Officiating Tennis

OFFICIATING IN TENNIS

One great way to help increase participation in tennis is to become an umpire or a referee. To start with, its easy to get involved as there is a free introductory course offered by the Lawn Tennis Association. This will give you an overview of what is involved within the roles of umpire and referee. Once you have sampled what's involved, you can decide which path you would like to go down.

UMPIRES

The two types of on-court officiating are line and chair umpiring .

Become a line umpire

The first thing you will need to do is attend and pass a National Recruitment Half Day. This is a free course and brings you up to speed with the basics of what's involved. This mixes class-room and practical on-court learning. If you complete and pass this you can progress to a Basic Line Umpire Course.

Basic Line Umpire Course

This free course lasts one day, and it gives you the training on how to become a Line Umpire. Again, the course is a mixture of class-room and on-court practical training.

If you complete these two courses you can become part of the Association of British Tennis Officials (ABTO). You are required to get a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Enhanced Disclosure Certificate in order to progress. This will mean you can officiate at matches and tennis tournaments.

Becoming a chair umpire

Experienced line umpires can become chair umpires by taking the Chair Umpire Accreditation Course.

Chair Umpire Accreditation Course

The aim is to build upon your knowledge as a line umpire with this free course which includes an exam at the end of the course. If successful, for a small fee, you will become a full member of the ABTO . You can then start to umpire at local clubs and tournaments.

REFEREES

To become a referee you need to attend an initial one-day seminar which will familiarise you with the basics. It will give you an introduction to the competition framework, tennis rules, the code of conduct, and the duties of a referee. On completion of the course you will become a trainee member of the Association of British Tennis Officials.

Next steps

You are then required to gain a minimum of four days experience assisting an Accredited Referee in order to progress. This is then followed by a free Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Enhanced Disclosure certificate. You can then take part in the Accreditation Course.

Accreditation Course

This free one day course develops the knowledge that you gained in the previous course and introduces refereeing techniques and draw formats. It also teaches you about handling difficult situations. The course includes an exam. If you pass the exam you are then able to referee at official tournaments.

Get involved!

If you are interested in becoming a tennis referee or umpire contact us to find out how you can get training.