Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has appointed the team of Officials who will be involved in the inaugural season of the FIH Pro League.
The FIH Pro League Umpire Panel, who will perform the on field and video umpire roles, consists of the current best 46 female and male umpires in the game of hockey globally.
Umpires will be assessed throughout the FIH Pro League through a combination of live and “virtual” assessment - using the new FIH.Live digital platform that will cover all FIH Pro League matches.
The FIH is widely recognized as being a pioneer in sports in the use of video assistance for umpiring. The FIH Pro League video umpires will use Hawkeye video analysis technology, as part of a world leading video referral system, to adjudicate on decisions referred to them by on field umpires.
Furthermore, slow motion replays and alternative angles will be made available to host broadcasters to bring the skill, speed and excitement of world class hockey to life for the broadcast and digital viewer.
The team of Officials, who originate from all continents of the world, also includes umpire managers as well as technical officials.
Umpires, umpire managers and technical officials all come from the top FIH Officials panels. To be selected onto these panels, Officials are continually assessed and must achieve the highest standards of officiating. They take part in ongoing training and development, and following each FIH event, the make up of all FIH panels is assessed and adjusted as necessary by the FIH Officials Committee.
For each FIH Pro League game, the team of Officials will consist of:
- 2 on field umpires
- 1 video umpire
- 1 umpire manager
- 1 match manager (technical official)
- 2 local judges appointed by the host National Association and approved by the FIH to act as technical officials
The very first edition of the FIH Pro League will kick-off on 19 January in Valencia, Spain, with the game Spain-Belgium (Men).
The full list of Officials for the FIH Pro League is available here.
To find out all information about the FIH Pro League, view the official event website here.
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