The Irish women’s senior team has climbed 8 places in the FIH World Rankings on the back of their silver medal success at the FIH World Cup in London.

Prior to the tournament, Ireland, ranked 16th, was the second lowest ranked side at the event. Wins over USA (ranked 7th) and India (10th) in the group stages, followed by penalty shoot-out wins again over India and then Spain (11th), on their way to the final meant that Ireland are now ranked 8th in the world.

World Cup champions, the Netherlands, have tightened their grip on top spot with England remaining 2nd. Australia has now moved to 3rd at the expense of Argentina who drop a place to 4th. The other big movers were the Spanish, who climb to 7th after beating Australia in the bronze medal match.

Vitality Hockey World Cup Final, London

Ireland 0

Netherlands 6 (Welten, Jonker, van Male, Pheninckx, Keetels, van Maasakker)

It was always going to be a tough task against the world number 1 side in sweltering heat but the Green Army were in their usual determined form. The opening goal came in a crowded circle in the 7thminute when Lidewij Welten spun her marker and shot home from close range.

Anna O’Flanagan and Nicci Daly were causing the Dutch some trouble down the left wing but the experienced Dutch defence kept the circle entries to a minimum. Kelly Jonker doubled her sides lead in the 19thminute as she sent a rocket into the corner from her reverse shot.

The Netherlands notched up 5 penalty corners in the opening half but the corner runners weren’t giving the Dutch any time and drag flicks were sent high and wide until Kitty van Male picked up a loose ball from an initial penalty corner block and swept into the corner. A minute later and Malou Pheninckx found herself free in the circle and smashed the ball high into the net to put her side 4-0 in front at the half.

The start of the second half didn’t go according to plan as Welten broke into the circle in the 32ndminute and slipped the ball to Marloes Keetels free in front of goal for the tap in. Caia van Maasakker made it 6 from a penalty corner drag high into the corner. Chloe Watkins, winning her 200thcap today, was appearing all over the pitch as she poached the ball from the Dutch and then looked to set up attacks on the counter. The best chance of the quarter came from a Dutch penalty corner mistrap that saw Ireland break at pace and Deidre Duke pick up the ball in the circle but good scramble defence by the Netherlands so them win possession back. There was no lack of effort from the Green Army as they defended resiliently, and Lizzie Colvin and Katie Mullan were at the core of several turnovers as Ireland chased a goal. Daly was the first to test Anna Veenendaal as she darted into the circle and smashed the ball goalward but the shot was well saved. 2 penalty corners in quick succession for the Dutch were duly dealt with as Roisin Upton saved one off the line and Shirley McCay threw her body in front of another to see Margot van Geffen’s shot go high.

Netherlands ran out deserved winners but the Green Army cemented their place in history with World Cup silver and Ayeisha McFerran was rightly named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Graham Shaw, head coach, said “Netherlands are an outstanding side with world class players, we can be so proud to stand here and say we came second in the world. It’s an incredible achievement, and I think when the girls reflect back they will see what a remarkable achievement this is. There’s not many people back home in Ireland that can say they have a World silver medal. This is just so special and I could not be more proud of them”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan, S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, E Tice, E Beatty, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland 0vs1 England 29/7/18 7pm

Quarter Final Ireland 0vs0 India (3-1 in shootout) 2/8/18 6pm

Semi Final Ireland 1vs1 Spain. Shootout: Ireland 3v2 Spain 4/8/18 2pm

World Cup Final Ireland 0vs6 Netherlands 5/8/18 4:30pm

The World Cup silver medal winning squad will arrive into Dublin Airport at 12:30/12:45 tomorrow in Terminal 1.

Hockey fans and supporters will get their chance to celebrate with the Irish Women’s Hockey Team following their recent success at the Women’s Hockey World Cup. A special event hosted by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Nial Ring and Dublin City Council will be held for the team and supporters tomorrow (Monday, 6th August) at 3pm on Dame St. Access from 2pm will be from Dame St or South Great Georges St.

On behalf of Dublin City Council, the team will be welcomed onto the stage at 3p.m. by the Lord Mayor and other dignitaries.

