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Upcoming County Umpire Courses

A number of County Level Umpire Courses will held in the next few months.  The first of these are scheduled for Ulster as follows;

12th Aug 2023 in Ballymena

19th Aug 2023 in Banbridge (prov).

23rd Oct 2023 in Ballymena. 

These are one day course and will be followed at a later date by a practical assessment during a tournament. 

It is also intended that further courses will be held in each Province and arranged to facilitate the majority of participants.  

Anyone wishing to attend a course in Ulster or in any other Provinces should contact the office ([email protected]) with your name, age, area you are based and your club to book a place or to express your interest in completing the Umpire Course.  

Leagues are encouraged to have a number of qualified umpires available in each club.  

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Registration for the County Umpire Course 2023

Table Tennis Ireland are hosting a County Umpire Course in February 2023. This is to allow umpires to officiate at events up to and including the national championships.

There will be a series of online and preparatory sessions ahead of the county umpire exam. These online sessions will take place in January 2023 on the following dates online:

  • Monday 16th January – 7pm until 9pm
  • Monday 23rd January – 7pm until 9pm

There will also be a full day preparation course taking place on the Saturday 11th of February in Sport HQ Dublin from 10am-3pm, ahead of the County Umpire Exam later in the afternoon. Lunch will be provided to those attending the in-person session and exam.

Candidates who are sitting the exams are strongly advised to attend all educational sessions that are possible.

Umpire Examinations

  1. The County Umpire Exam will take place on Saturday 11th of February 2023 at 4pm in Sports HQ, Dublin.

Candidates who wish to sit the County Umpire Umpire Exam are recommended to be consistently reviewing the ITTF handbook 2022 (https://www.ittf.com/handbook/) and the umpires handbook 2019 (https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/HMO-16th-edition-final.pdf). There is plenty of useful resources available on the ITTF Webpage also: https://www.ittf.com/committees/umpires-referees/documents/

If you are interested in attending any of the online sessions, the in-person course and sitting of the exam please email TTI Office as to which part of the course you wish to attend, by emailing [email protected]

Please note there will be a small fee associated with this course.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing [email protected]

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Delight for newly qualified international umpire

A massive congratulations to Fahimehsadat Sajadirad our newly qualified International Umpire. Fahimeh passed the International Umpire Exam in September. The IU examination is administered by the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation).

She will now have the opportunity to apply to umpire at many fantastic international events across the world and have an opportunity umpire some of the top players in the world.

Well done Fahimehsadat on this great achievement!

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Registration for the National Umpire Course 2023

Table Tennis Ireland are hosting a National Umpire Course in February 2023.

There will be a series of online refresher and preparatory sessions ahead of the exam. These online sessions will take place in January 2023 on the following dates online:

  • Monday 16th January – 7pm until 9pm
  • Monday 23rd January – 7pm until 9pm

There will also be a full day preparation course taking place on the Saturday 11th of February in Sport HQ Dublin from 10am-3pm, ahead of the County and National Umpire Exam later in the afternoon. Lunch will be provided to those attending the in-person session and exam.

Please note there will be a small fee associated with this course, this is to cover certification and resources.

Candidates who are sitting the exams are strongly advised to attend all educational sessions that are possible. All current umpires and referees are recommended to attend these sessions to upskill on their current learnings.

Umpire Examinations

  1. The County Umpire Exam will take place on Saturday 11th of February 2023 at 4pm in Sports HQ, Dublin
  2. The National Umpires exam will take place on Saturday 11th of February 2023 at 4pm in Sports HQ, Dublin. Candidates must have completed the County Umpire Course previously, to take part in this exam.

Candidates who wish to sit the County Umpire and National Umpire Exam are recommended to be consistently reviewing the ITTF handbook 2022 (https://www.ittf.com/handbook/) and the umpires handbook 2019 (https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/HMO-16th-edition-final.pdf). There is plenty of useful resources available on the ITTF Webpage also: https://www.ittf.com/committees/umpires-referees/documents/

If you are interested in attending any of the online sessions, the in-person course and sitting one of the exams, please email TTI Office as to which part of the course you wish to attend, by emailing [email protected]

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing [email protected]

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Registration for the National Umpire and Tournament Organiser Course 21/22nd of August

Table Tennis Ireland are hosting a National Umpire Course and Tournament Organiser Course in Dublin. Karen and Ken Tonge will be delivering the course in the Conference Room at the Irish Sports HQ in Dublin (in person). We are delighted to have Karen and Ken deliver these two courses to our Umpires and Referees. They both have a great deal of experience umpiring and refereeing at the Top Level, we are looking forward to the sessions in August.

1. The National Umpires Course (L2) and exam will on Saturday 20th of August from 10-4pm.  Candidates must have completed the County Umpire Course to take part in this course.

2. Candidates for the International Umpires exam in September should still attend on both Saturday and Sunday as previously arranged. 

3. The one-day Tournament Organiser (TO) (L2) course will take place on Sunday 21st of August, 10am-4pm. The candidates should be aged 18 or over and need not necessarily be umpires.

Everyone attending the National Umpire Course is welcome to attend the tournament organiser course on Sunday if they wish. Both courses will be good preparation for anyone intending to sit the Referees course later in the year and enable existing umpires to refresh their skills ahead of the coming season. 

