UMPIRING & SCORING (ACO)

ECB Umpiring Courses

Courses are designed to give new umpires the key skills, knowledge and confidence to stand as an umpire in cricket. No prior experience of umpiring in cricket is required before attending the course.

Whether you plan to support Junior soft ball cricket through to adult cricket, this course will cover the following topics:

Understanding the role of the umpire
Gain a basic understanding of umpiring the game
Answering appeals and the common methods of dismissal
How to communicate effectively with all stakeholders in the game
Judging whether or not it is safe to play

The course is split into classroom and practical learning, so we recommend learners to come dressed appropriately.

Learners will be asked to complete some e-learning prior to attending the course, which will take no more than 90 minutes to complete in total. Pre-learning can be completed via multiple visits or in one go.

Pre-requisites:
Learners must be 14 years of age at the time of the course.

Cost £70.00

Bursaries are available for the cost of the course if required, please complete The Mike Newcombe Umpiring Bursary Application Form if you would like to apply.

Bursaries are open to any one taking an ECB Umpiring Course in 2025, that would fulfil the criteria below: Female applicants, applicants from Black & Minority Ethnic background, applicants with Disabilities and applicants suffering financial hardship.

Next Courses

No courses currently planned.

Sussex ACO Umpire Workshops

This winter the local Sussex ACOs will be running a series of free workshops for new(ish) umpires within Sussex.

West Sussex Association of Cricket Officials (WSACO)

Abingworth Meadows Cricket Ground, Thakeham on Sunday 30th November 2025 - 10am to 4pm
Arundel Castle Cricket Club on Sunday 1st February 2026 - 10am to 4pm

For full details and to book a place please contact John Betts via WSACO.members@gmail.com or johnbetts120@gmail.com.

WSACO will also attend clubs to run a two-hour basic "introductory to umpiring" workshop ideal for player umpires, parents and coaches. Please get in touch with John Betts for further details.

East Sussex Association of Cricket Officials (ESACO)

Buxted Park Cricket Club on Sunday 9th November 2025
Heathfield Park Cricket Club on Sunday 22nd February 2026

For full details and to book a place please contact either Paul Fuller via Paul.freddyfuller@sky.com or John Holland via hollandjr56@hotmail.co.uk.

MCC Laws of the Game

ECB Umpiring online courses do not currently exist, however the ECB are working on releasing these again on a new platform.

In the meantime for further information & to test your umpiring knowledge, please see the MCC Laws of the Game online here or you can view them via the MCC mobile App.

The MCC’S OFFICIAL LAWS OF CRICKET APP, AVAILABLE ON ANDROID AND IOS. THE APP INCLUDES:

- The complete Laws of the game of cricket.
- Detailed guides and examples.
- Animated Video guides for the most common Law queries
- Videos of all umpire signals.
- The Laws of Cricket quiz, with three levels of difficulty.

All 42 Laws are presented in an easy to understand manner with 15 of them given greater focus by means of animations, presented by cricket enthusiast Stephen Fry. Videos of the umpiring signals complete the picture to help you understand what’s happening on the field of play.

Download IOS

Download Android

Scoring Courses

The aim of these introductory courses is to provide you with the basic skills and knowledge to record a cricket match. It won’t teach you everything you need to know, but it will give you the tools and confidence to get started.

Upcoming Courses:

No courses currently planned.

If you have any questions regarding scoring or require further knowledge/help about either electronic or paper scoring please do contact Rod Cole on cso.sussex@gmail.com