With early season issues over umpire numbers and availability Brighton & Hove and other clubs in the South East are being asked to encourage as many people - men and women - as possible to sit the Level 1 umpiring course.

As a club running so many teams Brighton & Hove can never have too many qualified umpires to further the enjoyment of your matches. Viv Rudd, the South East region representative says: "No-one is suggesting that anyone should give up their game; we're trying to attain a good level of umpiring around playing commitments."

The online course lasts two hours - about the same as a night's training session - and in the comfort of an armchair. For those players who regularly officiate as unqualified umpires, this should be a walk in the park. Information about the course can be found on the England Hockey website in the 'Hockey Hub' or by following this link
- www.englandhockey.co.uk/deliver/officiate/umpire/umpiring-courses)

Following successful completion of the course, the candidate will be issued an umpire number and have the status of Level 1 Unassessed. Level 1 unassessed umpires then need to be watched/assessed to become a fully fledged Level 1 umpire.

For anyone wanting to pursue umpire qualifications beyond level 1, information can also be found at the link above.