Field Hockey BC - Umpiring Certification Process

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.
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.
• NB. You must have completed and attained the lower umpiring level before taking a higher umpiring level course. (ex: attain community umpire level before taking the provincial 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 complete each rating.

Expiry/Renewal of Certification
Each certification level you attain will be valid for 4 years (expiring on Dec. 31). In order to renew your certification level you must attend the Rules Update Clinic and undergo 1 or 2 field assessments, depending if actively umpiring. This will renew your certification for another four years.

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.

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.

Field Hockey BC Umpiring Contacts