Michelle Meister
{{short description|German field hockey umpire (b. 1978)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Michelle Meister
| image = GBR vs USA FIHPL match 2019.jpg
| caption = Meister umpiring a Great Britain vs USA FIH Pro League match in 2019
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|1978}}
| nationality = German
| known_for = Field hockey umpire
| awards = 2018 FIH Umpire of the Year
}}
Michelle Meister (born 1978) is a German field hockey umpire. She was the 2018 FIH Umpire of the Year and was one of the two first women to umpire at the Euro Hockey League. She umpires for the Köpenicker Hockey-Union in Berlin.{{Cite web|url=https://beta.hockey.de/news/8xfbbt.html|title=WM-Schiris Göntgen & Meister|website=beta.hockey.de|language=de|access-date=2019-02-22}}
Umpiring career
Meister previously played hockey for 20 years, from the age of 7, until she had to quit because of a herniated disc.{{Cite web|url=https://eurohockey.org/meister-and-delforge-set-to-become-first-female-umpires-in-ehl-at-round1-in-barcelona-in-october/|title=Meister and Delforge set to become first female umpires in EHL at Round 1 in Barcelona in October|date=2018-09-06|website=Home of The European Hockey Federation|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-22}} She started umpiring in 2005 and umpired her first match in the German national league in 2007.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockey.de/VVI-web/default.asp?lokal=DHB&innen=/VVI-web/Adressbuch/Schiedsrichter-Portrait.asp&persid=100794&Back=hist|title=hockey.de|website=www.hockey.de|access-date=2019-02-22}} She has since umpired almost 300 matches in this league.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dosb.de/sonderseiten/news/news-detail/news/hockey-michelle-meister-ist-welt-schiedsrichterin-2018/?no_cache=1&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=08447bd7da88e8f082601ea9c33f43f4|title=Hockey: Michelle Meister ist Welt-Schiedsrichterin 2018|last=Artrevolver|website=www.dosb.de|language=de|access-date=2019-02-22}} Her first international appointment was the 2009 European Indoor Club Cup in Madrid, Spain.{{Cite web|url=https://fivemetresplease.com/preparing-for-the-indoor-world-cup-with-michi-meister/|title=Preparing for the Indoor World Cup with Michi Meister|date=2018-01-24|website=Five Metres Please|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-02-22}} She umpired both the 2014 World Cup in The Hague and the 2018 World Cup in London.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.eurohockey.org/rabobank-world-cup-women-officials-announced/|title=Rabobank World Cup Women officials are announced!|date=2013-12-13|website=Home of The European Hockey Federation|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-22}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/news.asp?itemid=42799&itemTitle=Officials+named+for+Vitality+Hockey+Women%27s+World+Cup§ion=22|title=Officials named for Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup - England Hockey|website=www.englandhockey.co.uk|access-date=2019-02-22}} At the 2016 Olympic Games she umpired the opening match between Argentina and USA. In 2017 she received the 'Goldene Ehrennadel' award from the German Hockey Federation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hockeyplatz.de/VVI-web/default.asp?lokal=BHV&innen=/VVI-web/Nachrichten/Nachrichten-Einzel.asp&ID=11823|title=BerlinHockey|website=www.hockeyplatz.de|access-date=2019-02-22}}
In 2018 Meister made history, together with fellow umpire Laurine Delforge, by being the first female umpire in the Euro Hockey League, the annual European men's field hockey cup competition.{{Cite web|url=https://ehlhockey.tv/news/meister-and-delforge-set-to-become-first-female-umpires-in-ehl-at-round1-in-barcelona-in-october/|title=Meister and Delforge set to become first female umpires in EHL at ROUND1 in Barcelona in October|website=EHL|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://hockeybelgium.lesoir.be/hockey-international/laurine-delforge-officiera-lors-de-lehl-a-barcelone/|title=Laurine Delforge officiera lors de l'EHL à Barcelone|date=2018-09-06|website=Hockeybelgium|language=fr-FR|access-date=2019-11-02}}
In 2019 it was announced that Meister was awarded the 2018 Umpire of the Year award by the FIH.{{Cite web|url=http://fih.ch/news/umpires-of-the-year-2018-michelle-meister-marcin-grochal/|title=Umpires of the Year 2018: Michelle Meister & Marcin Grochal {{!}} FIH|website=fih.ch|access-date=2019-02-22}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sport.de/news/ne3533000/feldhockey-michelle-meister-ist-welt-schiedsrichterin-2018/|title=Feldhockey: Michelle Meister ist Welt-Schiedsrichterin 2018|website=sport.de|language=de|access-date=2019-11-02}} On 12 October Meister umpired her 300th game in the German Bundesliga.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hamburghockey.de/VVI-web/default.asp?lokal=HHV&innen=/VVI-web/Nachrichten/Nachrichten-DE.asp&Seite=HSR |title=HamburgHockey |date=2019-11-02 |website= |access-date=2019-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102143459if_/http://www.hamburghockey.de/VVI-web/default.asp?lokal=HHV&innen=/VVI-web/Nachrichten/Nachrichten-DE.asp&Seite=HSR |archive-date=2 November 2019 |url-status=dead}}
International tournament appointments
- Indoor EuroHockey Club Cup - 2009 (Madrid)
- Indoor European Cup - 2010 (Duisburg),{{Cite web|url=http://www.deutscher-hockey-bund.de/VVI-web/default.asp?lokal=HES&innen=/VVI-web/Nachrichten/Bericht-Einzel.asp&ID=721|title=HessenHockey|website=www.deutscher-hockey-bund.de|access-date=2019-11-02}} 2012 (Leipzig) and 2016 ;(Minsk)
- Indoor World Cup - 2011 (Poznan), 2015 (Leipzig), 2018 (Berlin)
- EuroHockey Club Cup - 2010 (Berlin), 2013 (Bloemendaal), 2014 (Den Bosch), 2015 (Bilthoven), 2017 (Bloemendaal), 2018 (London)
- European Cup - 2011 (Mönchengladbach), 2015 (London), 2017 (Amsterdam)
- Hockey World Cup - 2014 (The Hague), 2018 (London)
- Champions Trophy - 2012 (Rosario)
- Olympic Games - 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)