For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
After a minor collision, two players have some “afters”. The umpire stops time, brings over the captain of the initiator and presumably asks for her assistance in controlling her players. Taking care …
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An upgraded team penalty is given after this breaking tackle in a dangerous position just outside the circle. At this point in the game with the physical play and previous cards that have been given, …
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Watching this tackle in slow motion, it’s very clear the attacker went straight at the defender, who had to make no movement at all to meet the ball. The action of standing up and lifting the attacker …
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After a NZL player is judged to have deflected an attempted interception up into himself, he plays the ball after the whistle has gone against him. As the ESP attacker taps the ball in his self-pass, …
The third green card of the game and the first to ESP is given when the defender breaks down play with this attempted tackle, which catches the ball carrier’s stick after the initial attempt and …
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A green card is shown as the NZL player ignores the whistle indicating the ball had gone over the sideline, and then clearly steps in and around the ball to interfere with it either being played or …
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The ball is stopped by the goalkeeper splayed on the ground and rests against his kicker. The attacker makes no effort to bring the ball away and traps the ball there, other hand raised to demand the …
An intentional foul is committed by a defender inside the circle but the ball had yet to reach the attacker when it occurred. The question was asked by the attacking team’s captain as to whether it …
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The umpire warns the fouled attacker about flicking his stick up in reaction to the stick obstruction foul. In isolation, this is an excellent intervention. However, we’ve already seen a green card …
Continue Reading about NZLvESP Verbal warning for dangerous use of stick →
A dangerous play emerges when a defender deflects the ball up in the air and the attacker attempts to pick it with their stick, hitting the fouling player in the forehead. The initial danger was still …
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On the aerial reception, the initial receiver isn’t given 5m to control a difficult aerial coming from overhead. The defender infringes the 5m immediately after the first touch, resulting in a quick …
There are several moving pieces in this aerial, and shows the difficulty in parsing out exactly 5m of clear space for an initial receiver. In tracking the reception area prior to the ball arriving, …
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After the free hit is given, the fouling player never disengages from the channel and interferes immediately and continuously with the self-pass. A green card is the result. To access this …
As the ball carrier comes into contact, the defender plants his feet, placing his stick and his back lower leg on the pitch. The long barrier he creates increases the area with which he’s able …
This aerial skips past the first potential interceptor and is mishandled by the attacking receiver, who plays it towards a second defender who is well more than 5m away at the reception. This defender …
This free hit is awarded just inside the 23m line. Although the player in possession takes the self-pass and dribbles outside the 23m, that does not negate the requirement that the ball moves 5m …
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This clip shows better anticipation and protection of the mission-critical area of the circle. Even as the ball is moving around behind the centre-line, the umpire is already deep in his attacking …
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This tackle is upgraded to a penalty corner as a second defender comes in to bail out his teammate after a dangerous turnover. The extra shove off the ball with the elbow is spotted and the …
Here are two sequential examples in the same passage of play that feature the umpires’ excellent understanding of flow. We’re now in Q3 and the players have been respecting 5m and ball placement thus …
The defender attempts to clear the ball out of his end but mishits on his reverse. This is not danger but, as he goes over the ball, uses of the back of the stick. To access this content, …
This is a tricky aerial because the angle we have from the camera makes it impossible to see the true trajectory of the ball. Our side-on assessment may be that the attacking teammate would have been …
This attempted shot at goal is not on target or close enough to it so it’s deemed dangerous as it rises at pace and strikes a defender in the knee. Technically, this could also be called as an …
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In his attempt to chase down the ball, the attacker slightly trips up and pushes his opponent as they compete for position. Note the stick position which isn’t being used in an attempt to reach the …
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The umpire does a great job here making a quick decision on a free hit inside the dotted 5m line, and immediately “double-tweeting” to get the players’ attention and verbally signal the correct ball …
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After the ball goes off his foot and both whistles have sounded, the BEL player continues to play the ball and passes the ball away. This breaks down a potential quick counterattack and is met with a …
