Officiate Hockey
If you’re passionate about hockey and looking for a way to make a meaningful impact, officiating for the Oceania Hockey Federation offers an incredible opportunity. Officiating in the Pacific Islands means being at the forefront of a rapidly growing sport, where your role is vital in ensuring fair play and upholding the spirit of the game. Beyond the whistle, you’ll experience the vibrant cultures, welcoming communities, and breathtaking landscapes that make Oceania so unique. As an official, you’ll develop a deep understanding of the game, sharpen your decision-making skills, and become an integral part of a dedicated hockey community.
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Technical Officials
What is Technical Officiating?
Technical Officiating is a great way to be involved in hockey action – you get a front row seat to all the action! This is a role that any volunteer can be trained to do, the importance of having a technical bench is to make the game safe, fair and enjoyable for all involved.
The technical Officials work as a team supporting the umpires on the field.
There are 4 main roles:
Tournament Director, Technical Officer, Judges and Match Officials.
Tournament Director:
The individual who ensures that the overall competition is operating within the rules and regulations for all participants.
Technical Officer:
The officer is pitch side for each game of a tournament to ensure the games run smoothly, working with both team managers, benches and umpires.
Judges:
Judges are pitch side for each game of a tournament, administering and recording events from the game accurately and timely. They also manage the game time to ensure that the competition runs in accordance with the rules and within the allotted time on the day.
Match Official:
This role is only available during the English Hockey Leagues, where Match Officials conduct a mix of the Technical Officer and Judge roles on a match day.
For some Officials there is the opportunity to progress up the career path within their National Association to ultimately reach international level and take part in top events.
Umpires
Oceania have had a strong history of having our umpires appointed to events throughout the world.
Regardless of your age, ability or experience of playing hockey, if you have a passion for the game and wish to be involved in other ways, then umpiring could be for you. Whether you choose to umpire adults or juniors, there are multiple ways of supporting you as you start your journey in umpiring.
People’s reasons for taking up the whistle vary; this could be to support the junior section in your club, to learn more about the rules and interpretations of the game of to enable you to perform at the highest levels of the game.
As a new, or inexperienced umpire, there are multiple resources available to help you to get started. There are courses, information, and videos for all different types of umpiring, e.g. 5 a-side, eleven a-side.
Oceania Officials at Tokyo Olympics
Rules of Hockey
Hockey is a game that can be played on many surfaces – e.g. grass, artificial surface, indoor, beach, asphalt, concrete, clay.
FIH has two major formats outdoor, 11 aside, and Hockey 5s, which are both played internationally.
Indoor Hockey is also a version of the game played internationally. The international Hockey Federation (FIH) is responsible for the rules of Hockey. These are reviewed on an ongoing basis but there is normally a revised edition of the rules every two years. They can be found online here.
Oceania Hockey Federation have an Officiating Committee which puts out a paper explaining any rule changes to their NAs.
Modified Forms of the Game
NAs will develop their own competition formats appropriate to the age and stage of the participating athletes. e.g. 4v4, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8. These will also have different field sizes and often modified equipment. More information can be found under our resources.
To discuss your chance to be part of a close-knit hockey community, where your passion and expertise can drive the sport’s growth in an exciting and emerging region, get in touch with us using the form below.
Whether you’re an experienced official or new to the role, this is your chance to contribute to the sport’s growth in a region full of potential and promise.
Partners
