Cricket Umpiring Courses

It’s Your Call!

Welcome to It’s Your Call – the ECB ACO programme of umpire training courses.

Law Changes for 2023 season

A new code of the laws of cricket came into force on 1 October 2022, which umpires will need to be aware of when umpiring in 2023 and beyond.  The MCC together with the ECB ACO have produced a presentation of the main changes umpires need to be aware of.  Please view the presentation here.

In addition please click here for the full explanation of the law changes the MCC has produced.

 

Umpire Training Courses 2023 onwards

We have now completed all our courses before the 2023 season and detailed below is an overview of the current training courses that are now subject to change.  The ECB in recent months have set up a Recreational Officiating Team, who are reviewing the training offering for umpires.  As part of this review a new “Entry Level Course” is scheduled to be launched in December.  This course will be a one day course, aimed at new umpires to give the skills to be able to umpire a game of cricket and will be run year round.  When these courses become available for booking we will update this website with more information on the course and how to book.

It is not expected Stage One, Two and Three courses will be run in future in their current format.  There is expectation County ACOs in-conjunction with their respective County Cricket Boards will offer a number of face to face training workshops accompanied by online learning offered by the ECB.  We will update the website when the new training offering is available, with the expectation a revised training offering will be available towards end of 2023.

 

Overview of current Training Courses (note the below courses are subject to review)

Taking a course will provide you with a rewarding opportunity to engage with the sport through learning the skills of umpiring and acquiring an understanding of The Laws of Cricket. Umpiring is a great way to contribute to the health of the game and it guarantees “the best seat in the house” for all cricket lovers.

SACO extends a very warm welcome to those starting their journeys to becoming officials in the game.  We trust you will enjoy the program and that it will encourage you to support your local club or local league, as a trained umpire.

You will find all the information you need to become a member of ECB ACO by following this link to their ECB ACO website, although membership is not a requirement for enrolling on any of our courses.

ECB ACO has worked very hard to remove as many barriers to learning as possible, by reducing the length and cost of most of its courses and locating them in comfortable venues that are easily accessible around the county.

The courses DO NOT cover the laws of cricket in detail, it is assumed that trainees will have learned them separately.  Consequently, use of the MCC online Laws resource is highly recommended to anyone intending to undertake any of SACO’s face-to-face training courses.

Basics of Umpiring

Are you required to umpire for 5 or 10 overs at the weekend?  Are you confident in the white coat?  If not we can help…  Designed to help you during your 10-over stint of umpiring on game day, the ‘Basics of Umpiring’ online resource contains the umpiring basics ranging from the key Laws to basic field craft.  Click here and use this resource as you wish, view it once or return frequently throughout the season to refresh your knowledge.  This resource is free for you to improve the game-day experience for yourselves, your teammates and your opposition

Stage One Online course

This online course covers many aspects of the Stage One face to face course (see below for more details).  Please click here to access the course.

Stage One (face to face course)

This 7.5 to 8 hours course is designed to give an overview of the basic Laws of the game and how to apply them and to introduce the principles of field craft and match management.  It gives the tools to enable a person to umpire matches at the basic recreational level where no independent umpires are appointed.

The cost of a Stage One Course is just £30, including a first-year subscription to ECB ACO with all its member benefits.  Booking and payment is an online process via one of the links above.  When your booking is acknowledged, you will receive a discount code to use when booking yourself onto a Stage Two Course during the same year.  Use of the code will reduce the cost of a Stage Two Course from £30 to just £10.

There are no requirements for attending Stage One, such as age limitations or membership of ECB ACO, but it would be very beneficial if candidates were to click here to familiarise themselves with the Laws of Cricket through the excellent, interactive MCC e-learning resource.  A certificate of attendance will follow a Stage One course.

Any existing umpire may enroll on any course as a “refresher”.  Membership of ECB ACO is not a prerequisite.

Stage Two

This 7.5 to 8 hours course is designed to give participants additional knowledge and skills to enable them to become members of league panels and is available to anyone who has attended Stage One or equivalent. This course complements Stage One by looking beyond the basic laws, building on field craft and match management techniques, and introducing the concept of working, as a team, with a colleague.

Participants, who must have attended Stage One or its equivalent, can either progress to Stage Two immediately after completing Stage One or wait until the next training season.  However, a discount will be given if a participant elects to undertake Stage Two directly after Stage One at the time of booking.

A certificate of attendance will follow a Stage Two course but a Certificate of Achievement will only be supplied to ECB ACO Members on completion and submission of an ECB ACO Participant Accreditation & Certification Form completed by an ECB ACO Verifier.

Any existing umpire may enroll in any course as a “refresher”.  Membership of ECB ACO is not a prerequisite.

Stage Three

This course is delivered over two days.  It is designed for experienced umpires who aspire to stand at the highest level of league cricket.   As well as the interpretation and application of Law this course will also cover additional fieldcraft, the management of the match, the field, and the players on it.

A certificate of attendance will follow a Stage Three course but a Certificate of Achievement will only be supplied to ECB ACO Members on completion and submission of an ECB ACO Participant Accreditation & Certification Form completed by an ECB ACO Verifier.

Please note to attend a Stage Three course you need to have completed Stage One and Two courses or their equivalent and also to be a member of ECB ACO.