Every player will agree that umpires play a key role in the game of hockey, you can’t play without them. At Holcombe, our need for umpires is greater than most as we have 15 adult sides in action on Saturdays throughout the season and a number of junior teams playing on Sundays. This also means there is a big window of opportunity for those wanting to take up umpiring and be actively involved in the game.here.
We are always looking at increasing our pool of umpires and over the course of the season, we will be running various sessions with a qualified coach and assessor to assist our umpires in their development and enjoyment of the game, together with regular feedback from umpires and players with the aim of ensuring as far as possible that players know why decisions are being given. This is available whether you have intentions to move through the ranks and aim for National League status or if your only intention is to umpire club games. With the England Hockey restructure, home sides are now required to provide two umpires for all games where appointments are not made by the South East Region. Only four sides get regular appointments, leaving up to 7 matches at home on any given Saturday needing up to 14 umpires. The benefit of this change is you will always be allocated a colleague from within the club and wherever possible this will be with a senior, experienced colleague as you start your umpiring journey. If you are interested in umpiring for the club, please get in touch with Harry Jarvis so we can discuss how we can support you. For more information on Umpiring, visit the South East Region Officiating and Discipline pages