Swiss Federation Of Cricket Umpires & Scorers (swissFOCUS)
The Swiss Federation Of Umpires & Scorers (sFOCUS), is a subcommittee functioning under the auspices of Cricket Switzerland.
The Swiss Federation of Cricket Umpires & Scorers (sFOCUS) was constituted in June 2001, its objectives being to promote and develop Cricket Umpiring and Scoring in Switzerland, and to attain and maintain recognized standards of Cricket Umpiring and Scoring.
In 2024, Cricket Switzerland underwent an organizational restructuration resulting in the merging of sFOCUS into the framework of competitions. sFOCUS now functions as a subcommittee under the Director of Competitions.
The committee is responsible for training umpires and scorers to officiate in all the official matches organized by Cricket Switzerland including the International matches hosted by Cricket Switzerland.
Currently Cricket Switzerland contains around 200 umpires.
Cricket Switzerland Umpire Pathway
Each stage of the pathway is a prerequisite for the following stages. Other courses completed may be considered as equivalent (e.g. in person ECB ACO Stage 1 and/or 2 for the sFOCUS Umpiring Course).
- ICC Umpiring Foundation Course – complete the ICC online course (see below) to learn the basics and the Laws. This allows umpiring in recreational games
- sFOCUS Umpiring Course – classroom based course to understand the Laws, the art of game management. This allows an umpire to officiate in Cricket Switzerland official matches
- ICC Level 1 Online Course – complete the ICC Level 1 Online module. In addition, umpiring at least 500 overs will qualify for the next stage
- ICC Level 1 Classroom Course – complete the ICC Level 1 Classroom course. After this level, umpires can expect an on-field assessment and to get regular feedback to progress to the next stage
- Elite Panel – once nominated and after performance review, an umpire can be put on the Elite Panel. Elite Panel umpires can be nominated to officiate in International matches and ICC Tournaments. Further development will include the ICC Level 2 Umpiring.
In the future, it is expected that Domestic Competitions will further restrict the level of Umpire standard (e.g. CSPL will require only Elite Panel umpires from 2026). For more details please see the CS Umpiring Pathway.
You can become part of ICC education program by registering for the courses here: https://www.edapp.com/icc/
Please mark Switzerland as the country in EdApp.
Membership
Every team participating in senior domestic competition is obliged to registed four qualified umpires with sFOCUS. These umpires are required to travel as sFOCUS neutral umpires to officiate a minimal number of games.
It is also a requirement for home team hosting the game to supply a club scorer at every game.
Committee
Office
Name
If you have any question regarding umpiring please reach out to us: [email protected]
If you have questions about allocation of umpires reach out to use: [email protected]
Umpiring in Senior Cricket
The following are the guidelines on who can become an umpire to officiate in a senior competition:
- The lower age limit for any umpire to independently officiate in a CS senior men’s competition is 18 years.
- All umpires must have completed at least one of the following:
The sFOCUS Introduction to Umpiring course (classroom)
Any other recognized face-to-face classroom-based umpiring course
- Umpiring courses will be available through sFOCUS for everyone who has attained the age of 16 years. It is advised that at this age, the individual should officiate in junior competitions to gain experience.
- If however, a club is compelled to send in an U18 umpire then such an umpire will have to officiate in the presence of a senior adult umpire (min ECB-ACO Stage 2 qualified or ICC Level 1 completed). This will ensure any delicate situation can be handled by the senior umpire and the junior umpire can learn on-field umpiring crafts.
Match Fees & Reimbursements for Umpires in Switzerland
All registered & qualified umpires may claim the following benefits after completing a minimum of 100 overs in the given season :
- Travel expenses: supported by travel information and receipts / tickets. If no public transportation is convenient/ available travel by car will be reimbursed at CHF0.40 per kilometre. In both instances, travel reimbursement will be capped at 75 CHF.
- All umpires (subject to a minimum 5-overs being bowled) shall be entitled to claim a Match Fee which shall be:
10-Over Format (T10): Match Fee CHF20 per umpire per match
15-Over Format: Match Fee CHF20 per umpire per match
20-Over Format (T20): Match Fee CHF25 per umpire per match
30-Over Format: Match Fee CHF30 per umpire per match
40-Over Format: *Match Fee CHF50 per umpire per match
45-Over Format: *Match Fee CHF60 per umpire per match
50-Over Format: *Match Fee CHF75 per umpire per match
- No lunch fees for T10 or T20 matches. For 40 (or 45 )over matches, should the home team not provide lunches, umpires may submit a claim supported by receipt(s) for any lunch purchased, capped at CHF20 per day.
- All above benefits should be consolidated on the sFOCUS claims form (see Cricket Switzerland website for download) and submitted towards the end of the season (i.e. when claimants umpiring duties are finished) to Krishna Varahan [email protected] for review and settlement.
- Kits: umpire kit may be requested by email to [email protected] confirming size of kit required (i.e S, M, L, XL, 2XL) and the postal address to which the kit should be forwarded.”
More Information
Laws of Cricket: https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket
ICC Rules and Regulations-Playing Conditions: https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/cricket/rules-and-regulations/playing-conditions
You can also read the latest ECB Association Of Cricket Officials newsletter or go to the ECB ACO website.
A ‘stand’ of umpires at the International Cricket Festival in Zuoz (15 & 16 June 2012)
top row (l-r): C.Denney, A.Scott, R.Black, P.De Boek, P.Cawsey
bottow row (l-r): I.Bond, J.McKillop, A.Mackay, S.Muzaffar
Howzat?
How hard can umpiring be from Sky Sports. Have a bit of fun and test your umpiring skills…