All - you will possibly notice some changes to the published appointments in the coming 2 weeks, to accommodate some umpire exchanges with the East and West. The result may be that you are moved (possibly even removed from a game), or find you have a different colleague - this is in preparation for next season's expanded EHL, as it has been agreed that 'cross-regional' assessments should be undertaken. In addition, some SCHUA umpires will be going into the East and West for the same reason. Appointments for March will also be affected. Apologies for any disruption caused, but please do your best to welcome visiting umpires into the South. Thank you for your on-going support.
Bridget Midwinter / Steve Godwin / Allan Notman

Yesterday FIH published some changes to the rules of hockey effective from 1st January,2019.
This caused some consternation that we would be starting the second half of the domestic season with some new rules. England Hockey have today confirmed these new rules will NOT be introduced in the current domestic season.

Congratulations and welcome to David Pease-Watkin who passed his Level 2 assessment on Saturday and is now a full member. Thanks to all in Surrey HUA who have assisted in David's development.

The below message has come from the EH Ethics and Compliance team:
We are seeing an increasing number of complaints regarding urinating at the side of the pitch. As we are sure you will all agree, this behaviour is not only unpleasant but also a contravention of the EH ‘Respect – Code of Ethics and Behaviour’ – Disrepute Offence, not to mention in some cases a criminal offence. We expect all members to refrain from such behaviour. However, in the event of such incidences, in keeping with the revised Disrepute Complaint Regulations, we kindly ask that these be referred to EH as a Disrepute Complaint in the first instance. It is likely that offenders will face a suspension.
If you have any questions, please refer to Bridget Midwinter or Steve Godwin.

Congratulations to Ryan Croxon and James Freeman who both recently passed their Level 3 assessments and are now full members of NPUA. This is reward for the hard work put in by Ryan and James and by all those assisting in their development..

Please can we remind everyone that, as specified in both SHL and SCWHL rules, all matches should be conducted in line with the SCHA Code of Pitchside Conduct. In particular, spectators are not to be allowed in the bench area. Ideally, the bench area should be located on the opposite side of the pitch to spectators, although this is not always possible. Only substitutes and team officials should be present in the bench area, and everyone else kept away. Umpires should confirm this with the home team Captain before the start of each match.

Our technology partner, Tex Solutions, has rolled out an excellent new tool to save members time and effort when completing their mileage expense claims for SCHUA appointments! Here's what's new...
When you enter your expense claim after an appointment, the SCHUA web system will suggest the return mileage for the most likely route - not necessarily the shortest, but almost always the quickest - from your home address to the match venue. If you're happy with this mileage, just enter it into your mileage claim and you're done!
If, on the other hand, you need to claim higher mileage for a valid reason, please do so and then give a short written explanation in the free text box at the end of the expenses claim form.
The system will enable the Treasurer to send a standard email to your registered email address if, for any reason, the claim appears to have been completed incorrectly. You will then have 14 days to drop the Treasurer a note to either correct the claim or to explain the additional mileage, after which time the claim will automatically be amended to show the expected mileage.
If you have any questions as to how the system works after trying it for the first time, do feel free to drop the Treasurer a quick email.
Now you have one less thing to worry about on Saturdays, the SCHUA Management Committee hopes you'll have more time to enjoy what promises to be a cracking 2017/18 season!

The process if an umpire's radio develops a fault is as follows

Go to http://www.umpiretalk.com/returns.html (see link below) and follow the instructions. There may be an amount of £25 payable by the umpire, but if the issue is found to be a manufacturing fault with the radio, this will be refunded.

There appears to be a common complaint that the Jabra headsets lose connection during a game and either all communication is lost, or communication only works in one direction. This may be an issue with the compatibility between the Jabra 2.5mm plug and the socket on the radio, or may be a faulty Jabra. In both cases the supplied boom headset and microphone will usually work.

Ian Anguige

Ideally, the home club will have called you before you set off from home: in this case, please go straight to your Personal Area, confirm the match as cancelled AND enter a zero expense claim. The sooner you do this, the less hassle for Allan & me - thanks!
If you do not get the call before you set off, please make sure you have your phone accessible in case you get a call en route (in which case, please pull over at the first opportunity and check messages). Once you've been informed of the cancellation, turn round and, once home, enter your Personal Area, mark the match as cancelled, enter your mileage expenses for the aborted journey and email me (treasurer@schua.co.uk) to confirm the time you received the call and any other details you feel I need to know as soon as possible . This is important as it will have an impact on whether SCHUA decides the club should be charged for the rearranged fixture (which will not be the case if sufficient notice of cancellation is provided).
In the unlikely event that you travel all the way to the ground only to find the pitch unplayable (and remember, that is the home club's call right up until the first whistle, after which it becomes your call on the grounds of safety. NEVER advise either team that you think the pitch is not playable before the start of the match!), then you should repeat the above procedure upon your return home, making sure to email me to confirm the details and timings of the day's events asap. In such a case, the home club will almost certainly be charged for the rearranged fixture.
Cheers, Matt (Treasurer)