Career as Umpires and Referees

To become an Umpire or Referee no formal educational background is required. The biggest educational background required is a passion for the game. For aspirants who have been players previously can start their Umpiring career as an assistant referee and move ahead to handle the job independently after gaining field experience.

However, for candidates who are new to the sport and do not have any prior experience would need formal training to become an umpire or referee. A basic 10+2 education requirement is needed to enter the profession. However, if you wish to become a national or international Umpire or Referee, you should at least be a graduate. The following is a detailed procedure to become an umpire or referee 

• The first step for aspiring candidates is to register themselves to the nearest local sports association. 

• Upon registering the aspiring candidate needs to attend the ‘Basic Referee Course’. This course consists of:

1. Short-term classroom training 

2. Once classroom training is completed, the local association shall conduct two examinations, both written and oral. 

3. Kindly note, usually, the training course or examination fees are conducted for free. However, you might need to pay for registration fees

• Upon passing the examination, the aspiring candidates can resume working as an Umpire or Referee at junior level and move up the ladder with experience.

Becoming an Umpire or Referee requires an in-depth knowledge of the sport. If you already are a sports person, the transition of becoming an umpire is easy and natural. However, if you are not a sports person but have a passion for the game, then you first need to take formal training. This training will help you understand the rules and regulations of the game. If you wish to become a cricket umpire, then the Board of Control for Cricket in India commonly called BCCI conducts short-term and long-term courses to train aspiring umpire or referee for their game. 

Specialization

Becoming an Umpire/referee is a fun and rewarding job. However, not many know that there are certain other aligned professions which can be considered as carrier alternative. The other carrier option similar to being an Umpire or Referee are as under:

• Official Scorers

• Commentators

• Coaches

• Groundsman and Pitch Curators

Being in the field of sports needs a lot of attention to detail. Similarly, while choosing the institute and college for learning the course must be one that has rich experience in producing world-class Umpires and Referees. The following are the best colleges and institutes in India that offer courses in training umpires and referees.

The syllabus for becoming an umpire or referee consists of understanding the sport thoroughly and in-depth. The sports academy or institutes give on the field or classroom training to the aspiring candidates who wish to become an Umpire or Referee. The classroom training consists of understanding the rules and regulations of the game in which the aspiring candidate wishes to make their career. Apart from classroom training, the candidates are also provided with on-the-field training. Once the training course is complete, examinations both written and oral are conducted to ascertain the depth of knowledge the aspiring candidate has gained. 

Choosing the career of an Umpire or Referee is more related to field study. So, the institutes or college teaching sports coaching focus on giving more experience and exposure to the candidates on-the-field. Similarly, the course structure is variable as it depends on the type of course availed by the aspiring candidate, i.e. a diploma course is of one year consisting of two semesters while a B.Sc. course duration is two years which offers more in-depth knowledge.