ICC announces first-ever umpire education course

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the release of its first-ever education course for aspiring Match Officials - the ICC Umpire Foundation Certificate.

As per a press release from ICC, the entry-level course is designed to introduce learners to the basic fundamentals of umpiring so that they can gain the knowledge and the confidence required to officiate games at the club level.

This newly released resource is completely free to access and delivered entirely online through an innovative micro-learning approach, which enables courses to be completed at any pace and through short, sharp modules whether at home on a computer or on the move via a mobile device.

As participation continues to grow across global cricket communities, the newest offering furthers the ambition of the ICC Training and Education programme, ultimately seeking to improve the playing experience in member nations by improving access to world-class education resources.

The ICC Umpire Foundation Certificate follows the successful release of other resources as part of the Training and Education programme. The programme launched in October 2021 with the release of the ICC Coaching Foundation Certificate – the first step on the ICC’s coach education pathway which recently celebrated its 6,000th global graduate.

Other courses that have since experienced strong global uptake have been the ICC Coaching Course Level 1, the ICC Pitch Curator Foundation Certificate, and the Cricket Programme Facilitator Training Course.

Speaking on the launch of the ICC’s first-ever certified umpire education course, General Manager – Development William Glenwright commented, "The release of the ICC Umpire Foundation Certificate represents a landmark moment in the development of the sport. With better access to education courses than ever before, the ICC continues its commitment to improving the playing experience for participants around the world."

"This course complements the other resources we have launched over the last two years to drive a better standard of coaches, umpires and curators in member nations," he added.

Further courses are also scheduled to be released later in 2023, including the ICC Coaching Course Level 2.

Key to the future success of the course will be the workforce trained by the ICC to accredit umpires across 108 member nations. Following a week-long workshop delivered in Dubai last month, the first cohort of 18 Umpiring Master Educators undertook theory and practical sessions in preparation for the launch of the new course.

ICC Master Educators represent the top tier in the workforce hierarchy that supports the delivery of education programmes in ICC Member nations. They are responsible for training and accrediting ICC Tutors – while Tutors themselves deliver courses to accredit prospective coaches, umpires and pitch curators.

Glenwright added, "By training a global workforce of Master Educators, we are able to ensure that every ICC Member has the tools necessary to train a local workforce so that they can deliver the different elements of the ICC Training and Education programme as and when they need to."

Certified among the first cohort of ICC Umpire Master Educators in Dubai last month, Claire Polosak commented, "I am thrilled to be part of the first group of Master Educators delivering ICC Umpire education courses to passionate communities in my region."

"The ICC Training and Education programme has already enjoyed profound success in growing the number and standard of qualified coaches around the world, and myself and the rest of the group are excited to see the impact that this resource will have on increasing the number of high-quality umpires officiating cricket matches around the world," concluded Polosak.