Marj Niemi recently completed her evaluation for the national umpire certification during 2015 JR & U23 Canadian Badminton Championships. Marj is also a NCCP level 2 technical certified coach, the co-chair of Eastman Open Badminton Tournament, and was the female recipient of the Sportmanship Award at Badminton Manitoba Awards Banquet in 2012.
The Umpire in badminton takes responsibility for running individual matches. He or she is responsible for making all final decisions for points awarded in a match. Umpires are mandatory for final matches in the MBA Provincial Closed and Junior Closed, as well as any Badminton Canada or World Badminton Federation tournaments.
How do I become an Official?
Official hopefuls must go through the following steps to be certified as a regional umpire.
Attend Rules/Official's Clinic
Pass Examination
Complete Training Hours
*The current official's development program is under review for the purpose of improving development opportunities.
Why should I become an Umpire?
This is your opportunity to contribute to the sport of badminton! There is always a need to train new officials as changes in circumstances, age, or other factors deplete our numbers. This is not a time consuming job. In most cases you officiate the finals of a tournament on the occasional Sunday. Because some officials may not be available for the finals of a specific tournament, it’s important to have adequate numbers to avoid this problem. This is where you can really contribute!
In addition you also get compensated for your time and should you choose to pursue achieving a higher level of Umpiring you will benefit from many opportunities to travel across this great Country of ours ensuring the smooth operation of Tournaments across Canada. Badminton played at a high level is very exciting!
For more information of becoming a Referee, Umpire, or Linesman, please click HERE
