Lockdown has been a particularly challenging time for everyone. Learning something new is the response from many people when asked ‘How have you used your free time while staying at home?’
The opportunity to learn more about umpiring presented itself half way through lockdown with England Hockey (EH) adapting their Level 1 Umpiring Course to suit an online format.
Many members have taken the course already and they have proved so popular that EH have scheduled more courses throughout July and August.
Nigel Sadler of the Mens 1XI who recently completed the course said:
“Having taken the course in June, it is very straight forward to complete. We had about 30 people using Microsoft Teams and it was more of a 90-minute discussion about umpiring, using video examples. Completing the FREE online rules test on the Hockey Hub beforehand gets you will well-prepared. We are lucky as a club to have qualified umpire assessors, so once you have completed the course, and we are back to playing competitive hockey, it will be relatively easy to organise the practical assessment.”
With the course now completely online, the cost has been significantly reduced to £30. The Club are also reimbursing this cost to members on successful completion of the course! Simply present your certificate to your Club Captain; Fran Loffler-Thompson (Ladies) or Rob Jepson (Mens).
Did you know that you can also earn £15 a game umpiring a Fylde club game? Handy pocket money or perhaps use it to cover your membership costs by umpiring 1-2 games a month!
In order to umpire the majority of team games at Fylde you will need to complete a practical assessment after the online course. We have many assessors within the club who will be able to help you organise and complete the practical assessment of the course once we return to match play.
Places are going fast, so do not delay in registering, and unfortunately attendees must be at least 14 years old.