Umpire Training

WHAT IS AN UMPIRE?

The umpire has authority over a particular match and in charge of the court and its immediate surroundings. It is the responsibility of the umpire to ensure that the matches assigned to them abide by the laws, code of conducts and rules and regulations of the BWF.

The role also involves keeping track of the score and announcing in between each point, along with making calls on service faults, other player faults and lets. Any incidents must also be noted by the umpire and reported to the referee. The umpires jurisdiction exists from the time that players enter the court before starting to the match until the time that they leave once the match is complete. The umpire reports to and acts under the authority of the referee.

PATHWAY

The pathway to becoming a badminton umpire can start at a very young age with the Oceania Junior Umpire Award. This programme is incorporated into the Badminton Oceania player development programme in Tiers tiers 3 and 4.

The junior umpire award has two levels: Accredited and Certificated. When each level is gained a badge is awarded. To gain this qualification a person undertakes a short course which includes both theory and practical components. 

The next step in the Umpire Pathway is Pacific Accredited Umpire which is overseen by Badminton Oceania as part of their National Technical Official training programme.

To gain this qualification which is the start of the pathway to becoming a BWF Umpire, a person undertakes a course which consists of theory and practical training followed by assessments.

As a qualified Pacific Umpire, ongoing training and practical experience will be provided including the opportunity to officiate at tournaments outside of the Cook Islands for those people who show commitment and potential to further develop into an international umpire.