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The inaugural European Umpires' Conference got underway on Friday 7th April at the Corinthia Hotel in Antwerp. Nearly 40 umpires from throughout Europe gathered to listen to presentations from assorted European personalities ranging from ICC European Development Manager Richard Holdsworth to International umpire John Holder.

With an increase in numbers of 75% within the last 4 years in Europe, umpiring is the most rapidly growing aspect of the development program and the seminar proved that it is also regarded by the ECC as one of the most important. Ingeborg Bevers, the only female umpire to attend the seminar said, “The presentations have been great. They have helped us all to refocus on what we do on and off the field, especially the umpiring practicalities”.

Day 1 provided the delegates with an overview of the opportunities which are available to umpires in Europe. With the recent addition of an ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel, there are now opportunities for European umpires outside England to officiate in the ICC global programme of events such as the U19 Cricket World Cup, ICC Trophy and ICC Intercontinental Cup.

On day 2, ECC Regional Umpire Consultant Graham Cooper highlighting several points from the newly issued European playing conditions for 2006, and there was a lively discussion between the participants on the particulars of the new wide ball definition and the associated pitch markings.

John Holder charmed the delegates with his tales of 23 years on the first class circuit in the UK and further abroad on International duty, prompting many questions from the floor. He went into detail on fieldcraft, people management, team work, body language and on the umpire dress code. Richard Holdsworth closed the day by illustrating the ICC Code of Conduct and how it would be applied at European tournaments this season. Ingeborg commented, "The benefits of talking cricket and meeting your colleagues at this kind of event are fantastic, we can really interact with each other," a comment that echoed the thoughts of many who were appreciating the atmosphere and instruction being offered to them during the 2 days.

The final day featured amongst others a gallery of umpiring do's and don'ts which caused great mirth and occasional embarrassment. John Holder commented at the end of the seminar, "The event has been excellent, the content and concept has been first class". Graham Cooper summed up the event, "It has been very successful, very positive and a great opportunity to meet all the umpires for this years tournaments and to talk through any problems there may have been and most importantly for both players and umpires to get a high level of consistency."