Twenty-two of Europe’s top technical delegates (TDs) came together last weekend in Brussels for a two-day conference to learn from each other and produce a “consistency of approach” to tournament management.
The conference is the first of its kind since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic and brought some of the newer qualified TDs around the table with experienced officials, many with World Cup and Olympic experiences under their belt.
The technical delegate’s role is the highest officiating role in competitions and ensures the event is conducted in accordance with relevant rules of hockey and tournament regulations.
The assembled group took in sessions on setting expectations, standardising processes and communication, how to work with umpire’s managers and managing hearings as well as briefings on the marking system for officials and how best to interact with the EuroHockey office.
Elisabeth Fuerst will be TD at the Olympic Games next summer; the Austrian woman said of the conference: “I really enjoyed the weekend; it doesn’t happen often that a group of TDs gets together in one place, so it was a great opportunity to share experiences.
“I had expected some very lively discussions and coming away with new insights and impulses, and that definitely holds true.
“It was quite interesting to find out about some of the unexpected scenarios colleagues have encountered and dealt with over the years and hear about the different approaches and thought processes. Many thanks to EuroHockey for organising this TD conference.”
Lithuania’s Jolanta Liskauskiene – the TD for the EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Berlin in February – added: “Each tournament is different and we as technical delegates experience different situations. During these two days we were able to not only share our experiences, discuss but also learn.
“Many interesting topics and great learnings. We got great input from the Umpires Managers and I am looking forward to applying some learnings in my future appointments.”
Daniel Gass, from Germany, found the event a hugely useful one for someone at his stage in his officiating career: “As a recently promoted TD, learning from the experiences of my experienced European colleagues is incredibly valuable.
“In the European top TD forum, we exchanged on major topics such as tournament preparation, official development and marking, and collaboration with EuroHockey staff.
“In particular, I think it’s really important that we exchange on our interpretation of regulations and procedures. This will allow us to facilitate our EuroHockey events with a consistent approach – enabling our athletes and officials to perform at their best in a safe environment.”
** To find out more about starting your journey to becoming a TD, go to the Officiating Section on the EuroHockey Institute page here: https://eurohockey.org/eurohockey-institute#institute-officiating-umpires
