The Baseball Victoria Board of Directors has made changes to the umpiring structure for BV programs and has ratified the decision to take over payment of umpires and development of umpires on top of our existing scheduling responsibilities for the 2021/22 VSBL season and beyond.
This comes amid discussions with the Baseball Umpires Association of Victoria (BUAV) regarding the best way to move forward. The board sees this as an important opportunity for change and growth, with the ultimate goal of offering more umpire development to increase numbers and ensure our sport has a successful future with dedicated officials.
“The Baseball Victoria Board has been strategising potential changes to further enhance umpiring opportunities for several years, and now as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic, we feel this is the right time to do so,” Baseball Victoria President Meghan Mayman said. “As umpiring is being reviewed nationally with a unified scheme and online accreditations coming in the near future, we have the opportunity to offer exciting umpire development opportunities.
“With no ABL or traditional national championships, this is the opportune time to address umpiring pathways to give our volunteers greater support. We thank the BUAV for their efforts and services over the years and we look forward to a bright future of umpiring in grassroots baseball.”
We will honour current umpire accreditations for an additional 12 months while the broader restructure is occurring.
Plans for Umpire Development
Our future umpire development will include:
- Minimum of 10 community umpiring development sessions run across the 2021/22 VSBL season
- Looking to combine clubs by regions similar to charter, with dates communicated mid-late November
- Larger umpire development pathway will be reviewed in alignment with Baseball Australia movement
Umpire Pay Structure
Baseball Victoria is committed to providing transparency regarding umpire payments in the future.
The new pay structure is outlined below.
- $2 from each game will go towards the community umpiring sessions and staffing resources
- BV will be paying umpires directly
| Division | Umpire Payment | Development Contribution |
| 1-2-3 First Nine + Div 1 Women | $73 | $2 |
| All other games | $63 | $2 |
| Washout/Heat | $48 | $2 |
Expressions of Interest
Baseball Victoria is accepting expressions of interest for umpires to reach out about being involved in the 2021/22 VSBL season and development opportunities moving forward.
Please click HERE for expressions of interest, which close on Wednesday 10 November 2021.