Sidmouth & Ottery Hockey Club
Established 2012
Umpiring
Sidmouth & Ottery Hockey Club welcomes any new umpires, young, not so young and mature/senior! With our EH-accredited Club Umpire Developer and several experienced umpires, we are well placed to offer support to all umpires through mentoring, coaching or guidance. While most wish to remain as “club umpires”, the options on progression to take on neutral (appointed) games or entering one of the West Area Umpires’ Pools will be fully explained, with guidance offered about the path forward.
Upcoming fixtures requiring Club umpires
| 05/04/25 league (final weekend) | 1200 Ottery 1345 Ottery | Ladies 3 v ECVH 2 Men i v Chard 1 | MD & JH PR & JM |
| Off Season | back in August 2025!! | Watch this space | |
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NEW UMPIRES NEEDED! And how to proceed
Our Club’s need for new umpires is becoming urgent. it is too often been a real struggle to find sufficient umpires, especially for those Saturdays when we have the full four home fixtures to cover. Mike Dutton is reluctant to ask any of our teams to provide an umpire (or two) from their squad but, as things stand, that is likely to happen occasionally – possibly with penalties imposed on the Club if an ineligible umpire is used in a League game.
These days it’s quick and relatively painless to get yourself qualified: England Hockey currently offers plenty of online Umpiring Courses, including Level 1 Umpiring Courses (minimum age 14) and a few Introduction to Umpiring Courses. See the USEFUL LINKS below.
Times of the Level 1 courses vary (morning, afternoon or evening) and they last about 2 hours, after which you come away with a Level 1 (unassessed) Umpiring Certificate. Job done! Be aware that the courses tend to fill up quickly after they become available, but you can join a “waiting list” if a course is full. Cost of the course (about £30) can later be claimed back from the Club after completion of four full games for the Club.
Following qualification Mike Dutton makes it his business to manage further development as an umpire for the club – the pace of that development would be whatever best suits your needs and aspirations. Any playing commitments would always come first.
Additional information on England Hockey courses:
The Level I Umpiring Course is designed for anyone who is going to be umpiring the 11-a-side game and is delivered fully online, with a Level 1 (unassessed) Umpiring Certificate to show for it afterwards. Attendees must be at least 14 years old. Our Club remains committed to a policy of offering to reimburse the full cost of the course after a minimum of five competitive games have been umpired. – and there’s no time limit.
• You will need to complete the Online rules familiarisation test before attending (takes about 50-60 mins or as long as you like, with breaks, and it’s impossible to fail). See the USEFUL LINKS below.
Umpire Developer Course (£10 ONLY). Attendees must be at least 18 years old.
Introduction to Umpiring Course (£10 ONLY). Attendees must be at least 12 years old.
USEFUL LINKS.
West Hockey Officiating – Umpire Development (brief guide)
Online Rules Familiarisation (informal easy test)
England Hockey Level One Umpiring Courses
England Hockey Officiating Club (EHO)
England Hockey GMS login/registration form
west.englandhockey.co.uk/officiating/umpire-development
England Hockey Online Training Hub (officiating)
Your EH umpire number (via EH Hockey Hub)– may have changed recently!
Instructions: umpire’s radio/headset (downloads a Word document)
REGISTRATION ON THE GMS (IMPORTANT).
Please complete your registration on the GMS (as an Official) as soon as possible England Hockey require all umpires to be members of the EHO via the Game Management System and you will need to be registered to become eligible to umpire any fixture other than friendly games (you can firstly check out this EH link to read a summary of the EHO, explaining some of the options open to you).
Please start the EHO registration process by going to: https://gms.englandhockey.co.uk/
- Click the “Register” button.
- Select “Officiating”.
- Enter your e-mail address and submit for a verification code to be emailed to you.
- In the Form, select your Primary Area Branch (England Hockey -West Area). Your Primary Area Branch should be the one where you wish to either undertake the majority of independent umpiring opportunities or receive support with your Officiating (West Area for SOHC). You can leave the Secondary Area Branch blank.
- Select the appropriate Membership category – suggest Bronze Membership (this is FREE).
- Complete the rest of your details as requested – the ones with a red asterisk are required, the rest are optional. Don’t forget to select your Club (from a long drop-down list!).
- Select a Password (and Confirm it).
- Hit Proceed at the bottom of the form.
If your registration is successful, you should receive an acknowledgement email from England Hockey.
If you have any problems or questions, please contact Mike Dutton or e-mail officiating@englandhockey.co.uk
SOHC Affiliated Umpires (list)
| umpire | EH umpire award | remarks | status | EHO Member? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Cann | Level 3 | NPUA | active | yes |
| Charlie Pritchard | Level 2 | Pool (West) | active | yes |
| Rob Stamp | Level 2 | Pool (West) | active | yes |
| Aidan Wilday | Level 2 | Pool (West) | active | yes |
| Peter Rider | Level 2 | Pool (West) | active | yes |
| Katy Mears | Level 2 | semi=active | no | |
| David Ackland | Level 1 | active | yes | |
| Mike Dutton | Level 1 | Club Umpire Developer | active | yes |
| Gus McVey | Level 1 | L1/2 Coach | active | yes |
| Guy Rudolph | Level 1 | limited availability | active | yes |
| Terry Walden | Level 1 | M1/2 Coach | active | yes |
| Maggie Heal | Level 1 | W 3/4 player-umpire | active | yes |
| Caroline Biggs | Level 1 | W 1/2 player-umpire | active | yes |
| Karen Dutton | Level 1 | W 3/4 player-umpire | active | yes |
| Steve Ellison | Level 1 | M 3/4 player-ump/coach | active | yes |
| Jon Hext | Level 1 | M 1 player-umpire | active | yes |
| Jon Mutter | Level 1 | occasional player | active | yes |
| Andy Dockley | Level 1 unassessed | M1/2/3 player-umpire | active (new 17/01/25) | yes |
| Sophie Brewer | Level 1 unassessed | W 3 player-umpire | dormant | yes |
| Andy Minter | Level 1 unassessed | M2 player-umpire | semi-active | no |
| Alan Gadian | Level 1 | active | yes | |
| George Powell | Level 1 | M 1/2 player-umpire | active | yes |
| Paul Baker | Level 1 | M 3/4 player-umpire | dormant | no |
| Simon Baker | Level 1 | M 1 player-umpire | dormant | no |
| Euan Webber | Level 1 unassessed | M 2/3 player-umpire | semi-active | yes |
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The following non-playing umpires have been granted Honorary Membership of the Club: Rob Cann, Charlie Pritchard, Rob Stamp, Aidan Wilday, David Ackland, Jon Mutter, Gus McVey, Guy Rudolph, Terry Walden, Mike Dutton, Peter Rider and Alan Gadian.
Aspiring Umpires (adult): Simon Olive, Duncan Gracie
Umpire Training Modules (England Hockey Hub).
To access the EH Hockey Hub, you will need to be registered and log in first. Registration is free and takes only a minute or two, just email address and password required.