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This is the first show of any tempers in the game, which has just under 10 minutes to go. It’s easy to get lulled into complacency when things have been going so well, but the umpire steps in at the …
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At the apex of this aerial’s path, the attacker was actually likely the clear initial receiver of the ball, particularly given it’s high trajectory and sharp drop into the circle. However, it’s …
Two points on this clip. First, on the sideline ball, it’s crucial to read ahead whenever possible and protect your mission-critical area first when there is a possibility of a quick transition into …
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There is an important but subtle advantage played here just outside the circle. The initial defender takes three swipes at the ball, obstructing the ball carrier twice from within 1-2m from the circle …
A subtle but physical breakdown foul is missed on the near sideline in front of the 23m line. The umpire is running the outside line with her head turned, making it difficult to see the push in the …
The free hit is taken quickly close to where the foot occurred but without any overt stopping motion. In this case, the only player potentially caught was the defender who committed the foul, but the …
A free hit is taken just inside the 23m area. It travels towards the circle and hits the edge of the circle line, which constitutes inside the circle. A free hit is given for the defence, taken where …
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The ball deflects off the surrounds and back towards where it needs to be taken on the sideline. The attacker takes the ball in full flight and doesn’t stop the ball. Given where the defenders are, …
The aerial ball is sent to an attacker downfield who has a defender behind her. This is right on the line where players were in safe positions, and had the ball been sent just a little more shallowly, …
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A penalty corner upgrade is awarded when a defender hits the ball away from the spot of the foul given on the edge of the circle. To access this content, you must purchase FHu3t Green, …
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A green card is awarded after the turnover in the circle leads an attacker to use her arm to push against the defender in possession. It’s a small bit of physical play properly dealt with. …
An attacker continues to play after giving up the foul and the whistle is clearly heard, resulting in a green card. To access this content, you must purchase FHu3t Green, FHu3t Green 365, …
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The free hit is awarded for an obvious combination foot and obstruction foul. A second defender taps the ball away after the whistle, preventing the attacker from taking a quick self-pass which would …
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A green card is awarded for this breakdown tackle just outside the 23m area. The intent is easy to divine from where the defender decides to step in and stop the attacker’s progress. To …
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After a ball is turned over in the midfield on an aerial interception, the receiver feeds a terrific through ball into space and gets clattered from behind by a dangerous and physical tackle. …
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Yellow card for the breakdown comes as the defender moves into the path of the attacker on the dodge. If the attacker has embellished the contact, is it to the degree that the initial foul was not …
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Green card for playing the ball after the whistle has gone. There’s a fine line between players honestly mistaking whether the decision has gone their way, and the obvious concession that the fouling …
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Advantage is played on the foot as the ball falls to an attacker at the top of the circle. He’s unable to get the shot away as a defender is able to poke the ball away before the swing comes through …
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A green card is given for this tackle which is cleverly attempted just outside the 23m while the defensive team is scrambling to get numbers back after a turnover. To access this content, …
The NZL player receives this aerial with some difficulty, taking his time to bring the ball down. In the meantime, a GBR player reads the trouble and closes at full pace, stealing the ball. This play …
A penalty corner shot rebounds to an attacker is close proximity to the goalkeeper. The shot is driven straight at the goalkeeper and the follow-through appears to have caught him in the pads. The …
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The defender attempts a tackle from behind the ball carrier. He misses the ball and strikes the attacker’s stick, but the attacker is able to retain possession of the ball and has an opportunity to …
A back stick shot is correctly called in the first instance by the umpire. The slowly looping trajectory of the ball contrasts with the pace of the stick swing, a good indicator that energy has been …
This is a good example of when an obstruction isn’t a foul. The ball carrier pushed the ball away from him past the nearest defender, and then lifted his stick over his head without making a real …
A terrific advantage goal from the foot. Well-signalled, and well taken. Take a wide view of the play and be aware of where attackers are cutting and who is open. The umpire’s awareness of the left …
