Harrogate Hockey - ClubsFirst Accredited
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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 4th elevens MUST have an umpire qualified to level 1 at least, but the ladies 5th team and mens 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
No courses planned yet. Please contact Maggie though if you are interested in attending one.
NEW RULES
The new rule book is out and effective from 1st May 2009, which means NOW. As mentioned before there are some big changes to the rules this year so its recommended that everybody takes 5 minutes to read the relevant parts (Rule 13). These are "Mandatory Experimental Rules", which means they must be followed this season, but will then be reviewed before making them either permanent, removing them or tweaking them.
Briefly they are:
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!
Chris Bale has kindly given us a copy of his briefing notes as well which will be useful for players and umpires alike!
Also check out this video, from Australia, which Joshi has highlighted. The only thing to be careful of is that the England Hockey interpretation of the 5m rule is different to that of Australia Hockey. In the video they state the ball must move 5m from the point the hit is taken. However, England Hockey interpret that the ball must travel a total of 5m. This means in theory the ball could go 2.5m one way and then come back 2.5m to the start point, or a player could make 5 x 1m movements. (Personally, I think the Australian interpretation will be easier to umpire and judge, however the Yorkshire Hockey Umpires don't meet until 17th September, which means the season will have started).
In the mean time, if playing summer hockey or festivals using the new rules you should speak to the umpires before the game starts to ensure no misunderstandings and cards of varying colour!
LATEST UPDATE
Chris has kindly given us a copy of the umpiring guidelines issued by EH. Umpires and players alike will benefit from reading them - they make some interesting points about how free hits in and around the D should be defended and also what will now constitute "advantage" now. Definite food for thought!