INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2024

Meet Fiona Richards, business COO, Sussex Cricket Limited board member & Cricket Umpire. Starting her journey almost 9 years ago, she has risen through the ranks to now umpiring in the professional game. Read more about how she got started, her experiences in the game, her personal ambitions and how she'd like to see female officiating continue to grow.

How did you get involved in umpiring and why did you decide to become an umpire?

I got involved in 2015. I’d been around Sussex Cricket since about 2009 and was getting increasingly involved. I also wanted to understand the laws better – really just as a spectator at first, there were some intricacies that didn’t seem to make sense. So I took myself off and did the Level 1 course (which, at the time, was contact rather than online) under Hugh Chapman, a brilliant tutor, at Lord’s (my day job is in London). After that Hugh and the team encouraged me to go and stand so I found a very friendly team in a relatively low division in East Sussex who seemed quite happy to let me practice on them – I think they felt that my decisions couldn’t be any worse than those of their players! I also spent some time umpiring some nomadic Sunday teams. I then joined the Sussex League umpire panel in 2016 and progressed through the remaining education stages available to non-professional umpires.

What qualifications do you need to become an umpire?

The Level 1 course which is now conducted online is the best starting point. No matter who experienced or inexperienced you are it is essential that you know the laws inside out. You don’t have time when you’re making decisions on the field to have to be remembering what methods of dismissal are possible off a wide, as an example. After that, there are education courses through the levels and there are local courses held in Sussex over the winter and early spring. More information is available on the Sussex Cricket website https://sussexcricket.co.uk/umpiring-scoring-aco  

What is the best thing about umpiring?

Best seat in the house! I feel it’s a really great way to be involved in cricket especially for those who might not have the necessary talent to play (like me). It’s a fantastic bunch of people, there’s lots to do, and it’s accessible at all levels.

There are more women becoming umpires, but we obviously need more. What advice would you give women looking to get involved in umpiring?

Don’t be afraid to give it a try. If you think you might be interested, start to find out information. The link above is a good starting point, also spend some time the introductory online courses to see whether learning and knowing the laws interests you. Speak to your local club – either the men’s or women’s sections, they will be delighted for any umpiring help they can get. Being inexperienced when you start does not matter, you will gain that as you progress.

How do you think we can get more female umpires in Sussex?

We need more women realising that there are loads of opportunities if they want to be involved – you can umpire men’s league cricket, women’s league cricket, age group, club cricket, village cricket, Sunday cricket – it’s all there at every level and they all want umpires – and also that it’s great fun. The more women who see women standing in the game, the more interest it does generate but at the same time, it’s important that we see more women coming through. Hampshire ran a programme recently to get more women in to umpiring which captured a pool of talented younger umpires, With the right focus this could be replicated anywhere in the Country.

What would you like to achieve as an umpire in the next few years?

I started to umpire professional women’s cricket in 2019 but had to take a break as I learned how to deal with having long covid. I started again fully at the end of 2022 and this year I’ve umpired the Women’s County Competition, the Charlotte Edward’s Cup, the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy as well as standing as a reserve umpire in The Hundred – which has taken me to every test match ground in the Country other than Trent Bridge and Old Trafford. I am also on the Sussex Men’s League umpiring panel and umpire games from Premier Division to Division 3. In the coming years I’d like to deepen my skills – every step up involves different types of experiences and expectations – so it’s not something that happens overnight. But I intend to keep going and see where I end up!