For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
An unusual third-party obstruction goes unspotted in the deep far corner of the attacking 23m. The defender was within playing distance and attempting to get to the ball when #28 passed off the ball and was interposed between her teammate and the NZL defender.
At the end of matches, you’ll be called upon to make split-second decisions that could have an outsized impact on the perception of the weight of that call on the result of the game. It’s crucial to stay with the general principle that you must feel sure a foul has occurred before blowing so as…
A danger area for correctly identifying and deciding to intervene on breakdown play is when the play is closer to one umpire but is moving away from them such that they are unsighted from the call. In this scenario, a stick obstruction should be seen as intentional as it comes from behind and makes contact…
A scramble in front of the prone goalkeeper sees no foul awarded. Despite not moving the ball constructively for a long period of time, the attacker didnโt make the mistake of pushing the ball at the GK, and the defence did well not to stick obstruct the attacker either. The next question is whether the…
Showing patience inside the circle when little incidents occur can show dividends when an umpire has a thorough understanding of the skill level of the players involved. There is a minor bump by the defender on the initial reception, but the attacker collects the ball well and recovers better than the defender from that contact,…
Itโs a small detail but makes a mammoth difference in the end positioning result. When the ball is turned over in the midfield, the umpire immediately turns to sprint hard towards her own circle. When you make this hard run first, every time the ball is turned over, you give yourself the opportunity to get…
