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Umpire - Becoming One
Certification Process
Both new and returning Annette Baseball Umpires must complete a Baseball Ontario Umpire Development certification course. Certification must be completed each year in order to remain eligible to umpire at Annette.The Baseball Ontario Umpire certification process works as follows:
Level 1: All new umpires begin their certification process at Level 1. The Level 1 certification course must be completed two consecutive years before an umpire is qualified to advance to Level 2.
Level 2: Once an umpire has completed their Level 1 certification two years in a row, they are eligible to participate in the Level 2 certification course. Similar to Level 1, an umpire must complete their Level 2 certification 3 consecutive years before advancing in the certification process.
Level 3: Once qualified for Level 3, an umpire is eligible to gain their certification for the year by completing and passing an online exam. Every three years, instead of an online exam, an umpire must gain their certification by attending a Baseball Ontario hosted Super Clinic.
Annette Baseball annually hosts both a Level 1 and Level 2 clinic. For more details on Annette’s annual umpire clinics, please visit out Umpire Clinic FAQ page. Umpires do not have to attend the Annette Baseball umpire clinic to be eligible to umpire for the league.
Should an umpire gain certification at another association’s clinic but wishes to umpire for Annette, please contact Jack Kenny at annetteumpire@gmail.com.
Qualifications – Am I Eligible to Become an Umpire?
1) Umpires must be at least 11 years of age or turning 11 during the season
2) Previous baseball experience is not required but is an asset
3) Umpires do not have to currently be playing baseball at Annette
Role Responsibilities – What Does It Take to be an Umpire?
1) Know and understand the rules of baseball, including the specific rules for each division you are umpiring (e.g. Rookie Ball specific rules).
2) Officiate games in a professional manner as per the rules of baseball.
3) Use your knowledge of the rules of baseball to make calls/rulings throughout the course of a game.
4) Communicate your decisions with both coaches and players.
5) Work as a cohesive unit with your umpiring partner each game.
6) Timeliness and Reliability – Arrive on time and ready to umpire for all game assignments.
7) Take good care of all league umpire equipment and return equipment to the chest in the shed once you are finished with it.
8) Sign-In Sheets – Write your name in the binder in the shed each time you work a game at Ravina to confirm your attendance for that assignment.
9) Have fun and gain a deeper understanding of the game of baseball!
Umpire Equipment/Uniform
Shirt: All umpires are required to wear a navy blue umpiring shirt. This shirt can be purchased at National Sports or Home Run Sports. Shirts should also be tucked into your pants while umpiring as we are trying to look professional!
Pants: Umpires must wear dark grey pants. It is not mandatory to purchase the fairly expensive umpiring pants but umpires must wear something similar in nature. Blue jeans and shorts are not to be worn.
Level 2 & Above Umpires: For those of you who will be working any select games and plan to continue umpiring higher levels of baseball into the future, investing in a good pair of actual umpire pants is highly recommended (particularly you older umps who won't outgrow their pants in a year!)
Hat: A hat is also part of the umpiring uniform. It is recommended but not mandatory to purchase an official (short brim) umpire hat. For those of you umping house league games, an Annette A's hat will suffice. For those of you working select games, please wear a neutral (i.e. NOT Annette A's) black or navy blue hat.
Level 2 & Above Umpires: Again, for those of you who will be working any select games and plan to continue umpiring higher levels of baseball into the future, investing in an official umpire hat is highly recommended
Shoes: Please wear black shoes or black cleats.
Equipment: Two pieces of equipment are mandatory for every umpire: 1) a clicker (to keep track of the count) and 2) a brush (to clean home plate). You can often purchase both pieces together in a set. All other equipment (shin guards, chest protectors, and masks) can be purchased by an umpire if they wish but will be provided at Ravina.
Questions/ Concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns regarding everything to do with umpiring at Annette, please do not hesitate to contact Jack Kenny at annetteumpire@gmail.com.
Helpful Links:
Rules of Baseball
Umpire Positioning Manuals
Annette 9U Rules
Annette 11U Rules
Annette 13U Rules