ECB 2023 Instructor shake up

[Acumen]

ECB have recently conducted interviews and have now advised a number of existing tutors that their services are no longer required.

Some Counties no longer have any accredited tutors.

Some Counties have had their autumn training plans disrupted.

How have you been affected?

[linny76]

Our 2 local tutors did not apply so it will change our training in East Yorkshire.
I am one of the successful new tutors and it was a lengthy and thorough recruitment process so I'm sure there will be a quality group of tutors available to deliver training

[xtutor]

Interestingly ICC are now claiming to have started their first ever umpire training programme
www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/3601794

I wonder how this compares with the new ECB proposals.

It certainly seems to go into a lot of useful detail both for the novice and the professional.

[Acumen]

I have just noticed that ECB (not ACO) have launched a special free online T20 Umpire Training Course


and ECB ACO have also Basics of Umpiring - Overview (ecb.co.uk)


Does anyone know when these first appeared?

[Acumen]

It has been clarified that there are now distinct ECB Tutors and ECB ACO Tutors.

ECB Tutors are the new ones selected to deliver the new ECB material. They may, or may not, be ECB ACO Tutors as well.

Existing ECB ACO Tutors will remain in post although exactly what material they will be able to deliver has not yet been clarified.

[Acumen]

I am told that details of proposed ECB courses will be posted on www.ecb.co.uk/play/officials/courses but they are not there as at 12:00 18sep23.

The new course will start with some online modules followed by one face-to-face session.

I am aware of the face to face module being planned for
05/11/2023 Derbyshire CCC
12/11/2023 Leicestershire Markfield
19/11/2023 Nottinghamshire CCC
19/11/2023 Northamptonshire CCC
25/11/2023 Kings Heath, Birmingham
26/11/2023 Ashmore Park, Wolverhampton

Please ignore references to the ECB T20 material. It is out of date and should have been removed.

Apologies for any confusion used by the terms "lecturer" or "trainer" - they should all be referred to as "Tutor".
ECB Tutors are employed by ECB. County ACO Tutors, Observers and Mentors are volunteer positions.

[xtutor]

One of my fellow ECB ACO members who wishes to remain anonymous has written:

I am a regular league umpire, although by choice I don't do County or Premier fixture mainly due to travel distance but also because I prefer proper community cricket to umpiring wannabe pro's and their associated egos.

I have been given a copy of the proposed ECB training schedule which I am told is intended to replace the existing Stage One and Stage Two courses. Now, as my local ACO’s training officer and a regular assistant tutor, I have helped to deliver the training, which takes 4 days, usually two consecutive weekends, for several years.

The proposal is to replace it with one 60 minute online training session and one day face to face. Online training is by default something of a standing joke in which the target is to get to the end as quick as possible, but of course there is no context to the knowledge, no explanation for those who best learn in different ways and it is a generally sub standard way of imparting knowledge. Any new umpire who has been through this new regime will be poorly equipped to handle league cricket.

There has been no contact suggesting that this new regime is a supplement to the training we used to give. We have effectively all been sacked and the training abandoned. There are currently no training sessions planned in the county. Our county ACO is debating submitting a no confidence motion to the ECB as a protest and several office holders are resigning in protest.

The proposed system is so poor that we cannot support it and will not participate in it.