“I mainly do it for the love of the game. Because I don’t play anymore it’s my way of staying involved and keeping up the habit of being on a pitch every Saturday. I enjoy a challenge and umpiring definitely has its fair share of them. I can honestly say I was never going to play at a high level but it’s something I can experience with umpiring.”
In the world of Irish hockey, officiating is often an unsung yet vital role in the sport. One official making waves in the game is Sarah Craig, an inspiring figure who has worked her way up through the ranks and is now eyeing the highest level of international officiating.
Sarah’s hockey journey began in her early teens, inspired by her sister’s involvement in the sport. She quickly fell in love with the game and played competitively until injuries altered her path. An anterior cruciate ligament injury at 18 temporarily sidelined Sarah, but she returned to the pitch soon after playing until the age of 24 when a second cruciate ligament injury forced her to make the difficult decision to step away from the sport. While her injuries put an end to her time as a player, they also marked the beginning of Sarah’s involvement in the sport in a whole new capacity.
A timely Women in Sport initiative from Hockey Ireland and Ulster Hockey, aimed at encouraging more women to take up officiating, presented Sarah with a new opportunity. Having already officiated a few games at lower levels, she was identified as a promising candidate and was quickly mentored into the world of umpiring. This was the beginning of what would become a flourishing career in hockey officiating.
“I had done a bit of umpiring in Ulster down the leagues, my name popped up and they said oh you’re young, let’s get you involved, so I kind of jumped on that and that’s what kick started it all.”
Starting in the Ulster League, Sarah steadily moved up the rankings thanks to the guidance of the Women in Sport initiative, making the transition to National competitions such as the EY Hockey League Division 1 & 2. It wasn’t long before Sarah made the step up again, taking part in the EuroHockey Umpire for Nations program before being named among the 2023/24 panel of the EuroHockey Umpire Development Program.
From there the trajectory continued upwards, with Sarah offiating at her first FIH outdoor competition, an U21 Men’s EuroHockey Championship II tournament in Poland. She was the only female umpire named among the panel, a prospect that was initially daunting, but she took in her stride.
“It doesn’t tend to phase me too much, I think for the majority of us we are just trying to do our best for the sport.”
As indoor hockey continues to grow in Ireland, Sarah has embraced the challenge of umpiring both the indoor and outdoor format. She admits that transitioning between indoor and outdoor games requires a mental shift, particularly when officiating both within the same weekend. However, she believes that indoor hockey enhances her outdoor officiating skills, particularly in terms of reaction time and decision-making under pressure.
“It’s a baptism of fire, don’t get me wrong, but it’s well worth it and it definitely helps benefit your outdoor game as well for the speed and reactions. It’s definitely a juggle, but I tend to find that if I’ve sat down and watched a game of indoor before I umpire, my head tends to be in the zone.”
Sarah is taking things one step at a time, focusing on her next appointment and trusting the process. Next on the agenda is the EuroHockey Club Trophy I in Lisburn, with preparations already underway for the Easter tournament. And while Sarah remains pragmatic, ensuring she is always focused on the task at hand, she doesn’t lack ambition and is keen to emulate the success of fellow Irish Umpire Ali Keogh, moving onto the FIH Centre Panel first and one day officiating at an Olympic Games.
And in all of this, Sarah always keeps one thing in mind; her confidence in herself, her ability, and her intention to do the best for her sport, something she encourages any woman or girl who is interested in officiating to always hold onto.
“You’re going to get a load of opinions from a lot of different places, and you need to work out which ones are good and which ones are bad. But if you keep doing what suits you, you’ll get there.”