Baseball Victoria’s Behind the Mask Umpire Program is off to a great start, with more than 50 participants completing our free umpire accreditation courses at Knox Baseball Club last weekend. National Umpire Director Brett Robson led these courses for new umpires and current umpires wanting to refresh their skills.
We started with a community umpire course on Saturday morning, which included baseball rules, positioning, and signalling mechanics for umpiring at the beginner ball level and senior games.
Next came our association umpire course on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, with theoretical and practical components to ensure umpires can officiate at club level.
“Thank you to everyone who participated in our Behind the Mask courses at Knox over the weekend,” Baseball Victoria CEO Chet Gray said. “We had a fantastic turnout of umpires, from junior players to experienced senior baseballers, and we hope to see them taking advantage of umpire opportunities throughout the summer season. We know the future is bright for our umpiring fraternity and we will continue to support and grow our sport.”
Junior player James Mills from Malvern Baseball Club found it to be a fantastic learning experience.
"It was great to practice with the Barclay Cup squad training," James said. "Brett and all the umpires were so willing to help us new recruits. I really want to do umpiring and keep my eye on the game."
The BV Umpiring Working Group was pleased with the turnout for their first seminar.
"Having Brett Robson from Baseball Australia here to run the community program was a great initiative and we look forward to what lies ahead for future seminars," said Geoff Dunn, State Umpire – Development. "Special thanks to parents, players and juniors for their attendance over the weekend."
Robson was happy to be involved as BA's National Umpire Director.
"The new Behind The Mask program is dedicated to umpire recruitment and development. I thank Chet, Brooke, and the four members of the BV Umpiring Working Group (Dave, Geoff, Dennis and Alan) for their support and assistance," Robson said.
"48 community accredited umpires were in attendance at the association umpire seminar in what is an exciting and fresh beginning for baseball umpiring in Victoria. I wish Chet and his team all the very best as they move forward in a positive and highly collaborative way. Thanks for the opportunity and I look forward to many more visits!"
Registered Behind the Mask umpires have an opportunity to receive game payments for plate and base umpiring. Please view the BV Umpiring Hub for more details.
If you require any information on starting your baseball umpiring journey, please contact the BV Umpire Technical Officer.