Umpires who play

There are many people who believe you have to give up playing to umpire but this is not always the case.  Below are some questions asked to 3 young aspiring umpires who still play hockey and manage to umpire for their Clubs in National and District League competition -
1.   David Sweetman (Under 30) FIH Grade
2.   Catriona Donald (Over 30) A Badge
3.   Alex Walker (Under 25) B Badge
 

Why or what got you interested in umpiring?

  1. My club at University were struggling for umpires. I agreed to do a game, enjoyed it, and it was an opportunity to help my club.
  2. I got involved in National League umpiring when GHK entered a second team into the National League and we needed have a 2nd named umpire. We were trying to approach people from outwith the club and were looking to pay them and I thought that we shouldn't have to pay people when we have the resouces within the club.
  3. I volunteered to umpire some of our 2nd team's matches as we were struggling to find available umpires in Aberdeen.

How long have you been involved in umpiring?
  1. I have been umpiring for the last 9 years
  2. I've been doing National League umpiring for nearly 4 years now and have been helping out at club and school level for about 6 years.
  3. About 3 years

How do you manage/organise to play and umpire?  
  1. A supportive Club,  together with the differences in days and start times means that it is often possible for me to play and umpire over a weekend.  
  2. When I was in Scotland when the fixtures came out I made myself available for every day that I didn't have a playing fixture so if I was playing on a Sat I would umpire on a Sun or vice versa.
  3. The SHU do their best to appoint me to matches on days when my team aren't playing but there are obviously times when clashes do happen! Sometimes I'll play and umpire a match on the same day but if that's not possible other umpires are usually willing to help out.

Do you think it would be an advantage to players if more of them were to have their umpiring badge? 
  1. It can only benefit teams and players if they have a better understanding of the rules and interpretations. It is also an easy first step if a player is considering umpiring at a high level later in their career
  2. Yes as it would let them see the game from a different angle and help them understand the decisions that umpires have to make. Also, without umpires they wouldn't be able to play!!
  3. Definately. It really helps you to understand hockey from a different perspective.

What level of qualification do you hold and what did you get from the course?
  1. I have my FIH Badge. It is a result of my grades from International matches. The Initial C Badge rules night and umpiring assessment is a good introduction to umpiring.
  2. I have my A badge.
  3. I currently have my 'B' badge outdoor and  'C' indoor. Getting graded has really helped me to improve and become much more confident.

What’s your top umpiring tip?
  1. Make sure you focus for the whole game, and enjoy it.
  2. Be confident in your decisions and sell them. Good communication with your other umpire is also very important as it builds your confidence and the players confidence.
  3. Don't be afraid to try! Every umpire will make mistakes so don't worry about it.  

What’s the most memorable moment of your umpiring career so far?
  1. Cheating slightly I have 2; Umpiring the final game of the Euro Under 18's at Peffermill last year in front of a decent sized crowd including my family.  The honour of umpiring my first full International at the Celtic Cup last year.
  2. My 1st full cap, Scotland v Ireland in Stirling with my sister also receiving her 1st full cap for playing.
  3. Being asked to umpire at international level has been my biggest highlight so far.

Who are the people you umpire for (i.e. Club / School / District / National)
  1. I generally umpire Men's NL 1 and have done a number of Age Group and Full Internationals
  2. I umpire National League games, district games for GHK and school hockey for Kelvinside Academy
  3. I am our team's appointed umpire so most matches are in the National Leagues. However, I also umpire matches for my old school (Robert Gordon's College) and for North District.

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