This is a family-friendly alcohol-free event. Dublin City Council asks people to use public transport when travelling to and from the event..

Dublin City Council is hosting this event to give supporters a chance to congratulate the team on their success on reaching the final of the Women’s Hockey World Cup. There might even be a sing song!

Traffic restrictions will be in place from 10:00 hours on Monday, 6th August in the vicinity of Dame St and surrounding streets.

Vitality Hockey World Cup, London

Ireland 1(O’Flanagan)

Spain 1 (Magaz)

Penalty Shootout:

Ireland 3 (Pinder x2, Watkins)

Spain 2 (Oliva, Riera)

The Green Army have beaten Spain in a penalty shootout to secure their place in the World Cup Final.

It was the dream start for the Green Army as Katie Mullan sent the ball into the circle and won the first penalty corner of the game. Shirley McCay swept the ball from the top of the circle and Anna O’Flanagan slipped her marker and deflected past Maria Ruiz to give her side the lead in the 3rdminute. The pace and precision of the Green Army didn’t let up and Gillian Pinder won her side’s second penalty corner before the end of the first quarter. A straight strike from the top by Ali Meeke was well saved by Maria Ruiz as O’Flanagan lurked in front looking for another deflection. Julia Pons sent a deflection at the other end just past the post as Spain settled into the game, likewise Carola Salvatella sent an unconventional shot just wide. The Green Army defence continued their impenetrable form with Shirley McCay and Hannah Matthews frustrating the Spanish forward line and limiting any further clear cut chances. Ireland ended the half the better of the two sides with Deidre Duke sending a reverse strike inches wide and then combining with Nikki Evans to win Ireland’s third penalty corner. Matthews sweep from the top was saved by Ruiz and Ireland went in at half time holding their 1-0 lead.

It took just 2 minutes into the second half for Mullan to win her sides 4thpenalty corner but the variation didn’t quite come off as McCay sent the ball to the right looking for Mullan on the post. 2 minutes later and it looked like Spain had their first penalty corner but a smart referral by Matthews saw the ball was lifted high and the Green Army won the free out. Spain began to up the pressure as the half progressed and got their equaliser in the 39thminute from a ball crossed in to Alicia Magaz who scored from close range. The stats show that Spain had 21 circle entries as they chased the winner with Lucia Jimenez sending her shot over the crossbar. Mullan won her side a penalty corner in the final 2 minutes but Zoe Wilson’s sweep was saved off the line by Rocio Gutierrez and the sides were destined for a shoot-out.

It was Pinder who was the hero as she scored her first shot and then her second in sudden death in the 6thround. In between those two vital moments though Watkins scored in the 5thround and Ayeisha McFerran was unbeatable in 4 of Spain’s attempts. Pinder’s second goal secured the 3-2 victory and put the Green Army in their first ever World Cup Final!

Graham Shaw, head coach said “This performance was testament to the character and belief in our team. It was warm out there, and I thought we looked the stronger side in the final minutes, and that’s down to the fitness of this team and how hard they work. This is just amazing and hopefully this will be a changing moment in our sport. I could not be more proud of this team, they deserve every bit of this”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan (Captain), S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, M Frazer, E Tice, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland 0vs1 England 29/7/18 7pm

Quarter Final Ireland 0vs0 India (3-1 in shootout) 2/8/18 6pm

Semi Final Ireland 1vs1 Spain. Shootout: Ireland 3v2 Spain 4/8/18 2pm

World Cup Final Ireland vs Netherlands or Australia 5/8/18 4:30pm

PHOTO:GETTY/FIH

Vitality Hockey World Cup, London

Ireland 0

India 0

Penalty Shootout:

Ireland 3 (Upton, Meeke, Watkins)

India 1(Khokhar)

