Third Olympics for local umpire Church

Umpire Amber Church keeps a close eye on the action during a women’s club hockey game between YMP and GMC Green. Church has been confirmed as an official for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.Picture by Paul Rickard

International hockey umpire Amber Church continues to prove that you don’t have to be based in a major city to forge a successful sports career.

Gisborne’s Church was this week named among the officials for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games which will run from July 27 to August 12.

It will be the third consecutive Games for Church, who over her 12-year career has risen to become the top female umpire in the world — culminating in her being named the FIH (International Hockey Federation) female umpire of the year for 2021-2022.

Church has been umpiring since she was a teenager, rising through the ranks while predominantly based in Gisborne and achieving her international badge in Brazil in 2010.

Since then she has umpired over 100 internationals — bringing up her century and earning a “golden whistle” in May of last year.

The qualified teacher officiated the 2022 Women’s World Cup and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games women’s finals, a stark contrast to the Poverty Bay hockey turf where she is a regular feature when not on international or national duty.

In a March interview with FIH in the lead-up to International Women’s Day 2023, Church spoke of the challenge of being based in a smaller centre.

“A lot of people said to make it anywhere in our sport . . . you had to go out of the region. You had to go to the big cities and centralise.

“I have always been a believer that that is not the case . . . it’s hard work that’s going to get you to where you wanna go, so that was a bit of a barrier I had to overcome . . . where I was (located),  then the stigma that was associated with being from a really small region.

“It was hard work and there was a lot of support from my family and my community.”

Church’s selection was fittingly confirmed during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/Māori Language Week.

She is of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki descent through her father and was named umpire/referee of the year at the 2022 Māori Sports Awards.

Church regularly quotes a whakataukī (Māori proverb) when it comes to what she has achieved.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini . . . my success is not that of my own but that of the collective”.

“I wholeheartedly believe in that. It’s not just me that is reaping the benefits of the hard work; it’s also a reflection on my family and my community . . . the people who have been behind me right from the start.”

Speaking on the announcement of officials for the Paris Games, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “Officials play a fundamental role and give a very substantial part of their free time to their passion for the sport. This is remarkable and I’d like to thank each and every hockey official, anywhere in the world.

“To all those who’ve been selected for the Olympic Games in Paris next year — huge congratulations. This is a fantastic achievement. On behalf of FIH, I want to assure you of our full confidence, support and respect.

“And I’m particularly pleased that the split of all officials across both genders will be an exact 50-50 — in line with the overarching gender equality principle which prevails in our sport.”