Officials
For all general enquiries about officiating in British baseball, please email - officials@britishbaseball.org.uk
Umpiring – we have been running BBF Foundation (Level 6) Umpiring Courses prior to the 2023 season to meet with the objectives of our development plans. This has created more than 50 newly qualified umpires within our sport and we will continue to progress our plans, through online resources and on the field assessment.
The BBF Summer Cup will be used for the Level 5 Umpiring Course (which is on field and practical based) and depending on demand, we may have other courses running during the season. Thereafter, we will have a schedule of off-season courses and events to provide ongoing development and support to umpires.
The following forms are available to use as required:
Our newly launched Umpire Handbook provides information and guidance on how to best officiate at a British baseball game. Drawn on many years of experience of our own senior umpires, it covers a wide range of topics, tips and tricks to complement our umpire education and training events. We very much welcome feedback on the document, but most of all on umpiring in general so we encourage everyone to contribute via the various communication channels we have detailed in the handbook and below
For more information on umpiring in British baseball please email umpiring@britishbaseball.org.uk
Scoring
Scoring guidance has been moved to the Members Hub
For more information on or questions about scoring in British baseball, please email scoring@britishbaseball.org.uk
Technical Commissioners – this season, we will be introducing a programme for those interested in becoming a technical commissioner. Technical commissioners are essentially game directors/field managers who ensure the event organiser’s protocols and rules are followed and operations are performed properly for each game they are assigned to.
For more information on being a technical commissioner in British baseball please email officials@britishbaseball.org.uk
2024 BBF UMPIRE RATES
The tables below show the rates for 9 and 7-inning single games in NBL and Triple A, as well indicative rates for all other leagues. The rates per umpire also depend on whether there are one or more umpires. For double headers, teams should add the relevant umpire fees together accordingly. A fixed amount for travel of £30 is due in addition to the game rates.
Providing constructive feedback is critical to improving umpiring within the Federation as it helps to shape plans for development and training as well as providing support and or recognition to the individual concerned.
For any incidents during games umpires must complete this form within 24 hours of the incident occurring. Any other participant may complete this form should it be appropriate to do so
No excuse to abuse an official
There are a limited amount of umpires available at the top level. We are fortunate to have some of the top umpires internationally who occasionally umpire competitions abroad and are selected for their skills (e.g, CEB tournaments, Little League and Pony tournaments).
We promote a culture where umpires should be treated with respect, admiration, patience, kindness and understanding.
Umpires do make mistakes and it is not to say fans should not criticise them, however, when criticism turns into abuse, you can expect an enforcement action from the BBF.
Without umpires there would be no organised games. So, understand the rules and the differences between judgement calls and rules violations. The aforementioned pre-empts arguments during a game.