The Green Army have continued their history-making run by beating India in a penalty shootout to secure their place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Despite the possession stats saying the opening quarter was relatively even, it was certainly the Green Army that had the more concrete chances. Gillian Pinder and Nikki Evans were the first to test the Indian defence, before Shirley McCay slipped the ball to Anna O’Flanagan but she was robbed of the ball before she could get the shot away. It was a physical encounter with Evans taking the brunt of the Indian midfield tackles but Lena Tice sent a pass to her in the circle but it was poached before she could do any real damage. Monika looked threatening at times for India but Ayeisha McFerran had very little to do in the opening 30 minutes. The Green Army went up a gear as the half progressed with Katie Mullan sending the ball in from the right wing but Savita smothered the ball before the diving O’Flanagan could get the touch. The midfield engine room were working over-time with Lizzie Colvin and Chloe Watkins both bypassing their Indian counterparts but the opening goal wouldn’t fall for the Irish before the half time hooter echoed around a full stadium.

Ireland continued with the same dominance early in the second half with both McCay and Yvonne O’Byrne sending crash balls into the circle for the chasing Mullan. Nikki Pradhan and Rani started to step up for India and were the root of any creativity from the world number 10. Watkins looked to have infiltrated the Indian defence with a pin point pass to O’Flanagan in the circle but it was intercepted before reaching the awaiting sharp shooter. India won the only penalty corner of the game in the 49thminute but Rani’s shot from the top of the circle was saved and cleared by McFerran. Both sides looked to be tiring in the dying moments as the temperature refused to budge below 30 degrees and a shootout looked inevitable with the Irish defence remaining rock solid.

Nobody scored in the opening two rounds with both Nicci Daly and O’Flanagan been driven wide by Savita in the India goal while McFerran continued her imperious form to deny Rani and Monika. It was Roisin Upton who broke the deadlock in the third round of shuttles before McFerran again saved, denying Navjot Kaur. Ali Meeke then put Ireland 2 in front but Reena Khokhar got one back for India. Watkins stepped up to win it and with the calmness that only 198 caps can bring she slotted home to put Ireland into their first ever World Cup semi-final.

Commenting after the game, head coach Graham Shaw said “I’m just so proud of the group of players. It was really difficult at times, India are a very good side but we dug so deep. To go to a shootout and bury some demons is also really important for us, I’m just full of pride. I felt if we could score 2 then we’d win because Ayeisha is an incredible goalie, she’s so difficult to score against”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan (Captain), S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, M Frazer, E Tice, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland 0vs1 England 29/7/18 7pm

Quarter Final Ireland 0vs0 India (3-1 in shootout) 2/8/18 6pm

Vitality Hockey World Cup, London

Ireland 0

England 1(Ansley)

Ireland fall 1-0 to world number 2 England despite superb defensive effort throughout.

England certainly edged the possession stats in the opening exchanges and it was their captain Alex Danson that drew the first save of the game but Ayeisha McFerran continued her fine form and booted the ball clear. Ali Meeke and Nicci Daly combined well at the other end for the latter of the two to send a pass across the circle but there was nobody on the back post for the tap in. England won 3 penalty corners in the opening quarter but Yvonne O’Byrne put huge pressure on Laura Unsworth at the top of the circle to prevent her efforts. Likewise Shirley McCay made a phenomenal diving deflection to send Ellie Watton’s close range shot wide. O’Byrne was also the creator of a chance for the Green Army but Deirdre Duke couldn’t slip her marker for the shot. Similarly McCay charged out of defence on more than occasion and forced Maddie Hinch into a save as Katie Mullan lingered at the post. The half ended with England notching up 13 circle entries but the discipline and structure of the Green Army defence limited the clear cut chances.

McFerran was called upon to make yet another great save as Sarah Haycroft poached the ball in the circle but she made the double save and cleared with her stick. Megan Frazer reminded everyone of her enviable skills as she left 2 defenders in her wake and fired the shot goalward only for it to be deflected wide. The Green Army won 3 penalty corner’s in quick succession with the final one being saved by Hinch. England continued to rack up their own penalty corners, amassing 15 in total, and they broke the deadlock in the 53rdminute courtesy of Giselle Ansley’s drag flick that was deflected into the net. The Green Army very nearly had an equaliser in the dying moments as Anna O’Flanagan sent the ball into the circle but Duke couldn’t get the vital touch.

