Foundation Award Umpires who wish to progress.
Part One - Theory Examination. This follows a theory session/course on the rules and practicalities of umpiring following a syllabus from England Hockey. The course is presented by one of our senior umpires coaches with assistance from other coaches/umpires as necessary. Depending on circumstances the course may run for one day (5/6 hours) or be conducted over a series of weekday evenings (3x2 hour sessions) with the theory exam (multiple choice type questions) held at the end - normally 1 hour is allowed for the exam, which is held under strict examination conditions. The pass mark is 75% and the paper relates to the Rules of Hockey and umpiring skills presented in a multiple choice format. Whilst it is possible to sit (and pass) the exam without attending the course, NHUA recommends that all candidates do in fact attend the course. Currently NHUA charges £25 per candidate (£10 refund for U18s who complete the course) for the Level-1 course, this includes a copy of the FIH rule book, score pad, warning cards and a free whistle! Candidates also receive Associate Membership of NHUA for the rest of the current season. So whilst not active umpires on the Level-1 list, they enjoy all the other benefits of NHUA membership.
Part Two - Practise games, candidates are required to umpire at least 3 games of hockey to gain experiwence and confidence in umpiring. Ideally an umpire coach, senior umpire or senior player should be on hand to offer tips and advice. Practise Match Record Card. This card is issued to the umpire following their registration as a Level-1 Candidate. In Norfolk the cards would normally be handed out during the training course session. It is used to record 3 matches that they umpire (men's , women's or mixed). The matches must be of a suitable standard as confirmed by the NHUA secretary or course organiser. Verification by signing the Match Record Card will be required from the team captains. Note - they are not signing as to confirm any Level of competence, it's only to confirm that the candidate umpired the game! If for some reason the captains won't sign or leave without signing, then a suitable alternative would be a club official, check with your course organiser about this. Cards should not be filled in retrospectively. Remember advice from the umpire coaches is free.
Part Three - Assessment Match. This normally constitutes the final part of the Level-1 award. It follows completion of the Match Record Card (3 matches recorded with signatures from the team captains) plus the candidate must have passed the Examination Paper with a minimum score of 75%. The assessment match should be an Adult 1st XI match preferably of a standard equivalent to local league hockey. However, the course organiser or NHUA can advise on the suitability of any proposed match. Arrangements for the attendance of an umpire coach/assessor are entirely the responsibility of the candidate. Please give potential assessor as much notice of an assessment as possible. Candidates MUST bring with them their Match Record Card. Upon successful assessment the assessor will sign and keep the card. The assessor will also 'grade' the umpire. That is, assess the league up to which that umpire can officiate, umpires can receive a men's and women's grade if they are active in both sections. A candidate can ask to be re-graded at any time. Grading is entirely a Norfolk system to ensure that new umpires do not get exposed to difficult to umpire games. The completed card is sent to English Hockey, via the NHUA Level-1 Administrator, for the details to be entered on the National Level-1 Register. In due course the candidate will receive their Level-1 Registration Card from England Hockey.
Maintenance of Award. The Level-1 award is valid for 1 year from the qualifying date. In order to umpire league games, umpires MUST be members of a recognised County Umpiring Association. Most associations now have Public Liability and Third Party insurance policies for their membership. There after to remain on the 'active' list the Retainer Card comes into play. To remain active each Level-1 umpire has to umpire 3 suitable games and have their retainer card duly signed by the team captains. Once again the captains are not making any judgement as to the competency of the umpire, there is another mechanism for this, there is no reason why they should refuse to sign the card. The retainer cards are valid from the start of each hockey season and when completed sent to the NHUA Level-1 Administrator. If the umpire is in the NHUA neutral pool, i.e. receiving appointments from the NHUA pool secretary then there is no need to fill in and return the retainer card. Inactive umpires can 're-activate' themselves by arranging for an assessment game.
About the L1 Theory Course:
Although not necessary you can do a little "homework" before attending the course. It would help to read through the current rule book. You can download the EH PowerPoint presentation HERE. Though EH do change the presentation from time-to-time. Currently the FIH change/review the Rules of Hockey on a 2 year cycle. We were due a new rule book on January 1st, now delayed until June 2009. Shortly after, the L1 course presentation will be updated to take account of any rule changes.
Practical Assessment:
This is the difficult bit as finding an assessor who is free when you have a suitable game to umpire is not easy. The assessors are out umpiring most Saturdays. You need to study the poolsheet appointments and the fixtures to see if an assessor is umpiring before or after your game, to see if they can assess you. Once a candidate has successfully been passed as Level-1 they are free to umpire games requiring a Level-1 Umpire.
It can take a few weeks for EH to process the L1 registration form, but your name will go on the Norfolk Active Umpire List as soon as the L1 Administrator is informed of the pass. In Norfolk we also "grade" the umpire. This is a further assessment as to which league the umpire can officiate up to. There are gradings for both Men's & Women's leagues. East Leagues don't recognise this grading, but the wording in the rules state that the Level-1 umpire appointed must be a "suitable" umpire. NHUA would interpret this to be an umpire who has been so graded. This is in everyone's interests. There is little point in appointing an in-experienced umpire to a level of game they have never umpired or been coached for. The players won't be happy and the umpire will not be happy umpire at a level they can't cope with. Umpires can always ask to be re-graded. After the assessment the coach will normally want a few minutes to talk the candidate umpire through the game and give some hints and tips as to what to concentrate on in developing their umpiring skills. A formal coaching report will be sent on the umpire after the game.
To save time on the day, and for U18 candidates to obtain permission and the signature of a parent or guardian you can download a copy of the EH L1 registration form HERE
Note for the assessors:
It is important that the assessment game is of a suitable standard, ideally at the league level the candidate is likely to be umpiring at. It is very difficult extrapolating performance across leagues and between men's & women's games. For the basic Level-1 pass we are looking for a competent performance through the whole 70 minutes. We are looking at control and understanding of the game and keeping the game safe for all the players. Finesse of umpiring will dictate the level of the grading and the potential for the umpire to develop and move up the ladder.
Please collect the match record card and send that and the coaching report to the Level-Administrator ASAP so the registration with EH can be processed.
NHUA run several L1 courses through the season. Dates for courses coming up will be given in the news section on this site. Anyone wishing to arrange a Level-1 course or to attend one should contact the NHUA Level-1 Administrator in the first instance. Minimum number of candidates for a course is around 4/6, and maximum number is about 20/24. We need about 3 weeks notice to register the course with EH and order up the course packs.
updated 10th November 2008