Several USA Umpires & Technical Officials Selected for 2025 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup
Share:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Field Hockey is excited to announce that six USA representatives—four umpires and two technical officials—have been appointed to the upcoming 2025 FIH Hockey Junior World Cups.
Lurah Hess and Kim Scott will be technical officials at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup City of Santiago 2025, set to take place December 1 to 13 in Chile. They will be joined by Maggie Giddens, Allie Mikelson, and Brian Tyson, who all have been appointed as umpires.
Ben Peters will be an umpire at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025, set to take place November 28 to December 10 in Madurai and Chennai, two cities in India.
Hess continues to stay busy in the international sphere, heading to her first FIH Hockey Junior World Cup this December after serving as technical official at USA’s test series against Ireland this past June, the Central American Caribbean (CAC) Games Qualifiers in May, and several FIH Hockey Pro League matches in February. She has now served as a match manager the past four seasons of the Pro League. In 2024, Hess was appointed as the technical delegate to both the FIH Hockey Women’s Nation Cup in Terrassa, Spain and Pan American Challenge in Lima, Peru. A seasoned technical representative, Hess has also acted as a technical official at the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands and 2023 Pan American Games.
Scott, who also recently was a technical official at USA’s Ireland test series, had her most recent trip abroad in Poreč, Croatia for the 2025 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup (IHWC) in February. In March of 2024, she held the prestigious role of technical delegate at the 2024 Indoor Pan American Cups (IPAC) in Calgary, Canada. Scott, an International Elite Panel Technical Official, has served as a judge, technical delegate or technical official for more than 180 international matches. In 2023, she was a technical official at the IHWC, served as an assistant technical delegate at the CAC Games in July, and ended the year as a technical official at the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup.
Giddens is back on the pitch in South America after making the trip to Montevideo, Uruguay for the Pan American Cups back in July. A prominent umpire for USA, she has been appointed to every FIH Hockey Pro League season, including this past 2024-25 season for both men and women. She has umpired at the 2024 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Valencia, Spain and the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Other prominent past appointments for Giddens include the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup.
It’s been a breakout year on the international stage for Mikelson, who umpired at the FIH Women’s Nations Cup in Santiago, Chile in February – where she was appointed to the final - and the women’s Pan American Cup in August, where she umpired the bronze medal match. Last year, Mikelson was part of the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship umpire team, umpired at the 2024 Junior Pan American Championship (JPAC) in Surrey, Canada, and the 2024 IPAC in Calgary, Canada. She has represented USA as an umpire in a range of events, from outdoor, to indoor, to the inaugural Hockey5s Pan American Cup in Kingston, Jamaica in 2023. This will be her first trip to the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
Tyson, who will also be making his debut at the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, most recently officiated at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay in August. Last year, he blew the whistle at the 2024 JPAC in Surrey, Canada and at the 2024 IPAC. Tyson has been an official and video umpire on several test matches in Charlotte, N.C. and has heavy involvement officiating for the NCAA.
Peters will return to the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup after umpiring at the previous edition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2023. This past August, he officiated the men’s bronze medal match at the Pan American Cup. He brings with him a notable resume, which includes the past two seasons of the FIH Hockey Pro League, 2024 FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup, Pan American Games, and more. Peters’ experiences also include the FIH Hockey World League, Junior Pan American Championship, and many test series.
“On behalf of the USA Field Hockey officiating program, I extend my warmest congratulations to umpires Maggie Giddens, Allie Mikelson, Ben Peters and Brian Tyson, along with technical officials Lurah Hess and Kim Scott, on their appointment to the 2025 Men’s and Women’s Junior World Cups - the pinnacle of our sport at the under-21 level. This is an outstanding achievement and a record-breaking milestone for our community. To put it in perspective, since 2013 we have had just one male and one female umpire and one technical official appointed to the Junior World Cups. The involvement of this group, especially our emerging next generation, is crucial for the continued growth of our sport and officiating pathway. Their experiences and knowledge will flow back into our local game, inspiring and strengthening officials across all levels. Getting appointed is only the first step - the challenge now shifts to performing to the highest levels on the world stage and representing USA Field Hockey with pride. We have no doubt that this group will do so and wish them, alongside our two junior national teams, the very best of luck at these major events.”
