Basic Umpiring Requirements

Apprentice/Level 1 Umpires

Qualification process and minimum requirements for games

As part of the drive to increase the quality of umpiring at all levels of the English game, basic umpiring qualifications have been reviewed and are set as follows for the 2009-10 season. Please note that the names of these ratings have been changed with effect from October 2009 in order to avoid confusion as to what each is intended to signify:

Level	Course	On-field	Online Rules Test*	Game log	Level of game required for rating
Apprentice	Have attended basic course within past 12 months	Initial assessment on field by course tutor	Pass with at least 75% (open book)		Level to be arranged with course tutor
Level 1	Have attended basic course within past 3 years	Level 1 rating from approved tester based on at least 40 mins of rating game(s)	Pass with at least 75% (open book)	Submit game log showing at least 3 games umpired before seeking Level 1	U15/U19 school BUCS Club
Level 2	Have attended basic course within past 3 years	Level 2 rating from approved tester based on at least 40 mins of rating game(s)	Pass with at least 80% (open book)	Submit game log showing at least 10 games umpired before seeking Level 2	U19A school BUCS Club Counties

* The Rules Test will be available from September to December each year. Click here to go to the assigning site where you can login using your email address and first name as password then take the test by clicking on the Quiz button.

More detail as to the rating requirements for all levels of umpire can be found here

Those people who have been awarded new Level 1 qualifications this season prior to 11 October 2009 will instead be given Level 2 qualifications. Anyone who has a Full Apprentice rating or a Level 1 rating obtained before August 2009 will hold a Level 1 qualification. Territorial Umpires are redisignated as Level 3 umpires; National Umpires become Level 4 umpires; and International Umpires are now Level 5 umpires. Please bear with us as we amend the forms and other pages on this website over the next few days.


Please note that the development of the new rating system means that the Level 2 qualification will be more difficult to achieve and maintain than was the old Level 1 rating. The Level 2 rating form can be found here and sets out the skills which candidates will have to demonstrate to at least a satisfactory standard in order to pass. Umpires who currently hold an old Level 1 rating should not assume that they will be re-rated at Level 2.  No one will be considered for a Level 2 rating or above unless they are wearing stripes and have with them a rule book, whistle, cards and flag. Testers may rate a Level 2 candidate as a Level 1 umpire or an Apprentice on the occasion of their Level 2 rating game(s), or may end the rating session and use it for training purposes instead. The Level 1 rating form may be found here.

Courses may only be taught by R&U approved tutors, and should be arranged through Tim Holdsworth at the ELA. If you experience any difficulties in arranging a course, please contact assignor@laxumps.co.uk

Field testing may only be carried out by R&U approved testers. A list will shortly be available here but meanwhile if you wish to arrange to be seen and rated, please contact r&u@laxumps.co.uk attaching your completed game log, providing details of the game(s) on which you would like to be rated, and indicating the level at which you hope to pass.

For university and club games the minimum umpiring requirement which all teams should seek to meet wherever possible is as follows:

Game level	Minimum umpiring required
Priority Fixtures (i.e. those identified as such by BUCS and the R&U. Includes all Premier Club games)	2 umpires, at least one of whom must be a Level 2 or above. The other umpire may be a Level 1.
Ordinary Fixtures (i.e. any other regular season games)	2 umpires. An Apprentice may umpire with a Level 2 or above. A Level 1 may umpire with another Level 1 or above.
Play-Off Games (including quarter and semi-finals and the final)	2 umpires, although it is recommended that 3 are used wherever possible. All must be Level 2 or above.
Tournaments	2 umpires. Level required depends on the tournament, but must not be set lower than that for Ordinary Fixtures (above).

 These minimum levels will become compulsory from the beginning of the 2010-2011 season.

The minimum umpiring requirement for school games is under discussion at present. However, please note
(1) that all U19A games (i.e. school first teams) should be umpired by people qualified at Level 2 or above;
(2) that for the National Schools Tournament no one who does not hold at least a Level 2 qualification current at that date will be able to umpire in the U19 tournament; and
(3) at least a Level 1 rating will be required to umpire at National Schools in the U15 tournament.