Female English umpire Rachel Williams continues to fly the flag

Rachel Williams, one of our top English umpires who has had an outstanding 2022, has just returned from Mendoza, Argentina, representing England at the second mini tournament in this season’s FIH Pro League. This makes an astonishing seven international tournaments in as many months for Rachel.

She said: “It's been a phenomenal 2022! I umpired at the inaugural World Hockey 5s event in Lausanne and embraced umpiring my first men’s hockey games. I was privileged to be appointed to the India vs Pakistan men’s game as my first men’s game internationally, which was fast-paced and very exciting. It’s awesome to be part of the Equally Amazing movement to embrace and promote the equality across our sport with mixed gender appointments and it’s important for me to take those opportunities and be an advocate for females in our sport across all roles. 

"This was also the first time any woman umpired a match between India and Pakistan. I love the 5s, and continued momentum into the Euro Hockey 5s U16 event in Switzerland a few weeks later which was very special in its own right, seeing countries I’ve never experienced and being involved with the international set up with 5s.”

Rachel was appointed to her first Commonwealth Games, which was of course at home in Birmingham. She says that she felt overwhelming pride at the opening ceremony, being surrounded by a new group of friends from across the globe. She went on to umpire the opening match of the Games and finished up being appointed to the bronze medal match. One of her highlights was umpiring Australia v New Zealand, as it’s a game that she has always wanted to be part of. Rachel loved being involved in the video umpire set-up for the first time and watching from the stands as England Women won their first ever Commonwealth Gold Medal in front of a packed stadium on home soil. Rachel says, “That was an experience and feeling of pride I’ll treasure for a long time.

 "I had a few weeks back at work before heading across to France to umpire the EuroHockey Qualifiers in August which was really cool and allowed me to consolidate everything I’d learnt over the past few months. There were players and coaches there who I’d spent a fair amount of time umpiring in warm-ups for the Commonwealth Games over the summer and to have those familiar faces was comforting and allowed us to continue our healthy debates!"

Rachel took some time out from umpiring in September to go to New Zealand and while she was in Dunedin, she was appointed to EuroHockey League (EHL) for the week she returned! Rachel says, “EHL was a blast. I’d never umpired at a men-only tournament before, but what an opener as Hamburg didn’t disappoint. The set-up of EHL was very impressive, with the cameras, commentary and announcer, the video umpire and awesome spectator support for the whole of hockey. It’s brilliant to see - and be a part of! - women being trusted, recognised and respected on the pitch at events like this and whilst my smile isn’t always the first thing highlighted on the camera, I absolutely love being part of events like that.”

Rachel’s dedication on and off the pitch hasn’t gone un-noticed with her recent promotion to the FIH Pro League Panel which is currently the highest panel in the world and where umpires are selected for World Cups and Olympic Games. 

Just before setting off, we asked Rachel about what this promotion meant to her: “It’s awesome! FIH promotions are all done on the same day, so English names were promoted across all panels of umpiring and officiating and it was lovely to feel part of the buzz of everyone congratulating and acknowledging everyone else’s hard work. 

"I was really humbled to see my name amongst some of the best umpires in the world. Then came the first appointment email; Argentina! I was told a long time ago by the late Jane Nockolds about the atmosphere and passion of a home crowd in Argentina and it was an experience I’ve hoped to live out ever since. 

"It’s a huge endorsement to be appointed to the mini tournament with Argentina, Belgium and Germany’s Women and Men. My Pro League debut will be with some very familiar faces as well as with some people I’ve never met in person. I’m looking forward to meeting Soledad Iparraguirre for the first time as my umpire manager – she has an abundance of experience having umpired four Olympic Games and World Cups herself and I’m looking forward to tapping into that knowledge bank.”

Rachel has the EuroHockey Indoor Championship to look forward to in December and then is representing England as one of our many officials selected for the Indoor Hockey World Cup in South Africa in February – which we’re sure we’ll hear about closer to the time. 

So one final thing: being an umpire is a completely voluntary role - how does Rachel balance hockey and work life? She commented: “I’m so grateful for the amount of experience and exposure I’m getting to top level hockey. I’ve been very fortunate being able to embrace the opportunities I’ve been given and also to have great friends, mentors and female ambassadors in my corner who have paved the way before me.

"Juggling hockey alongside a 60+ hour a week work schedule has been physically, mentally and emotionally challenging at times, but I have so many valuable life experiences and incredible friends from travelling around the world as an umpire and embracing new cultures. I really enjoy every aspect of the performance space – it’s something I’m hoping to maximise while I have the opportunity. Next year I’m hoping to put some more energy into understanding how I can improve the overall hockey experience.”

Rachel, we’ll always be watching from home and cheering you on along the way: the whole of England Hockey is behind you!