If you wish to attend this course, you are required to register for your desired course (or both) by 12pm on the 10th of August.

If you are attending this course, please register at the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/thkvgSJRgZ

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing [email protected]

John Bridgemna

Tribute to John Bridgeman

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Johnny Bridgeman, a former top senior player, coach and volunteer, and friend of all who had the good fortune to meet him.

The peak of Johnny’s playing career was during the halcyon days of the 1970s when Table Tennis was regularly reported on in the papers and international players were well known by the public, the era of Caffrey and Langan, when tournaments played out across the Ireland every weekend. He fought many battles on a table tennis table and won more than his fair share. As young man, Johnny played in the famous Crofton club on Suffock Street, in the centre of Dublin.

As well as being in the top cadre of players during that period, Johnny was recognised as one of the best tacticians in the game, a skill he used as a coach. In the 1980s, Johnny became the head coach and leader of Baldoyle TT club, a junior club that developed many underage boys and girls who represented their club, province, schools and country. The club enjoyed an equal mix of boys and girls, many of whom still play, including several para players due to the proximity to the hospital in Baldoyle on the Willie Nolan Road. The friendliness and inclusivity of the club was legendary, and this was due to Johnny’s good nature.

In the 1990s Johnny’s interest grew in the Para side of the game and his shrewd tactical insights and motivational skills helped to shape Irish Para teams that travelled abroad and won many victories.

For those who knew Johnny well, they will remember his stories of bygone games and players, and the sing-alongs for which he was famous. For past members of the Baldoyle TT club, they will remember a generous and wise man who freely gave them countless hours and enriched their teenage years.

TTI offers its deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

Reposing in Jennings Funeral Home, Springdale Road, Raheny on Tuesday evening 22nd February from 5pm to 7pm. Removal on Wednesday morning to St Lawernce O’ Toole Church, Baldoyle, arriving for Funeral Mass at 12.30pm followed by Burial in St Fintan’s Cemetery.

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Communication and Leadership Webinar – Monday 17th of January

Table Tennis Ireland are delighted to announce that we are resuming our online coaching seminars in 2022. We wish to advise you that the next Coaching Webinar will take place on Monday 17th of January at 7.20pm, this webinar will finish by 9pm. This webinar is free of charge to all TTI members, players, coaches, officials and volunteers.


We are delighted to announce that we will have Andy Burke from Blue Vista, who will be discussing the topic of Leadership and Communication Skills within Coaching. During this 90-minute session Andy will cover topics in various areas, such as; Developing Leadership Skills and awareness, Engaging & managing your teams, communication skills and much more. We are very excited to be hosting Andy for this session.


This is a webinar not to be missed! To register, please email [email protected] by 5pm Friday 14th January and we will send you login details for the webinar by Monday 17th of January.  A CPD Certificate will be issued to those who attend!

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Upcoming Umpire Course

We are pleased to announce that we are hosting an umpires course in November. The course will take place via Zoom on the dates and times as follows:

  • Monday 8th November 7pm – 10pm
  • Monday 15th November 7pm – 10pm 
  • Saturday or Sunday 27/28th November – Practical Assessment during the Ulster Open in Lisburn Racquets Centre

This course is designed for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of the rules and regulations of table tennis, and will prepare them to become a qualified County and Junior County umpire.  This course will also serve as a refresher course for all existing umpires.

Anyone who has already expressed an interest in this course will be contacted by the tutors with the necessary joining instructions at a later date.  

Please note this is free to members who are affiliated to Table Tennis Ireland.

There are still spaces available, so please get in touch as soon as possible if you wish to become an umpire. 
If you are interested in attending this course, please email Shauna in the office at [email protected]

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Seeking Expressions of Interest for Umpire Course

We are seeking expressions of interest from those who wish to complete an Umpire Course which is run by Table Tennis Ireland.

There is a constant demand for umpires at many events, and once these new candidates complete their training, they should have ample opportunity to develop their skills and progress in umpiring and get involved at many of our events. This course is suitable for participants from age 12 and older, and for all abilities.

The course is 6 hours long. Courses will be conducted at a central venue in each Province and if possible, arranged to facilitate the majority of participants.  In the event that Covid prevents such course being held in a single venue, arrangements will be made to deliver it using Zoom over 2 x 3-hour sessions.

The course also requires a supervised practical assessment at a tournament before certifying each candidate.

Please contact the office ([email protected]) with your name, area you are based and your club to express your interest in completing the Umpire Course, and for any further details about the course

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Upcoming Umpires and Referees Seminar

Table Tennis Ireland wishes to advise you that an Umpires and Referees Seminar will be taking place on Monday the 5th July 2021 at 7.30pm via Zoom. 

TTI Umpires and Referees Association is hosting this seminar in order to update current match officials, tournament organisers, Provincial Chairs and anyone interested in this area of the sport on a number of matters.

There will also be an opportunity to discuss the recent review and related matters as well as the roles of umpire and referees.  Training and development for match officials is one area for discussion.  Plans are at an advanced stage in relation to training, but this always depends on enough volunteers stepping forward.

To register for this seminar please email [email protected] by Sunday the 4th of July at 5pm. You will receive the log in details by 1pm Monday the 5th of July.