NHUC Raises Members’ Standard

Mabudi Bashir, Chairman, Nigeria Hockey Umpires Commission  (NHUC), says the body’s umpires and technical officials are being trained to meet the best standard in the game.       Bashir stated this in Port Harcourt during a four-day Technical Officials and Umpires Course, organised by Rivers State Hockey Association in collaboration with the Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF).

The chairman, who is also an International Hockey Federation (FIH) graded umpire, said the course was to correct lapses noticed in officiating of competitions.

“This is a very important seminar that comes at the right time, we organised the programme to ensure that lapses observed in competitions are corrected.

“You have to understand the very best rules for the game, hockey is controlled step by step,” he said.

Some of the resource persons were from Ghana.

Omi Brown, Chairman (Development), NHF, said the course would improve the knowledge of the officials in the rules of hockey, especially for the National Sports Festival.

He said the organisers had also invited coaches and games masters from schools and clubs to ensure that umpires were developed from the grass roots.

“We have brought young umpires and young coaches so that we can have them from the level of U-16 to the highest level of coaching,” he said.-