Regardless of the result, Ireland still sit top of Pool B and progress to the quarter finals on Thursday where they will play either India or Italy.

Commenting on the result, head coach Graham Shaw said “I cannot fault our players, I’m very proud of their effort. We need to learn from moments and phases in the game, but it’s a different atmosphere and environment than we’ve ever played in before, and I thought our players reacted superbly. From the very first minute they worked incredibly hard and stayed compact”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan (Captain), S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, M Frazer, E Tice, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland 0vs1 England 29/7/18 7pm

Quarter Final Ireland vs India or Italy 2/8/18 8:15pm

Vitality Hockey World Cup, London

Ireland 1 (O’Flanagan)

India 0

The Green Army have beaten world number 10 India to book their place in the World Cup quarter final!

There was very little to separate the two sides for periods of the first half with possession sitting at 50/50 for much of the opening 30 minutes. India got off to the more lively start with a penalty corner in the 4thminute but superb running and a clearance by Hannah Matthews kept the 0-0 scoreline preserved. The Green Army settled quickly and were content to pass around the back and wait for the space to open up. That space did eventually open and Katie Mullan and Anna O’Flanagan linked up in the circle to win a penalty corner of their own. Shirley McCay stepped up for one of her powerful sweeps from the top of the circle and O’Flanagan deflected it into the net for the lead. Ayeisha McFerran was in fine form once again today as she made a superb high stick save to send Vandana Katariya’s shot over the crossbar. India amassed 3 penalty corners before the half was out but a super clearance off the line by Matthews prevented an equaliser.

O’Flanagan looked like she might double her tally early in the second half as she drove down the wing and along the baseline but Savita was out quick to make a strong low save. India continued to rack up the penalty corners, finishing the day with 7 in total, but McFerran couldn’t be beaten and the Green Army defensive unit were in imperious form. India continued to mount the pressure as they hunted the equaliser but Ireland created chances of their own with Mullan sending a pinpoint pass across the circle but Nikki Evans view was restricted and it skimmed past her stick. India pulled their goalie Savita in the hope of an equaliser and despite their high press and consistent pressure, the Irish didn’t waiver. The experience of Nicci Daly came to the fore along with the unstoppable McCay as Ireland wound the clock down and recorded a famous victory, securing their place in the World Cup quarter final.

Commenting after the game, head coach Graham Shaw said “What a group of players, I thought they were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. It was a difficult game, the conditions were very tough and India played very well, and made it difficult for us. Credit to the players and the work they put it, they’re a special group and they deserve this . It’s my privilege and honour to be part of this group”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan (Captain), S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, M Frazer, E Tice, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland vs England 29/7/18 7pm

Hockey Ireland has a limited number of Women’s World Cup tickets for the Green Army’s pool games against India, USA and England. All those who purchase a World Cup Ticket through Hockey Ireland will be entered into a draw for a brand new Adidas hockey stick.

Ireland vs USA 21/7/18 6pm

Category A: £50

Category B: £30

Ireland vs India 26/7/18 2pm

Category B: £20

Ireland vs England 29/7/18 7pm

Category A: £60

Category B: £ 50

To purchase tickets, please email finance@irelandhockey.sportlomo.com

Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Alexander Cox as the new head coach of Ireland men’s hockey team. Cox joins Hockey Ireland and the Green Machine with an abundance of experience having previously held the roles of assistant coach with both the Dutch men’s and women’s national teams, winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics with the latter. He has been the head coach of Kampong men’s team since 2012 and will remain in that role. While there, he has lead the side to the top of the Hoofdklasse for 2 years in a row, as well as winning the Eurohockey League title in 2016.

Commenting on his appointment, Cox said “I’m honored to be the new head coach of the Irish senior men’s team. The Irish culture, the work ethic and persistency of the team, motivates me to start our preparation towards the World Cup in India. I’m looking forward to working with the team, staff and Hockey Ireland”.

