Rachel Williams (hockey umpire)

Last updated
Rachel Williams
Born1st November
Known forField Hockey Umpire
AwardsEngland Hockey Official of the Year 2023 Tauranga Hockey Official of the Year 2023
Field Hockey Career

Rachel Louise Williams (born 1 November) is an international field hockey umpire for FIH and the European Hockey Federation. Williams represents Great Britain and England Hockey on the FIH Pro League panel. [1]

Contents

Refereeing and umpiring

Williams started umpiring hockey in 2006 [2] following an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and three further knee surgeries. She began volunteering for England Hockey on their Youth Panel in 2006, was runner up for World Youth Promoter of the Year in 2010 [3] and continues to volunteer as the Secretary of the National Program of Umpires Association in England. [4]

Williams has umpired various forms of hockey, including the 11-a-side game, Indoor hockey, and Hockey5s. Most of her domestic growth in recent years has been in the Women's England Hockey League. [5]

In 2014, before Williams officially qualified as a level 3 indoor umpire, she umpired the National Indoor Final with Frances Block - the first of many national finals and the start of a long career.

First appointed internationally as a Judge to the Outdoor Women's Nations Championship III in Greece, Williams made her move to international umpiring in 2014 where she was appointed to the Indoor Women's EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup in Siauliai (LTU). Her first international outdoor appointment was the FIH Women's 4 Nations Invitational Tournament was in Berlin, Germany and continued to have consistent international appointments.

2014

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Siauliai (LTU)

FIH Women's Four Nations Invitational Tournament @Berlin (GER)

2015

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Champions Challenge II @ Mérignac (FRA)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey U18 Championship @ Santander (ESP)

2016

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Championship II@ Cambrai (FRA)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy @ Dundee (SCO)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Champions Challenge I @ Prague (CZE)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s Future Heroes Cup B @ Walcz (POL)

2017

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy @ Siauliai (LTU)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge II @ Vienna (AUT)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s U16 Championship @ Wattignies (FRA)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Junior Championship II @ Hradec Kralove (CZE)

Indoor Pan American Cup (W) @ Georgetown (GUY)

2018

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Championship II @ Brussels (BEL)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Dundee (SCO)

FIH Women's Indoor Hockey World Cup @ Berlin (GER)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy @ Dublin (IRL)

2019

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Hamburg (GER)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Amsterdam (NED)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Championship II @ Glasgow (SCO)

FIH Women's Series Finals @ Banbridge (IRL)

2020

Indoor Women's Women's EuroHockey Championship @ Minsk (BLR)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge I @ Porto (POR)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge III @ Sveti Ivan Zelina (CRO) - (Covid-Cancelled)

2021

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s Women’s Tournament - @ Walcz (POL) - (Covid-Cancelled)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge I @ Prague (CZE)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Junior Championship @ Olten (SUI) - (Covid Cancelled)

2022

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s U16 @ Basel (SUI)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Qualifier D @ Dunkirk (FRA)

Outdoor Men's and Women's Euro Hockey League KO16 @ Hamburg (GER)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Championship @ Hamburg (GER)

FIH Hero Hockey5s @ Lausanne (SUI)

Commonwealth Games 2022 @ Birmingham (ENG)

FIH Hockey Pro League (W&M) @ Mendoza (ARG)

2023

FIH Hockey Pro League (W&M) @ Wellington (NZL) [6]

FIH Hockey Pro League (W&M) @ Hobart (TAS)

Outdoor Women's and Men's EuroHockey Championship@ Mönchengladbach (GER) [7]

FIH Women's and Men's Indoor Hockey World Cup @ Pretoria (RSA)

A busy set of years [8] for Williams included umpiring at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 [9] [10] where she opened the games with the first game of the event and rounded up with the bronze medal match between India and New Zealand. Additionally, she offciated the inaugural FIH World Hockey 5s event, [11] marking the first time a female umpired the traditional rivalry between the men's teams of India and Pakistan. [12] Continuing this trajectory, Williams served as an umpire for Men's 11-a-side hockey for the first time at Euro Hockey League in 2022 [13] and went on, a month later to umpire some of the top Men's teams in the world (Argentina, Belgium, and Germany) at the Pro League [14] in Mendoza, Argentina. [15] At the start of 2023, following on from umpiring the EuroHockey Indoor Championships [16] final between indoor giants(Germany and Netherlands), Williams was appointed to her second Indoor World Cup [17] in South Africa [18] where she became the first female to umpire at a Men's Hockey World Cup and went on to umpire a Women's Semi-Final and umpire the Men's World Cup Final. [19] [20] [21]

Later in 2023, Williams went to the Outdoor EuroHockey Championship (Hockey Olympic Qualifiers [22] ) [23] where she was the first umpire to be appointed to both a Men's and Women's medal match at the same event. She became the first umpire to wear shorts at such an event in a movement towards a more inclusive clothing policy for the sport. [24] She was selected to officiate field hockey at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. [25] [26] [27]

Williams was awarded England Hockey Official of the Year 2023 [28] as well as Tauranga Hockey Official of the Year 2023. [29]

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References

  1. ↑ Federation, International Hockey. "List of Active Umpires". FIH website.
  2. ↑ Nockolds, Jane (March 2014). "New Article - Sports Resources interviews hockey umpire Rachel Williams" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "WHV-Hockey". www.hamburghockey.de. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  4. ↑ "About". NPUA. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  5. ↑ "Canterbury Ladies Hockey Club | Ady Kerry QEP". adykerry.photoshelter.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  6. ↑ "Umpire Rachel Williams Awards Green Card 新闻传媒库存照片 - 库存图片". Shutterstock (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  7. ↑ "All-star officials to blow the whistle at EHC 2023 - EuroHockey". eurohockey.org. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Female English umpire Rachel Williams continues to fly the flag". www.englandhockey.co.uk. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Why it's seventh heaven for umpires in Birmingham". www.englandhockey.co.uk. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  10. ↑ "English Officials Selected For 2022 & 2023 International Hockey Tournaments | England Hockey". www.englandhockey.co.uk. 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  11. ↑ "News". NPUA. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  12. ↑ Hockey, England. "Rachel Williams - First Woman to Oversee an India vs Pakistan Men's Game".[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "CA Montrouge v Lisnagarvey (KO16) | WorldSportPics". www.worldsportpics.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  14. ↑ "International Hockey Federation". tms.fih.ch. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  15. ↑ Howard, Laura (2023-02-06). "'I came off after umpiring a Pro League men's game - it was such a rush for me'". The Hockey Paper. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  16. ↑ "Log in or sign up to view". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  17. ↑ "News for 16 February 2018". fieldhockey.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  18. ↑ "FIH Indoor World Cup 2023 | Hockey officials". International Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  19. ↑ "Log in or sign up to view". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  20. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  21. ↑ "40 Austria v Netherlands (Final) | WorldSportPics". www.worldsportpics.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  22. ↑ Federation, International Hockey. "Qualification System – Games of the XXXIII Olympiad – Hockey" (PDF). FIH.
  23. ↑ Committee, International Olympic. "How to qualify for hockey at Paris 2024".
  24. ↑ "Log in or sign up to view". m.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  25. ↑ "Officials announced for Olympic Games Paris 2024". International Hockey Federation. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  26. ↑ Federation, International Hockey. "2024 International Umpire appointments". FIH Website.
  27. ↑ "Twenty European officials appointed to Paris 2024 - EuroHockey". eurohockey.org. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  28. ↑ "News | England Hockey Awards 2023 Winners Unveiled In A Glittering Ceremony". www.englandhockey.co.uk. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  29. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
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