For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
A defender attempts to intercept a pass, deflecting the ball back towards a teammate who further tries to cut out the pass. That attempt deflects the ball high into the air where it’s falling into an …
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Another big decision on a goal in this game as the clock is ticking down. The turning moment here is the diving deflection from the top of the circle, and the question is whether that player had three …
The play moves into the high left corner for the supporting umpire/far deep corner for the controlling umpire. The support moves up very high and close to the opposite back-line in order to assist …
A player misplays her pass and, when she steps to follow-up, an opposing player inadvertently collides with her and strikes her head. Head injuries should be tended to immediately and so, if the play …
The ball gets unintentionally trapped for a short period of time between two players who maintain good control of their weight. The umpire sees the space around players and takes into account that …
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As the ball is being switched across the circle through the defenders, a reception is bobbled to a small height. The nearest pressing attacker is far enough away that she is not disadvantaged or …
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After being awarded a free push, the attacker takes the self-pass and dribbles straight at 3 defenders at the top of their circle. She pushes the ball ahead as she makes contact with one of them, …
An attacker dribbles in the low right corner in front of the controlling umpire. A second defender joins the first to cut off the playing lanes, and then a third. The third defender initially cuts off …
Two points on this play to examine. The first is that the passage begins with a centre-line restart after the ball is played unintentionally off the back-line by a defender. Although initially …
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Two separate elements can be highlighted in this passage of play. First, after the ball is rolled in from the ball patrol on a 9m free push, the defender puts the ball into play without making a …
Here’s an alternate view on the trapped ball and how long to wait until calling the bully when the trap has occurred unintentionally. One approach is to jump quickly on the obstruction as soon …
A defender is blocked from attempting a tackle when a teammate of the ball carrier cuts in front of the defender. However, by running that line she brought the ball carrier right into another …
The attacker receives a ball in the bottom left corner and attempts to send a hard pass across the circle to a teammate. A defender is set at a close and near to 3m distance, and the ball is sent …
Just as breakdowns tend to be committed by defending teams just outside the 23m line in the outdoor game, the centre line is a big marker for players who are looking to avoid the team upgrade penalty …
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As the attacker attempts to avoid the tackle from a defender, the defender is able to get her stick on the ball as the attacker’s legs block and interfere with the defender’s stick. A free …
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A defender (#5) reaches in after being beaten at the centre line and the umpire plays advantage through until a free push is awarded near the circle in front of her. The umpire initially has the …
Despite your best efforts, sometimes the ball will spin in unexpected directions after rebounding off the side-boards. Becoming a pylon can sometimes be your best defence! To access this …
The BLR defender commits a stick obstruction along the side-boards and, within hearing distance of the whistle, clearly puts her stick down in the way of the NED attacker’s self-pass, breaking down …
With 3m left in Q4 and the attacking team up a goal, an attacker who has just turned over the ball on a stick obstruction foul pushes the ball away from the defender and prevents a quick …
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As the play is moving across the circle away from the controlling umpire, a chasing attacker clips the heels of the defender chasing down the ball. This may well have been blocked from the view of the …
Big decisions require clarity, timing and a strong presentation. In disallowing this goal, the umpire is looking at the size of the backswing of this hit. Although the stick remains on the court …
The ball becomes trapped in the goalkeeper’s equipment after making a save in this shootout attempt. As this is an unintentional obstruction, the correct decision is a re-award. To access …
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It’s a small thing, but because it’s managed properly it prevents a problem from developing later in this game. With the blue team defending a 10min yellow card, they are presented with a 15m free …
Here’s an example where positioning choices made 70m away can impact our ability to be in the right spot for our mission-critical calls.As the supporting umpire, we can get very enthusiastic about …
A good question to ask in this situation is whether, at this level of play, and given that the first warning was clear, should the second instance be met with only a reset, or at this stage in the …
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This green card for a 5m infringement has two interesting aspects. First, note the frustration of the NED player when he doesn’t earn the call he believes he’s entitled to on the immediately preceding …
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The IND attacker lifts his stick dangerously when attempting to evade a tackle and strikes the defender in the face. This isn’t a red card situation, as the play was reckless but within the context of …
This video referral gives us the opportunity to examine a decision we aren’t faced with often, which is whether a player intentionally uses their foot to play the ball. The giveaway here is the …
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While playing the rebound on a penalty corner, the attacker’s shot raises into the defender’s upper body from very close range. The goalkeeper is behind him and on the ground. After consulting with …
It’s a stomach-dropping moment when you’re supporting on a penalty corner and the ball suddenly turns over and is heading right at you!Before the attack breaks down, try to read where the players are …
Either just before or on the 23m line, a defender throws in a tackle that lands halfway up the ball carrier’s stick. These tackles can be dangerous so it’s a good time to show a green card and try to …
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An attacker receives the ball in an unusual kneeling position after fighting her way around her tightly-marking defender. The defender clearly holds her stick down with her own, but the ball springs …
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After the penalty corner breaks down and a free hit defence is awarded for a dangerous ball inside the circle, the ball drifts to the opposite side of the circle and a (former) defender attempts to …
An attacker is awarded a side line ball. Taking it on the roll, she doesn’t quite move it 5m before sending the cross into the circle, and the free hit is given. To access this content, …
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It’s also a heart-in-mouth moment when you get caught supporting near the centre line on the penalty corner and a rebound and quick break fly by you. This umpire does the right thing by running back …
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The ball carrier receives the ball on the turn and moves to her left. Her dribble continues in that direction while she places her stick in between the ball at the tackler’s stick in a non-momentary …
If a player sets up a free hit inside the 23m line that should be taken outside and is looking to pass backwards, should the umpire interrupt play to move the hit outside the 23m, even if that …
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At this level of play, a quick and subtle touch by the offending team after they’ve committed the foul and the whistle has gone can eliminate the chance for their opposition to take a quick free …
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When NED turns over the ball on a foot foul, the CHN pass off the free hit is intercepted by a forward running back inside the 5m radius of the ball, resulting in a green card being shown. …
It’s difficult to be prepared for first time a player at your level breaks a relatively unknown regulation. The FIH shoot-out regulations (which are often mimicked in domestic competitions but not …
On a sweep shot like this it can be difficult to see a back stick as there is no telltale spray or looping ball trajectory as indicators. Here, the best sign is the toe of the stick. When we don’t …
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When the ball is cleared off the end line by a defender, the umpire deems it unintentional, and the attacking team requests their video referral. When you examine the travel of the ball, the body …
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The umpire takes a self-referral on this go-ahead goal, which is a crucial decision to take when the defending team has already lost their right to refer.The question may initially have been whether …
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It’s 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 …
A defender breaks early and although she does stop her forward momentum into the circle, the umpire calls for the restart immediately in order to keep things safe for everyone. When the regular pace …
A penalty stroke is given for this tackle inside the circle, and goes to VR. The foul was initially given for the body contact on the tackle made by the AUS defender, which was reckless and took the …
As this aerial goes up, two opposing players may have been within 5m of each other in a receiving area. However, from where the ball is heading there is an initial receiver from the attacking team who …
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When the attacker makes a moves around the tackler at the edge of the circle, they throw the ball too far towards a second defender. As they were unlikely to catch up to the ball, no disadvantage has …
After a turnover, a defender tracks the ball carrier up the near sideline and presumbly trips her up. Note that the side-on camera angle doesn’t show what we need to see, but from the umpire’s angle …
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A green card is given after a short advantage is played through a transfer across to the other side of the pitch. The chasing defender beats the attacker to the ball and receives a little shove in the …
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