It goes without saying that we hope you will never have to use any of these procedures or that any of our players, coaches supporters etc will be shown any red cards etc, but it is worth people knowing what the process and consequences are if you are ever on the receiving end of an MMO or Red card.

Dealing with Disciplinary Issues

Notes:
1. These guidelines only apply to hockey played under the auspices of England Hockey.
2. More detail can be found on the EH website here: https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/governance/rules-and-regulations/discipline-and-disrepute

Offences by players and/or team officials

Red Cards

A red card may only be issued in respect of an offence or other misconduct committed during a match and may be issued to any person participating in the match, including players on the pitch, substitutes and team officials (managers, coaches, physiotherapists and doctors who are part of a team’s squad) whether a formal team sheet has been submitted or not. A red card cannot be shown to anyone who is not participating in a game of hockey.

Please also be aware that a ‘second yellow’ red card (i.e. a red card given for a second, repeated minor offence by a player who was shown a yellow card for the first offence) CANNOT be shown for:
• any repeated act of physical violence (whether used, attempted or threatened); or,
• any repeated dissent towards an umpire or properly appointed tournament / match official.

In either of these cases a second, repeated offence that warrants a card should be penalised by the showing of a straight red card, NOT a ‘second yellow’ red card.

Match Day Misconduct Offences (MMO)

An MMO is committed when at any time during the day of a match, but excluding the time from the start to the end of the match a person due to participate, or who has participated, in the match conducts themselves in such a way that one of the match umpires decides that the conduct would have warranted the issuing of a red card had it occurred during the match.

If an umpire decides that they wish to report someone’s behaviour as an MMO they must inform the offender or their team captain or a team official or the disciplinary officer of the person’s club that the offender’s misconduct is to be reported as an MMO. This must happen on the day of the misconduct.

If you are uncomfortable with telling a player or official that you are issuing them with an MMO, you should find another appropriate person from their club that you are doing so.
Completing and Submitting a Red Card / MMO Report Form

There is a very helpful guide on how to complete and submit a Red Card or MMO Report Form on the EH website, here: https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/download?documentId=016QX2LWPKYEFRQEQ5ZZHL7347DMH3EOOX

Offences by spectators / others who are not participating in a game

Umpires have no jurisdiction over people at a game who are not participating in that game, including players warming up for subsequent games. (NB. If an umpire is also umpiring a subsequent game they can use the MMO procedure to address any issues of misconduct from participants in that game.)

Umpires cannot show red cards or issue MMOs to spectators. However, they can report bad behaviour under EH’s Disrepute process, details of which can be found here on the EH site: https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/governance/rules-and-regulations/discipline-and-disrepute/disrepute-complaints.

You can report the individuals concerned and/or the club to which they belong. You have 14 days from the date of the alleged offence to report a Disrepute matter to EH.

Please also note that, unless there are specific regulations for non-EH Area organised competitions that state otherwise, team captains have no responsibility whatsoever for the behaviour of spectators or others who are at the game.

You cannot show a yellow or red card to a captain if spectators are misbehaving.
You can, however, work with the team manager, captain and other representatives from the relevant club to try to stop the behaviour that is unacceptable or to remove those responsible for it from the pitch area.

If you have an appointed match official , stop the match and ask them to engage with the relevant home representative to resolve the issue. Restart the match when you are happy to do so. You should always remember that you are umpiring as a volunteer. You should never carry on umpiring if you feel unsafe or in danger.

Finally…
Giving a red card, issuing an MMO or reporting someone on a Disrepute charge can be a stressful experience. There are plenty of people who can support you in your Area Officiating Committee.

Please do ask for support if you feel you need it.