Harrogate Hockey - ClubsFirst Accredited
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Affiliated to England Hockey
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Ladies First XI Hockey
The most important people of any games are the umpires, and so they deserve a page all to themselves. Without them no games would take place, and we would have nobody to talk about in the bar afterwards! So remember to treat them with respect and look after them.
The umpires tend to be the unsung heroes of hockey clubs, so let's all try and make sure that doesn't happen to ours.
They travel all around Yorkshire for the "love" of the game, often doing 2 or even 3 games on a Saturday.
Wherever possible, umpires are allocated to teams a week in advance but depending on times and locations there is sometimes a last minute panic and so the contact details for all Harrogate umpires are below.
The mens and ladies 1st teams are allocated neutral umpires, but all other teams rely on club umpires.
The ladies 2nd to 5th elevens MUST have an umpire qualified to level 1 at least, but the mens 3ds, 4th and 5th teams do not require a qualified person. So you may be called upon at any time, whoever you are, so remember that the next time you think a decision was wrong!
* PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO PETRA'S DETAILS
Maggie and Chris Bale run umpire courses a couple of times a season, so if you want to take up the challenge then let either of them know and they will make sure you are aware when the next one will be held. Keep an eye on this page and details of the next course will be listed.
As the rules of our game change on a regular basis (in the interests of safety, entertainment and just to confuse everybody), we thought this page might also be a useful place to list the latest amendments, so that you have no excuse for saying "I didn't know that" when the whistle goes. So keep an eye on it just in case!
UMPIRE COURSES
There is a course coming up in November. The details are here. Please note that the club will fund the £30 fee if you are interested in attending please contact Johnny Peasgood.
NEW RULES
The new rules brought in last season are detailed below, but as we have so many new members, many of whom haven't played for at least 5 years we have left these detailed below so that they can get up to speed quickly.
The "Self Pass" - A player can now effectively pass to themselves from a free hit. The pass must be "two separate movements" and the ball must be stationary before it is made. If you are defending and are within 5 metres of somebody taking a free hit (self pass or pass to a teammate), it is not an offence, BUT you must not attempt to make a tackle or prevent the hit from being taken.
This will effectively make the game much quicker and free flowing, and a nightmare for defenders!
Hits Around The Circle - All free hits within 5 metres of the circle must be moved back so that they a full 5 metres from the circle.
Hits inside the 23 metre line (25 yards) - For all free hits awarded within the 23 metre area, the ball must be moved 5 metres before it can be played into the circle. All players must be 5 metres from the ball for any hit inside the 23 metre area (i.e. Not just those hits close to the circle)
Self Hits inside 23 metre line - If you take a self hit inside the 23 metre area the ball must still be moved 5 metres before it is played into the circle - unless it is touched by another player of either side.
If you think this all sounds a bit complicated think of the poor Veterans, who not only still think in yards, but many of whom are still trying to play offside!
If you just want a summary of the rule changes for the 2010/11 season, you can download that here.
Alternatively you can order your own rule book here.
Note from Chris:
For those that watched the Commonwealth Games hockey coverage, it is worth noting that the tournament used a variant of the Euro Hockey League-specific rules (including 2 min suspension for Green Card and removal of defenders breaking early at PC). These are not the general rules of Hockey that we play, as written. In other respects there was some good umpiring to be seen including officials representing England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the inevitable controversy!