This document is intended as a set of guidelines for volunteer umpires in Belmont-Redwood Shores Little League baseball games.  It serves as a list of tips to help prepare the umpire for common aspects of this fun sporting activity and to help prevent common problems from coming to surface.

Who Are BRSLL Umpires?

Farm & AA Umpires

• All umpires for these divisions will be volunteer parents from the teams.
• Farm & AA umps will work a 2-Field Umpire system.

AAA & Majors Umpires

• We will have a combination of paid youth umpires and volunteer adults. When we are short an umpire for a AAA or Majors game, the team in the field will supply an umpire for the bases - only a coach or certified adult (AA umpires from last year for example) will be allowed to do this. Let me know what you think.
• AAA & Majors umps will work a Home Plate / Field Umpire system.

Chief Umpire

• The BRSLL Chief Umpire is listed at http://www.belmontlittleleague.org in the Board of Directors page.
• Contact the Chief Umpire for any BRSLL umpiring questions or issues that you have.

Register to umpire by contacting the Chief Umpire at any time before or during the season.

Umpire Clinics

Farm & AA

A combined Farm/AA training is offered and mandatory for AA umpires.
A combined Majors/AAA training is offered and mandatory for Majors/AAA umpires.
Clinics are presented by the Chief Umpire, division VPs and guest umpires.
The clinics include classroom time as well as outdoor field practice.
Equipment provided: Hat, shirt, indicator, belt pocket, brush, Rules book

All clinics include:

• Basic Rules, Advanced Rules
• Mechanics: Signals, positioning, umpire team work
• Game Management: Starting/Ending games, score-keepers, disputes

Farm/AA training includes:

• 2-man Field umpire system
• Pitching machine rules
• Farm & AA Supplemental Rules

Majors/AAA training includes:

• Home Plate / Field 2-umpire system
• Home Plate Umpiring
• Pitching rules
• AAA & Majors Supplemental Rules

Umpire Scheduling

Farm & AA: Volunteer umpires coordinate schedule with fellow volunteer team umpire and manager.

AAA & Majors: Self-assignments are made on http://www.TheArbiter.net

Canceling assignments:

• Find a replacement for yourself
• Closer than 48 hours to game time and cannot find replacement
  • Email or call Chief Umpire
  • Half pay next game
• No replacement, no call or email, no show:
  • No pay next game

Self-schedule yourself in TheArbiter.net:

• To be sure to get paid click on Information to input your home address for pay checks
• Log in and click on “Self-Assign” to pick umpire slots you’re eligible for
• When an email arrives, click into it to Accept any assigned games

Umpire Equipment and Supplies

Personal Gear

• Long or short pants (jeans or slacks) with belt
• Athletic shoes (no cleats)
• Athletic cup – mandatory for home plate umpires

Supplied Gear

The Chief Umpire with assistance and approval of the President and the Treasurer will procure the following items for the umpire crews:

• BRSLL Umpire hats: Full-brim for Farm/AA umpires and 4-seam for Majors/AAA umpires
• BRSLL Umpire shirts
• Rule:
  • Green Books, $1.50/ea (one for each umpire)
  • Online rules summary (basic and advanced) at BRSLL web site Umpires Page
• Umpire packet: Indicator, Home Plate Brush, Belt Pocket
• Home plate umpire gear (at field sheds)
  • Mask with dangling near guard (wear with a loose fit)
  • Chest Protector (wear under BRSLL umpire shirt and over tee-shirt)
  • Leg protectors

Umpire Wages (Spring Season 2019)

Adult umpires are strictly volunteer and unpaid, but youth umpires will be paid for each AAA & Majors game they work.

The pay for is the same for AAA and Majors:

• Home Plate position = $50/game
• Field position = $40/game

The positions worked is registered and stored in the online scheduling system. Each umpire is responsible for making sure they are properly signed up including substitutions.

The Chief Umpire periodically reports the number of positions worked per umpire to the Treasurer who then writes and mails checks to the umpires’ homes. The Chief Umpire maintains the list of home addresses and makes it available to the Treasurer.