Field Hockey Umpiring

Welcome to the wonderful world of umpiring. One of FHBC’s goals is to provide opportunities for umpires to become rated, receive coaching, and pursue their umpiring goals.  In addition to the information below on how to become an umpire, please refer to the Umpiring Education section and Umpiring Opportunities section of our website for professional development courses and upcoming tournaments and events where umpires are needed.

Becoming an Umpire

There are 4 levels of umpiring certification in BC:

Canadian (Highest)
Regional
Provincial -previously named Provincial A
Community -previously named Provincial B (Entry level)

There are two steps to becoming a certified umpire:

1. Attend an umpiring course, and pass a written exam

To become a Community level umpire you must attend the Community* Umpiring course, attain at least 75% on your written exam -OR- attend the Provincial Umpiring course, attain at least 60% on your written exam. *Please note that Field Hockey Canada's Community Umpiring course is currently being updated. Candidates should attend the Provincial Course.
To become a Provincial level umpire you must attend the Provincial Umpiring course, attain at least 75% on your written exam.
To become a Regional level umpire you must attend the Regional Umpiring Course, attain at least 85% on your written exam.
To become a Canadian level umpire you must pass oral presentations, and give a presentation at a lower level local umpiring course.

Note: You must have completed and attained the lower umpiring level before taking a higher umpiring level course. (ex: attain provincial umpire level before taking the regional umpiring level).

2. Obtain field rating(s)

For Community you must be coached at 1 game and pass 1 field rating
For Provincial you must pass 2 field ratings (in games the assessor deems “of suitable competition to warrant a Provincial rating”).
For Regional and Canadian you must pass 2 field ratings (in games the assessor deems “of suitable competition to warrant a Regional rating”).  Note - you must have a different assessor for each rating.

Expiry/Renewal of Certification
Each certification level you attain will be valid for 4 years (expiring on Dec. 31).  Renew the certification level before it has expired by attending the Rules Update Clinic and undergoing 1 or 2 field assessments, depending if actively umpiring.  This will renew your certification for another four years. After certification has expired, umpires should restart the process at the beginning.

Maintaining Current Umpiring Level
For Community, it is expected that you will actively umpire a minimum of 8 matches annually. Provincial should umpire 10 matches annually. Regional should umpire 12 games, pass 1 annual match assessment, and pass the beep test (physical fitness test). Canadian should umpire 15 games, pass 2 annual match assessments, and pass the beep test.

Assessor Information
For information regarding Umpire Assessors, click here.

Field Hockey BC actively organizes certification opportunities for all levels of umpiring on an annual basis. Please do not hesitate to contact the Association should you have any queries regarding umpiring.