Hockey Ireland CEO Jerome Pels welcomes the arrival of Cox to Hockey Ireland “After an extensive recruitment process, we are delighted Alexander is joining our team, and are excited by what he can bring to the Green Machine and hockey in Ireland. His experience speaks for itself and we feel he is the right person to lead the Green Machine in this exciting World Cup year”

Alexander will begin his role on August 1st. Prior to that the Green Machine will travel to Dusseldorf for the 4 Nations Cup where they will be defending their title against Argentina, Germany and France. Watch the 4 Nations Cup by clicking here.

4 Nations Cup Dusseldorf fixtures (all times are local):

26/7/18 5pm Ireland vs Argentina

27/7/18 7:15pm Ireland vs Germany

29/7/18 9:30am Ireland vs France

Ireland Squad:

David Harte (Captain)

Jamie Carr

John Jackson

Jonny Bell

Matthew Bell

Luke Madeley

Matthew Nelson

Alan Sothern

Peter Caruth

Sean Murray

John McKee

Owen Magee

Michael Robson

Daragh Walsh

Paul Gleghorne

Jeremy Duncan

Lee Cole

Stuart Loughrey

Stephen Cole

Alison Keogh will take to the World Cup pitch in London this week as one of the chosen-few umpires. Below Alison talks about how she began her umpiring journey and how it has brought her to one of the biggest events in sport.

Background

I started playing at 12 as it was the primary sport of my secondary school, Loreto Beaufort in Dublin. Needless to say, having joined the sport quite late, I wasn’t very good! Despite this though I loved the game and persisted, gradually getting somewhat better and rarely missing a session. My love quickly turned to passion though when I joined my club Three Rock Rovers at 16. Three Rock quickly became a second home to me and over the next few years I made my way from 5ths to 1sts/2nds, embraced the social side of the club, met some of my closest friends, joined committees, and eventually became club captain. I have a lot to thank the club for in giving me these experiences and opportunities. Probably my most important first experience they gave me though was picking up a whistle and umpiring a game!

When I joined Three Rock, my Dad, who had umpired years beforehand, was persuaded back onto the pitch to umpire some of my games. I quickly began to question him as to why calls were being blown against me. At first this was done politely after a game, but as I began to learn the rules this quickly progressed to on-pitch questioning, which then progressed to on pitch shouting, before eventually becoming post-match rows in the car on the way home!!! Like most people, I was told that I seemed to know the rules so well as a player that I should see how it feels on the other side of the whistle. So, at 19, having never done any other games, I stepped onto a pitch to umpire the Three Rock Ladies 5ths in Division 14, and surprisingly found myself enjoying myself.

It took me a while to fully embrace umpiring as initially I didn’t want to give up playing. I umpired 3rds and 4ths club games for Three Rock intermittently before the Leinster Hockey Umpires Association began appointing me to Division 2 games. In my first year of this senior hockey I got a call one night informing me that the European Hockey Federation was running an Umpire Development Programme and that Ireland would like to put me forward if I was interested. If selected a group of young umpires would be mentored over 3 years, involving trips to watch international tournaments, practical weekends at club games in other countries and support for any questions etc., that you may have. The idea was to fast-track and support individuals to international standards. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly as I still loved playing, but I took the faith of those around me and decided to put myself forward. Thankfully I was chosen and from 2009 to 2012 I was part of the UDPs Group 4 We were brought on weekends to the Euronations, the Indoor World Cup, the EHL and practical weekends in Dublin and Glasgow. All the while during these three years I was doing less and less playing, and more and more umpiring, including my first international tournament which was the u18 Europeans in Holland in 2011. It was a gradual process but by 2012, at 24, I was umpiring every weekend.

I was awarded my FIH international badge in 2013 following the EuroNations C Division competition in Greece. By then I was doing Division 1 in Leinster, progressing to the IHL and then the EYHL when it began. Umpiring is much like driving a car though, its only when you have your license that you really learn how to drive! There are four further grades of international umpire ahead of the FIH badge, so I realised that if I wanted to go to the top, I still had a lot of work to do! Since I earned my badge I have umpired an Irish Senior Cup final, four IHL/EYHL finals, 11 u21 international matches, and 43 senior international matches. Those matches have taken place at a range of competitions and venues including the u21 Euronations in Belgium, the Junior World Cup in Chile, the Euronations in Holland, and the World League Finals in New Zealand, progressing up the ranks to the World Development Panel (the 2ndhighest rank). Listing them like that makes them sound easy but there was a lot of learning experiences and challenges in between all of those tournaments and years!

