Hi all, thought I'd share that I've passed my level 1 assessment so can now umpire club level matches in England. My daughter was out umpiring in the pouring rain for the U12 cup matches and just did her first full pitch match too. Without @Keely | FHumpires sharing all her tips I probably wouldn't have felt confident to give it a go, so huge thanks from me. Keely's resources, insights and community approach to understanding the rules really is exceptional and can help you build a really high quality understanding of the application of hockey rules ready to step out on the pitch and give it a go. Looking forward to continuing on the journey with this fantastic community!

Despite being a fellow Canadian, I first ran into Keely very early in my umpiring career in an online umpiring forum where her clear, straight-forward answers immediately drew me in and gained my trust. Her stewardship over the years has been instrumental in helping me achieve my ever-increasing goals. I continually seek out Keely's universally-praised advice whenever I have a problem, whether it is on technical decision-making, positioning, management styles, career development, or anything in between. And yet somehow–I have no idea how–she always has even more insights to hit me with every step of the way.

Good evening Keely, Dean here. Over the past 10 days I umpired in my first National Masters Tournament here in Australia where I was also provided an opportunity to umpire a gold medal game. Whilst this seems like a personal achievement, I sincerely attribute success in this field to absorbing the great content you create, so thank you very much for your passion and dedication. I still have a great deal to learn, and I look forward to having FHU as strong part of my development program. Dean

If you are new to being an Umpire (or even just thinking about it) watch these discussions on YouTube, they really really help you with the understanding of the rules and how to interpret them.

Plus Keely has a knack of making the complicated simply (though still not 100% sure about the Handbag rule) and it is interesting to hear the logic of some top notch umpires discussing the same thing.

Plus lots of tips about what to do whilst you are on pitch and how to manage the match.

So thank you Keely for doing this, this is a resource just helps you be better.

Keely has been the Calgary Ladies Field Hockey Association’s primary source for new rules, regulations, interpretations, and our primary clinician for almost two deacdes. She knows her rules and is great with dealing with the challenging situational questions that pop up every season.

Excellent 1 2 1 with Keely on Friday. Very helpful and also she has the ability to mentor and help whatever level of umpire you might be or aspire to be. Thoroughly recommend to all our group! Keely is also really funny but I think we all knew that!

I’ve always wanted to constantly improve my umpiring. I’ve found it frustrating the apparent lack of resources or support out there for umpires. So basically I’ve had to figure a lot of things out for myself. But in terms of positioning, I’ve concluded a while back that running a J hook down the line was often not the right approach. But equally I’ve been concerned that I’m not doing the standard thing and had people occasionally ask me what I wasn’t running the line.

So the discovery of FHumpires was an amazing moment for me. Then MCP was one of those moments (I can picture Keely doing “mind blown” hand gesture) - so coming inside is okay. In fact I can do it more than I’ve been doing until now. This is so great.

FHumpires has really helped me "up my game" as an umpire. Keely is very good at breaking down the steps to make the key decisions and be a better umpire, whether it be positioning, thought process or general confidence. The courses she provides are easily digestible and relevant.

Being part of the FHumpires community that she has built also allows me to stay sharp and keep hockey on the brain in the off-season. This has been especially helpful as I moved from a country where hockey was a 6-9month sport to a country where it is only 3-4months.

Great event to be involved in as a member of the fantastic @fhumpires team. Providing umpires, match officials and umpire development support for all the matches.
Clearly a successful event from the impact it has made and the people it has reached. Going to grow.

#fhu3t

The support that Keely has given through my umpiring journey to date has been one of the key pillars of my personal development in my umpiring career. A massive part of her credibility comes from having been there and done it as an umpire and a UM and so she gives feedback honestly and objectively to guide you on best practises and away from making killer mistakes. Keely never hesitates to engage with you on a personal level and really cares about your development and the milestones that you reach. Would not hesitate to recommend her and the FHU3T Yellow membership to any aspiring umpires.

So I’ve been here as part of the discord community for 2 weeks and it’s a complete game changer. Not only have I already taken away and had access to so much content to support my umpiring development but the collective level of experience for brand new umpires to seasons experts has been brilliant.

Umpiring in rural areas can be quite remote and isolating but having 24/7 access to colleagues to use as sound boards or seek advice has been brilliant. I can’t recommend this enough

Keely and the FHU3Team have been the sole reason I continued umpiring after setbacks. From kit being stolen to particularly bad games, the support from FHU has kept me going and helped me to identify flaws in my game and keep improving.
I can’t thank Keely enough for everything she’s done to support us all, she truly is a godsend!

So yeah I'm going to be myself and call it how I see it... I honestly thought you were over-exaggerating when you said if i thought WUW and the Discord server was worth my time, I really should consider Yellow and join in the fun.

But truth be told I was mistaken.

I spent the whole day on the server with MCP, and it was so much info that I only got to 3. Strategies and Skills before I decided to take a break and watch a Watch Party and one of Joep's match Debriefs.

The quantity and quality of the material is amazing!!!

Thank you for your time and just everything it is really much appreciated.

FHU is amazing not only because of what you learn. Keely has an unparalleled ability to make every member feel like they’re not only allowed, but encouraged to participate in an active way, making everyone feel part of the community.

FHUmpires is the number 1 resource for being a better hockey umpire. The video and livestream content is not just compelling to watch, but insightful and illuminating. The courses are incredibly informative and full of useful ways to think not just about hockey, but also how we can approach situations with an open, thoughtful mind. The community is a strong and powerful resource, with like-minded, sympathetic and driven people who want the best possible hockey to flourish, and to provide useful support for all its members. Without a doubt, FHUmpires and Keely have changed my life for the better, supporting me in all my endeavours as an outdoor umpire, an indoor umpire, a technical offical and as a person in general. I couldn't wish for a more amazing network of friends than those made here 💙