Step inside the journey of umpire and life long table tennis enthusiast, Chloe Ireland. Read about her journey from player to official and player again, how failing her first exam inspired her officiating successes, and her reflections on the many opportunities officiating has created, including overseas travel, commentating at the European Senior Championships, and umpiring at the centenary ITTF World Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games.

From the table to the umpire’s chair

Chloe’s introduction to table tennis started at a very young age, and in many ways, similar to many others, her route into the sport was already mapped out for her. Growing up in the Blackpool area, her dad was heavily involved in table tennis, coaching junior players at the local club as well as working for Table Tennis England, then known as the ETTA.

“There was no question of the sport I was going to play,” Chloe recalls.

She first picked up a bat aged just four or five, but her introduction to the rules and regulations of the game came almost as early as her introduction to playing. One of her early coaches was Brian Jackson, a National Referee, who was keen to ensure the junior players understood the rules of the game, particularly when it came to serving. He introduced them to officiating through a downloadable junior umpire paper, essentially a child-friendly version of the County Umpire examination. It gave Chloe and her fellow junior players an early grounding in the rules, planting the seeds for what would eventually become a journey into officiating. While Chloe’s introduction to officiating came early, progressing through the qualification pathway wasn’t always straightforward.

It isn’t always an easy journey

One of her biggest early challenges came when she first sat her National Umpire examination – and failed. For someone who had spent practically her entire life playing table tennis, it was a knock to her confidence.

“When you’ve been playing all your life, it is damaging to your confidence. But the officiating exam isn’t visual, it’s about reading into a situation, interpreting it and therefore you can make mistakes. It was a blow, but I wanted to persist and I also enjoyed giving back to the sport.”

Rather than letting the setback put her off, Chloe was determined to try again. She also wanted to develop a deeper understanding of the game and ensure she had the knowledge to get things right. As she puts it, if she gets something wrong, she will “tirelessly pursue” the answer.

That determination paid off. Once qualified, Chloe found her knowledge and understanding of table tennis grew enormously. Progressing from National to International level also felt a little easier, having put so much work into developing her knowledge the first time around. Achieving her International qualification remains one of her proudest accomplishments. However, Chloe recognises that the pathway can be challenging, particularly for officials who might be excellent at umpiring at the table but struggle with written examinations.

Why umpiring?

For Chloe, one of the biggest reasons more people should consider officiating is both the personal and professional opportunities it can create both own and off the court. She is particularly passionate about encouraging more young people to get involved, helping to bring the next generation of officials through and building a stronger officiating community and safeguarding the future of competitions.

“We won’t have competitions and events if we don’t have officials and the next generation of them coming through.”

While she feels the number of umpires is generally growing, she would love to welcome more officials into the community of umpires who regularly officiate national events, stepping outside their local areas and gaining experience at different levels of competition. She acknowledged supporting local clubs and events is hugely important, but Chloe believes there is also real value in encouraging umpires to progress towards one, two and four-star competitions, and having taken that journey herself, she knows exactly what those opportunities can lead to.

“Umpiring has led me to some of the most incredible experiences of my life.”

One example was the International Schools competition in Bahrain. It’s somewhere Chloe admits she probably would never have visited if it wasn’t for officiating. Despite describing it as one of the most chaotic competitions she’s worked at, it was an experience she absolutely loved. It’s not just about the destinations, it’s the people you meet along the way.

International competitions bring together officials from all over the world, creating opportunities to build friendships and experience different cultures. At the World Championships in London, for example, which Chloe described as ‘incredible’, umpires exchanged small gifts from their home countries. Chloe still has keyrings from Egypt, Japan and China, which she keeps attached to the bag she uses to carry her umpiring equipment. It’s a small reminder of the friendships and memories that officiating has brought her.

More than just officiating

Playing and officiating don’t have to be one or the other. In fact, Chloe is proof that the two can complement each other brilliantly. Currently a player first and foremost, Chloe still enjoys getting involved in officiating whenever the opportunity arises, and her experience at the World Championships in London was a particularly memorable one.

Understandably nervous ahead of such a major event, she hadn’t had many opportunities to umpire in the lead-up. Her preparation included the Senior National Championships, where she was actually competing as a player before making a quick ‘Wonder Woman’ change and stepping straight into the umpire’s chair! A great example of how players can experience both sides of the game, developing a greater understanding and appreciation of what goes into officiating.

Officiating has opened other doors alongside her umpiring, further developing her passion for both the sport and media, including commentating at the Team European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia – an experience she describes as incredible, which she explained would not have come her way without her experience in international officiating.
Chloe also hosts a Women’s and Girls’ table tennis podcast, Serving Up Trouble, and believes umpiring has helped enormously with this. Meeting and building relationships with some of the biggest names in the sport through officiating, understanding player personalities and developing a deeper knowledge of the game have all helped her grow the podcast. Check out an unmissable vlog style episode of Serving Up Trouble from the Women’s British Clubs League below.

The benefits of officiating aren’t always just professional. Chloe highlighted the friendships and support that come with umpiring at bigger events, where officials work in pairs, share experiences and learn from one another, but she also believes officiating develops valuable skills that can be transferred into everyday life and some of her biggest benefits have been personal. Learning to remain calm and professional, explain the rules and manage challenging situations under pressure are skills Chloe has developed through officiating,

“Umpiring has really helped my confidence, particularly advocating for myself and standing by my decisions.”

Chloe also believes more players, commentators and table tennis enthusiasts could benefit from learning about officiating, and is a firm believer that understanding the rules and the challenges officials face can give everyone a greater appreciation of the game and the work officials do.

“You will be surprised what you can and cant sometimes see when sat in the umpires chair, that is different to what we see at home or when analysing a match, especially on the serving front,” Chloe went on to add “It’s actually quite a skilled job to be able to make those calls quickly with confidence in high pressure moments.”

For Chloe, officiating is ultimately about getting even more out of a sport she loves, discovering new opportunities and developing skills that stay with you long after you’ve left the umpire’s chair.

Could you be our next umpire?

Officiating is about so much more than making decisions at the table. It’s brought incredible experiences, friendships, opportunities to travel and skills that have benefited both Chloe and many others inside and outside of sport. However, perhaps her biggest message is that more people should give it a go.

Whether you’re a current player looking to understand the game from a different perspective, a young person wanting to get more involved, or simply someone who loves table tennis, there’s a place for you in officiating. As Chloe highlights, we wouldn’t have competitions without officials. Every umpire who comes through the pathway helps support the clubs, players and volunteers who make our sport possible.

There are opportunities to develop your knowledge, build confidence and gain experience at different levels. The Technical Officials Academy is also newly introduced to help support and develop the next generation of officials from the very start of their journey, all the way through the pathway. You never know where officiating might take you. Chloe certainly didn’t expect it to lead to international competitions, lifelong friendships and opportunities beyond the court.

Why not take your first step and discover where it could take you?