Rachel Williams (hockey umpire)

Rachel Louise Williams (born 1 November) is an international field hockey umpire for FIH and the European Hockey Federation. Williams represents Great Britain and England Hockey on the FIH Pro League panel.

Refereeing and umpiring
Williams started umpiring hockey in 2006 following an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and three further knee surgeries. She began volunteering for England Hockey on their Youth Panel in 2006, was runner up for World Youth Promoter of the Year in 2010 and continues to volunteer as the Secretary of the National Program of Umpires Association in England.

Williams has umpired various forms of hockey, including the 11-a-side game, Indoor hockey, and Hockey5s. Most of her domestic growth in recent years has been in the Women's England Hockey League.

In 2014, before Williams officially qualified as a level 3 indoor umpire, she umpired the National Indoor Final with Frances Block - the first of many national finals and the start of a long career.

First appointed internationally as a Judge to the Outdoor Women's Nations Championship III in Greece, Williams made her move to international umpiring in 2014 where she was appointed to the Indoor Women's EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup in Siauliai (LTU). Her first international outdoor appointment was the FIH Women's 4 Nations Invitational Tournament was in Berlin, Germany and continued to have consistent international appointments.

2014
Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Siauliai (LTU)

FIH Women's Four Nations Invitational Tournament @Berlin (GER)

2015
Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Champions Challenge II @ Mérignac (FRA)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey U18 Championship @ Santander (ESP)

2016
Indoor Women's EuroHockey Championship II@ Cambrai (FRA)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy @ Dundee (SCO)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Champions Challenge I @ Prague (CZE)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s Future Heroes Cup B @ Walcz (POL)

2017
Indoor Women's EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy @ Siauliai (LTU)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge II @ Vienna (AUT)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s U16 Championship @ Wattignies (FRA)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Junior Championship II @ Hradec Kralove (CZE)

Indoor Pan American Cup (W) @ Georgetown (GUY)

2018
Indoor Women's EuroHockey Championship II @ Brussels (BEL)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Dundee (SCO)

FIH Women's Indoor Hockey World Cup @ Berlin (GER)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Trophy @ Dublin (IRL)

2019
Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Hamburg (GER)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Cup @ Amsterdam (NED)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Championship II @ Glasgow (SCO)

FIH Women's Series Finals @ Banbridge (IRL)

2020
Indoor Women's Women's EuroHockey Championship @ Minsk (BLR)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge I @ Porto (POR)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge III @ Sveti Ivan Zelina (CRO) - (Covid-Cancelled)

2021
Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s Women’s Tournament - @ Walcz (POL) - (Covid-Cancelled)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Club Challenge I @ Prague (CZE)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Junior Championship @ Olten (SUI) - (Covid Cancelled)

2022
Outdoor Women's EuroHockey5s U16 @ Basel (SUI)

Outdoor Women's EuroHockey Qualifier D @ Dunkirk (FRA)

Outdoor Men's and Women's Euro Hockey League KO16 @ Hamburg (GER)

Indoor Women's EuroHockey Championship @ Hamburg (GER)

FIH Hero Hockey5s @ Lausanne (SUI)

Commonwealth Games 2022 @ Birmingham (ENG)

FIH Hockey Pro League (W&M) @ Mendoza (ARG)

2023
FIH Hockey Pro League (W&M) @ Wellington (NZL)

FIH Hockey Pro League (W&M) @ Hobart (TAS)

Outdoor Women's and Men's EuroHockey Championship@ Mönchengladbach (GER)

FIH Women's and Men's Indoor Hockey World Cup @ Pretoria (RSA)

A busy set of years for Williams included umpiring at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 where she opened the games with the first game of the event and rounded up with the bronze medal match between India and New Zealand. Additionally, she offciated the inaugural FIH World Hockey 5s event, marking the first time a female umpired the traditional rivalry between the men's teams of India and Pakistan. Continuing this trajectory, Williams served as an umpire for Men's 11-a-side hockey for the first time at Euro Hockey League in 2022 and went on, a month later to umpire some of the top Men's teams in the world (Argentina, Belgium, and Germany) at the Pro League in Mendoza, Argentina. At the start of 2023, following on from umpiring the EuroHockey Indoor Championships final between indoor giants(Germany and Netherlands), Williams was appointed to her second Indoor World Cup in South Africa where she became the first female to umpire at a Men's Hockey World Cup and went on to umpire a Women's Semi-Final and umpire the Men's World Cup Final.

Later in 2023, Williams went to the Outdoor EuroHockey Championship (Hockey Olympic Qualifiers ) where she was the first umpire to be appointed to both a Men's and Women's medal match at the same event. She became the first umpire to wear shorts at such an event in a movement towards a more inclusive clothing policy for the sport. She was selected to officiate field hockey at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Williams was awarded England Hockey Official of the Year 2023 as well as Tauranga Hockey Official of the Year 2023.