ICC Europe Umpire Education Courses

Since 2001 the ICC European Umpire Education Programme has given its members a structured education programme that allows prospective, and experienced, umpires the opportunity to develop their skills in an International arena.

ICC Europe - Umpire Education
The pathway for educating umpires is now well established and we are pleased to lay out this pathway as follows:

Introduction to Umpiring Course
This is a basic entry level course for players, parents and anyone interested in learning some of the basic laws and field-craft techniques.

It is run over a period of approximately 2.5 hours and is run by local tutors.

There is no exam and there is no qualification attached to this course.

ECB ACO Level 1 qualification
This qualification is aimed at new umpires who are umpiring in the lower levels of their league structure.

There is no prior experience needed to join this course.

This is the first level of umpire qualification and ICC Europe works closely with the England & Wales Cricket Board Association of Cricket Officials (ECB ACO) to facilitate the running of this course.

The ideal time to run this course is between January - April, which allows the umpire to get immediate practice immediately after the course - or as soon as possible.

The premise behind the syllabus for this Course is that the umpire is taught those Laws that are of a practical nature.

Practical:

• the Law is an on-field matter that the umpire cannot look-up,e.g. a response to an appeal
• a matter that is of practical use to enable the umpire to do his job effectively e.g. pre-match duties
• Any Law(s) that do(es) not fall into this category are treated as Administration and do not need to be taught in a formal classroom environment.

Administration:

• it is an off-field matter that can be looked-up in the Law book, e.g. mowing, rolling etc.
• it is invariably covered by Playing Regulations e.g. Intervals

The Course is a PowerPoint based one but with the emphasis on interaction between the Tutor and the students.

Requirements

• Venue: A classroom, lecture room, type facility is essential. Students should be able to sit at desks/tables.
• Timing: The Course runs for approx. 16 hours spread over a weekend. It is recommended that the following timetable be followed:
  • Friday evening: 2 hours;
  • Saturday: 8 hours,
  • Sunday: 6 hours.
  • The Exam is taken at the end of the Course on Sunday afternoon.
• Student numbers: Minimum number is 6; there is no maximum number.
• Equipment: The ICC Europe Tutor will provide a laptop computer and projector*.The host country must provide a white projector screen. *If the country can provide a projector then that would be of great assistance to the Tutor (this can be arranged by agreement).
• Resources: Each student will be given: a Course Manual: MCC Law Book, a copy of Tom Smith?s Cricket Umpiring and Scoring and their first year's membership to ECB ACO. (Please note that after the 1st year the student is expected to re-new their subscription to ACO - especially if they wish to continue the education pathway).
• Costs: The following costs need to be included in the Operation Plan:- ICC Europe Tutor fees: Tutor flights: Tutor accommodation: Tutor meals and transport: Venue costs: ECB ACO Course & exam fees: carriage charges for resources.

If the Operational Plan does not cater for these costs then the Home Cricket Board will be expected to finance the balance.

Course Content
The practical Laws (part Laws) are brought together into Modules - with each Module dealing with a specific subject. All aspects of that subject are covered within that Module, thus enabling the student to fully understand what the Law requires and how to implement that Law on the field of play.

The Modules are:

1. The Umpires
2. The Pitch
3. The Ball
4. Substitutes & runners etc
5. Scoring
6. The Wicket
7. No ball - foot faults & LBW
8. Fieldcraft and Working as a Team

Total time: 16 hours (approximately).

The Examination is of a multiple choice nature and contains 50 questions. The pass mark is 40 marks. However, within the 50 questions are 12 'red' questions and the umpire must get at least 10 of these questions correct. If the student does not obtain at least 8 out of 10 for these 'red' questions then they will not pass the exam - irrespective of their overall mark.

There is no requirement for the student to write in English - all answers can be indicated by circling the preferred answer option.

Although conducted in English, there is usually provision at the Course for translation into the language required.

Practical experience
There now follows a period of practical experience which must be gained before moving on to the next stage in the qualification process.

Whilst there is no set amount of games laid down we would expect an umpire to have umpired at least 20 games before attending the next level course.

We must point out that umpiring progression is more about competency than classroom success. We do not encourage umpires to take courses and gain paper qualifications without gaining field experience along the way.

ECB ACO Level 1a qualification
This qualification is aimed at those umpires who aspire to the top level of their league structure and aspire to be nominated for the ICC European Panel.

The best time to run this course is between October - December when the experiences of the previous season are still fresh in the mind.

In order to attend this course the umpire must:

• a) have passed Level 1 exam
• b) have demonstrated that they have umpiring experience of at least 20 matches
• c) be a current, paid up, member of ECB ACO

This is a follow-up Course to the Level 1 and is a discussion style Course that explores the knowledge and experiences that the umpire has gained from passing Level 1 and, more importantly, umpiring some matches.

The Laws covered are those from the Level 1 but the emphasis is on student participation, rather than tutor led lectures.

Requirements

• Venue: A classroom, lecture room, type facility is essential. It should be large enough to cater for break-out groups of 4-6 so that they can work in relative quiet.
• Timing: The Course runs for approx. 18 hours spread over a weekend. It is recommended that the following timetable be followed:
Friday evening: 2 hours; Saturday: 8 hours, Sunday: 8 hours. Student numbers: Minimum number is 8; there is no maximum number.
• Equipment: The ICC Europe Tutor will provide a laptop computer and projector*.The host country must provide a white projector screen. *If the country can provide a projector then that would be of great assistance to the Tutor (this can be arranged by agreement).
• Resources: Each student will be given: Level 1a Course workbook. They will already have a Workbook and Law Book from the Level 1 Course.
• Costs: The following costs need to be included in the Operation Plan:

ICC Europe Tutor fees: Tutor flights: Tutor accommodation: Tutor meals and transport: Venue costs: ICC Europe Resource fees: carriage charges for resources.

If the Operational Plan does not cater for these costs then the Home Cricket Board will be expected to finance the balance.

There is no 'exam' as such at Level 1a - the tutor will use the student's workbook, along with their attendance and participation record, to decide if the student is ready for the Level 1a qualification.

There is provision for students who fail the Level 1 Exam (first time round) to participate in the Level 1a Course and then re-sit the Level 1 Exam at the end of the 1a Course.

Practical experience
There now follows a period of practical experience which must be gained before moving on to the next stage in the qualification process.

Whilst there is no set amount of games laid down we would expect an umpire to have umpired a further 25 games before attending the next level course.

We must point out that umpiring progression is more about competency than classroom success. We do not encourage umpires to take courses and gain paper qualifications without gaining field experience along the way.

ECB ACO Level 2C
This is aimed at those umpires who aspire to the ICC European Elite Panel.

In order to attend this course the umpire must:

• a) have passed Level 1a Assessment
• b) have operated successfully on the ICC European Panel (i.e. obtained the relevant Boundary Assessments from ICC European Assessors and demonstrated the potential to progress further)
• c) be a current, paid up, member of ECB ACO

Attendance to the Level 2C will be by invite only and ICC Europe will endeavour to run at least one course per year, on a Regional basis.