About the BUAofE

Well established...

The Badminton Umpires Association of England was founded in 1952 and was the first international organisation to co-ordinate badminton umpires anywhere in the World.

At that time all umpiring was organised on an individual event basis and there was no common terminology, technique or presentation by umpires. The standardisation of umpiring became a prime objective of the new Association, along with a desire to improve the standard of umpiring. The 'Instructions to Court Officials' that are now appended to the Laws of Badminton are a direct result of the achievements of our Association.

The BUAofE remains a voluntary organisation and is administered entirely by a committee of volunteers, from amongst the umpires in England. The Execuative Committee (formerly known as the Officers) consists of a President and Vice-President, Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. The remainder of the National Committee consists of the Membership Secretary, the leaders of the 6 sub-committees , 2 elected Members Representatives and a nominee from Badminton England, as well as a nominee from the Badminton Line Judges Association of England and a Referees Representative (both of whom are non-voting members).

The 6 sub-committees are Assessment, Finance, Regional Secretaries, Selections (National),Technical and Training.

Development & Assessment

The Association operates a mentoring scheme whereby all new members have access to a more experienced umpire for advice and guidance – that will prove invaluable in the early days. As you become more confident and experienced in your umpiring, you will have an opportunity to progress through the 5 grades of the BUAofE, 2 at European level and 2 International grades. We have an ongoing assessment and development programme that automatically includes all members.

Umpires may also gain Badminton Europe and Badminton World Federation qualifications enabling them to work across the world at Olympic Games etc.

It is a matter of great pride that English umpiring is currently well represented in the highest category of world umpiring.

From ‘Officiating in Sport’, The Sports Council.

“British match officials are a national resource to be proud of and to nurture. They are often unsung heroes and heroines who provide the backbone of neutrality and fair play at every level of sport.

At the highest level their reputation and visible presence abroad is proportionally much higher than that from many other countries. In the final rounds of international competition Britain’s officials are often still involved long after many of its teams have gone home.”

Structure of the BUAofE

The BUAofE is geographically split into 3 mainland regions:

North (secn@buaofe.org.uk)

Cheshire
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Isle of Man
Lancashire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northumberland
Nottinghamshire
Shropshire
Staffordshire
Yorkshire

Central (secc@buaofe.org.uk)

Bedfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Gloucestershire
Herefordshire
Hertfordshire
Middlesex
Norfolk
Northamptonshire
Oxfordshire
Suffolk
Warwickshire
Worcestershire

South (secs@buaofe.org.uk)

Avon
Berkshire
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Hampshire
Isle of Wight
Kent
Somerset
Surrey
Sussex
Wiltshire

And two Channel Island regions:

Guernsey
Jersey

Each region is governed by a regional committee, and the secretary of each region is your point of contact for requests and other administration matters.

There is also a National Committee that handles National and international matters, general administration and coordination.

If you have any queries about the structure of the BUAofE please contact us.