Rules and Briefings
Listed below are links to the Umpire Manager's 2008 Outdoor and Indoor Briefings, and the 2007/8 Rules of Hockey Briefing and Guidance produced by the FIH Umpiring Committee in consultation with the Hockey Rules Board.
Page 17 of the 2008 Outdoor Briefing, and page 18 of the 2008 Indoor Briefing clarifies an issue on penalty corners that was miscommunicated in the USA throughout 2007.
[ED: The issue was communicated correctly on UmpireHockey.com as recently as July 10, 2007 and October 16, 2007 and in articles dating back to 2005. As late in the year as November, umpires at briefings for USA Field Hockey tournaments and NCAA games had been incorrectly instructed to blow their whistle as soon as a shot was taken if the ball had not left the circle on a penalty corner.]
It reads, "A goal cannot be scored unless the ball has traveled outside the circle. If the ball has stayed inside the circle, it is not an offence to take a shot at goal–allow play to continue; if a defender commits an offence which normally would have prevented the probable scoring of a goal, a further penalty corner should be awarded."
Said another way, let play continue even if the ball does not leave the circle and, if a shot is taken before the ball leaves the circle and a defender illegally stops the ball from crossing the goal line, the umpire does not call a penalty stroke, the umpire calls a penalty corner.
For the 2008 Outdoor Briefing, click here.
For the 2008 Indoor Briefing, click here.
For the 2007/8 Rules of Hockey Briefing and Guidance (updated in December 2006), click here.
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