2011 Super Division Umpires Manager - Ray O'Connor

Ray started umpiring on the indoor circuit in 1983 and then moved on to outdoor and inter provincials after which Ireland gave him an international appointment and the rest is history.

He received his first international appointment just three years later as New Zealand visited Scotland as part of their World Cup preparations. A first tournament came in 1990 at the Intercontinental Cup – a forerunner for the World Cup qualifying tournaments – and was quickly followed by the European championships in Paris. His first major final on the international stage at the next running of the Europeans in his native Dublin which precipitated his step up to the next level.

O'Connor soon established himself as one of the world's best when he was given the final at the Atlanta Olympics – also creating a piece of history as the last umpire to ever blow for offside. The World Cup final in Utrecht followed and from then on was one of the first names on the umpire's roster at the world's top tournaments.
In total, he clocked up 220 internationals across indoor and outdoor, including three World Cups (two finals), three Olympics (two finals) and seven Champion's Trophies (five finals).

When looking back at his favorite memories of his career, O'Connor picks out the Sydney Olympics as the most 'perfect' event while also fondly remembering a whistle-stop tour of India.

"One of my most memorable tours was India against Pakistan; five test matches in five cities, travelling the length and breadth of the country in eight days in India with an average crowd of 45,000 – very educated crowds, they just love their hockey."

Asked whether that was a difficult situation to handle, O'Connor reckoned that matters closer to home, though, were harder to handle. "It's far easier to concentrate at international level, especially when you're trying to get to the final of a major tournament – concentration was never a problem for managing yourself."

Since retiring as an active top level umpire, he has been heavily involved in developing a team of European umpires.

Indeed, the next phase in his hockey career is already well underway, taking on the role of Umpires Manager at the Beijing Games in 2008 and the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where he performed the same role.

He attended the 2003 California Cup and conducted a PanAm Umpiring Seminar prior to the tournament. He returned in 2005 as Umpires Manager and once again conducted a seminar for senior umpires for the tournament. California Cup is fortunate to be able to secure his services for its 40th Anniversary tournament to serve as Umpires Manager again.