You’ve thought about becoming a softball umpire and need a place to get started.

Find out about the local officials associations in your area. An officiating association is a group of umpires who meet periodically to discuss rules, mechanics and philosophy. They are a great way for new umpires to learn from veteran umpires.

Attend a game in your area and ask the umpires what association they belong to and whom to contact for information. The association will be a valuable pool of resources for training, obtaining games and getting to know the officiating community.

Attend association meetings. At those meetings, some held before the season starts, you can ask questions about rules, mechanics and positioning. Those sessions will be a foundation to get you started properly.
Expect normal physical demands. As the players’ competitive levels increase, the physical demands will rise. You will be required to jog several times to properly position yourself. You will stand several hours on end, occasionally in high heat.

Expect lectures, demonstration and exercises on the basic rules at local association meetings.

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• Polished, black athletic shoes. Either turf shoe or flat—bottom.
• Black socks.
• Grey or navy slacks depending upon area. Check with local association.
• A specialized powder blue shirt. Some associations wear a red or navy golf shirt.
• Black leather belt.
• A cap. Get a sized one rather than an adjustable.
• Officiating tools: pencil, flipping coin, indicator and a ballbag.

If you umpire fast pitch you will need these items:

• A mask with a throat protector.
• An inside chest protector.
• A cup (for men).
• Shinguards.
• Protective plate shoes.
• Estimated cost: $350. Sometimes, veteran umpires have "hand—me—downs" that help new umpires get started.

Talk with umpires at a game, contact the athletic department of a local high school or contact your local recreation department. They will be able to give you the name of the state governing body for high school athletics. You will be expected to complete a registration form for affiliation with a national, statewide or local association. Often there will be a fee that must be paid with this registration which goes toward additional officiating training and insurance. Often, with your state association fee, you will be provided rulebooks and other materials. The fees range from $10—$50.

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Game fees vary widely based on the players’ age group, competitive level and the state you umpire in. You can expect the range of $10 for youth games to $45 for competitive high school varsity games.

Ask a respected veteran umpire to be your mentor. That mentor will help answer your questions and provide crucial support. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about situations and rules. The more you talk about umpiring, the more you will learn about it.

The different organizations have different requirements but most require at least attendance at a meeting to go over any current rule changes. Additional requirements may be a written test with a minimum passing score, payment of fees for the upcoming season and association meeting attendance.

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Climbing the ladder: Here’s the path for starting and continuing your umpiring career:

*The youth level: Many umpires start at that level. Contact your local recreation department leaders. Your local association should also help you make contacts to get games.

*Upgrading to high school: After working some games, you may feel you have the skills and confidence to work higher level competition. Contact your state association for registration information.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the nation’s governing body for high school athletics. Contact the NFHS for rulebooks, rule changes and information on your state association.

NFHS
P.O. Box 690
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317/972-6900

In most cases, state associations can put you in contact with a local officials association. NASO has more than 4,000 local officials associations in our database. Local officials associations assign games, many times offer mentoring programs and assist in training. You may Contact Us for a local association near you.

High school athletic directors, association assigners and other umpires will help you get games. Attend local officiating camps and clinics. They are focused on helping umpires learn and improve.

*Upgrading to college: College officiating is a highly competitive level. Officials with one year of youth league experience would most likely not be a candidate even though there isn’t a designated number of years of experience to reach the college ranks. Obtaining a conference schedule and advancement within a conference is based on the league or conference. When first trying to enter a particular college conference, talk with officials who are currently in the conference. They can give you valuable information, such as the conference commissioner and officiating camps to attend. College athletic directors or sports information directors can also be helpful. Click here for an NCAA college conference directory.

You may start your career in the NAIA, work an NCAA Division III conference, advance to a Division II schedule, then on to a smaller Division I conference and culminate with a major Division I schedule. Attending officiating camps is an important tool to improve your officiating. Not only can you learn from experienced officials, you can be seen by those who assign games at that particular level, most often conference commissioners or officiating supervisors.

The collegiate national governing bodies:

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222
317/917-6222
http://www.ncaa.org/

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
23500 W. 105th Street
P.O. Box 1325
Olathe, KS 66051-1325
913/791-0044
http://www.naia.org

National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
P.O. Box 7305
Colorado Springs, CO 80933- 7305
719/590-9788
http://www.njcaa.org

*Independent national organizations: The Amateur Softball Association, the National Softball Association and the United States Specialty Sports Association are national bodies for softball. They provide opportunities in league and tournament play at a local, state and national levels. The league’s ages range from 10 years old and under to 75 and over.

Amateur Softball Association (ASA)
2801 N.E. 50th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
405/424-5266
http://softball.org/

United States Specialty Sport Association (USSSA)
P.O. Box 1998
Petersburg, VA 23805
804/732-4099
Fax: 804/732-1704
http://www.usssa.com/sports/

National Softball Association (NSA)
1350 Bethel Rd.
Nicholasville, KY 40356
859/887-4114
http://www.playnsa.com

*Professional league: With the advent of the Women’s Professional Fast Pitch League, there is a chance to work professional softball. Umpires for that league usually have several years of NCAA experience. You will be evaluated by a national staff, state umpires—in—chief or regional evaluators before being invited to the league.

National Professional Fastpitch
90 Madison St., Suite 200
Denver, CO 80206
303/316-7800
http://www.profastpitch.com/

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