Hockey season on hold over umpire dispute

The Irish club season has been put on hold with the blanket cancellation of the first series of EY Hockey League matches — the sport’s marquee competition — due to a dispute over umpire remuneration.

The umpire’s body, the IHUA, say that Hockey Ireland failed to engage in meaningful dialogue for the past six years to address their concerns. Aggrieved at a lack of movement, no appointments were made by the IHUA for tomorrow’s opening games.

In reply, Hockey Ireland’s working group for the league put together a contingency plan on Monday, requesting clubs to independently source umpires so that matches could go ahead.