Best and worst parts

Umpiring challenges depend on where you are in your own progress, but it also depends on the game itself. Initially when I started umpiring the hardest thing was actually knowing where to stand, and what to call! I could see fouls happening, but I couldn’t work out which came first, and then often forgot to call anything at all! Needless to say some of these games weren’t enjoyable as I knew I wasn’t always being consistent, or calling the right things, and players naturally got frustrated by this. However, through listening to the advice I was given, by attending training courses, and by simply getting out on the pitch to expose myself to more games I gradually started to realise where I had to stand and how to manage situations. The higher you go, the decision making actually become easier believe it or not! But the challenges change. There’s obviously more pressure and scrutiny the higher you go so the mental side of your game becomes more important. Mistakes happen, so it’s important to make sure that you’re able to move on from it once you’ve made a mistake and not let your standards drop for the rest of the game. That can take a lot of work to get right though, it doesn’t always happen easily!

One of the questions I get asked most is why do I do this. That answer is easy! I have travelled the world and most importantly made some great friends. I can honestly say that some of the people that I have met through umpiring are some of my best friends, and are people I stay in touch with even outside of hockey. There are very few things in life that give you that sort of opportunity, let alone one that allow you do that while being involved in the sport that you love. Along with that, umpiring gives me the best seat in the house! There really is nothing like the atmosphere from a crowd as one of the worlds best players makes an attack on goal, and I feel so privileged to be a part of that.

Advice (in general/pre game/pre tournament etc.)

Regardless of what the game is though, whether its club or international, you’re always trying to do your best. In my mind the best games I have are the ones where no one talks about the umpiring! To do that I usually make sure I follow a routine. Obviously you’ve to get a good night sleep the night before a game. On the day itself I usually do a few mindfulness exercises and listen to a specific playlist to help prepare. Coffee is also a must! Pre-game, no matter how often you’ve umpired with someone, we always have a chat about how we plan to manage the game, areas of control etc., so that as a team we are on the same wave length.

In terms of tournaments, the standards for internationals are so high now that you always need to be physically prepared. We do fitness tests three times a year so obviously making sure you’re fit and strong is a critical part of your game and preparation. My gym routine is definitely one of the most important parts of my umpiring. After that, you want to make sure you’ve tested yourself before heading to a tournament. The LHUA and IHUA are great at giving me a variety of games, including mens, before tournaments as its important to get out of your comfort zone. I would usually get feedback at some of these things too so that I’m focused on what I have to work on. Internationally we have a bank of clips from previous tournaments that we can access online so it’s always important to look back over those and see how you can improve, and what you’ve done well.

Self-reflection is probably one of the things that separates the best umpires out there. It is so important to be able to look back on a game and think about why you made a decision, could you have changed anything, how it all went. If you can recognise this yourself, it means you can continually select the next steps you need to take in order to improve. Starting off, this isn’t always easy! If you’re really not sure, seek out feedback from people that are more experienced. It’s not always pleasant to hear about what you need to improve on but listen to what they say and take the time to work on it. It takes persistence and commitment but it’s the only way to keep improving.

If you’ve never umpired before and you’re worried you don’t know the rules there are always 1-2 courses in each half of the season within each province that you can attend, ask questions and clarify rules. There are plenty of us out there who are really willing to answer questions and help new people so I would definitely say to get in touch and you will be helped from there. Throughout all stages of my journey I’ve been supported so well by both the LHUA and the IHUA, with the support changing and adapting as I have. So please do get in touch! Once you attend these courses there is no experience like getting out onto a pitch so you’ll have to go and practice everything you learned but at least you will be able to do it with a bit more confidence!