New Zealand Cricket & Christchurch Metro Cricket Association collaborated last season to pilot the ‘Community Umpire Programme’ for the first time, offering umpiring support for club players.
As many club cricketers will be aware - if you have played club cricket in New Zealand, at some point you have probably had to ‘player umpire’.
The programme was designed to support these player umpires through a pre-season course, boundary observations, and an end-of-season review.
In its first season, the programme welcomed 169 attendees with over 18 cricket clubs represented.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with several attendees reporting an improvement in their confidence as an umpire and an improved understanding of the rules.
After positive signs in year one, NZC Community Umpire Manager, Eugene Sanders, was keen to keep the momentum going.
“After a very successful pilot, we are looking forward to supporting this programme around the country,” said Sanders.
“Currently, there are around 14500 club players in New Zealand who have to umpire their own games, so why not support them to change the cricketing experience for all.”
To read more about the programme, including statistics and feedback from participants, click the document below.
