Judges

Judges are officials who have qualified on a course which covers the various jobs required for the efficient organisation and control of shooting competitions, such as Equipment Control, Range Control and Classification. Courses deal with competitions run according to the rules of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), although an experienced person holding a Judge’s Licence is likely to be able to work equally efficiently in competitions run to domestic rules and conditions.

Those who successfully complete the course obtain a licence in respect of particular disciplines and / or specialist functions, and at one of three levels.

Licences are issued in respect of the four ISSF shooting disciplines:

• Rifle

• Pistol

• Running Target

• Shotgun

and two specialist functions:

• Target Control

• Electronic Scoring Target Control

Normally a candidate will obtain his first licence in one discipline plus Target Control, but will be able to add further categories to his licence on the successful completion of additional courses.

Licences are issued at three levels, working upwards:

• C Licence - issued by British Shooting (formerly GBTSF)

• B Licence - issued by the ISSF

• A Licence - issued by the ISSF

Qualification for a C or B Licence will be by the successful completion of a course, normally lasting two days. The course will require the approval of British Shooting and/or the ISSF as appropriate and will be conducted by an A Licence holder. The same course can be used for the award of both C and B licences, but the granting of a B licence will require the achievement of a higher mark in the course assessment. However it is normal for a candidate only to be given a C Licence on successful completion of the course for the first time even if a high pass mark is obtained. The grant of a B Licence will normally require a candidate to have possessed a C Licence for at least one year and to have gained some experience of working at competitions as a licence holder.

Holders of C Licences will normally work at competitions held in their own country. The gaining of a B Licence will increase the possibility that the holder may be invited to officiate at minor internationals, whether held at home or abroad.

Promotion from a B to an A Licence will be dependant on the person having been an active B Licence holder for a minimum of four years and have officiated at not less than five international competitions which each have at least five participating nations. On at least two occasions the licence holder must have been a Jury Member.

The detailed arrangements in respect of A and B Licences can be seen in the ISSF Official Statutes Rules and Regulations .

Courses for licences in Rifle, Pistol and Target Control are held in Great Britain on a regular basis, subject to demand. Those wishing to obtain a C Licence, or to upgrade from a C to a B Licence, can register their interest by email to judges@britishshooting.org.uk.

Copies of application and renewal forms for Judge's licences can be downloaded from the British Shooting website.