EuroHockey committee sets education and development priorities for officials

EuroHockey’s Officials Committee is prioritizing education and career pathways for hockey officials, after members met in Brussels this month to review projects and set priorities across three specialist groups.

The committee discussed a learning plan for 2026-2028, restoring core learning outcomes for officiating courses and developing online and in-person education. The work concerns the people who umpire matches and serve as technical officials, whose roles support competitions at national and international levels.

Chair Magda Nazaret said the meeting brought together updates from the subgroups and described the goal as improving opportunities for officials across Europe. “I’m excited to see our courses and educational programs evolve to better meet the needs of officials across Europe,” she said.

Courses and pathways under discussion

Projects reviewed included an Online Team Managers Programme, a Judge Development seminar and the continuing development of Judges4Europe. The umpire education subgroup discussed development routes at national and European levels, including education for umpire managers and international development umpires, as well as future seminars and mentoring.

The committee’s technical officials education group also contributed to the meeting. EuroHockey’s announcement did not give a schedule for the learning plan or say when the initiatives under review will be introduced.

Safeguarding, appointments and technology

Members reviewed safeguarding developments, FIH guidelines for grading international officials and a recently added Pregnancy and Maternity policy. The appointments subgroup considered evaluation processes for Umpire Managers and Technical Delegates, as well as preparations for upcoming international events.

The group also discussed technology, including the Altius and Global TMS systems, and the pathway toward the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. The announcement did not specify changes to those systems or provide details of event preparations.

This report draws on information from EuroHockey.