MNLL UMPIRE POLICY
 
1. The League President provides this Umpire Policy Letter in order to establish information, guidance and standardization for the procedures which govern the Murrieta National Little League (MNLL) Umpire Program. The League’s Umpire-In-Chief is responsible for ensuring this policy letter is followed.
 
2. It is widely recognized that little league umpiring is a demanding but rewarding responsibility. The Volunteer Umpire assumes self-training and an expected conduct which is vital to the success of Murrieta National Little League. It is in the best interest of everyone involved in MNLL to support this policy. 

3. Little League desires that each league develop and maintain a high level of umpire efficiency and stresses that umpires be volunteers and not be paid for volunteering. As such, it is recognized that volunteers are the heart of maintaining a successful program. 

This policy: 

I. Mandates administrative, age, and training requirements which must be met before individuals can umpire in intra-league games. Individuals include managers, coaches, umpires and junior umpires. 

II. Encourages participation in the umpire program 

III. Umpire requirements for games 

IV. New Umpires 

V. Manager Interaction with Junior Umpires 

VI. Requirements for teams to provide umpires, assignment of games to umpire and penalty for not fulfilling the assigned games to umpire 

VII. Umpire assignments and procedures for the end of season In-House Tournament umpire assignments 

VIII. Reports for Ejections and Protests 

IX. Appearance and Dress Code for Umpires 

X. Umpire Code of Conduct 
UMPIRE POLICY 


I. REQUIREMENTS.  
Individuals who will umpire any game in any drafted division are required to: 

A. Little League Volunteer Application. Complete a Little League Volunteer Application and pass a background check and complete the State’s Online Concussion Protocol Course (if age 18 years or older), 

B. Umpire Clinic. Attend and complete a MNLL Umpire Clinic. The clinic will consist of two sessions. 

1. Session One will consist of Little League Rules and Regulations. This session is mandatory for all managers in AA Division and above and all umpires. Board members, Assistant Coaches and parents are highly encouraged to attend. 
a. Individuals who attend the Western Region Rules or District 28 Rules Clinics as well as District Umpires are waived from attending the Rules and Regulations Session. 

2. Session Two will consist of umpire mechanics. This session is mandatory for umpires. 
a. Session One must be attended and completed before attending Session Two. 
b. Individuals who attend the Western Region Rules or District 28 Rules Clinics as well as District Umpires are waived from attending the Rules and Regulations Session. 

3. Multiple dates for both sessions will be scheduled before and during the season. 

C. Umpire Age Requirements. Before umpiring in the below division games, a minimum age requirement must be met by the umpire(s): 

AA: Umpire must be at least 10 years old
AAA: Umpire must be at least 12 years old
Majors: Umpire must be at least 13 years old
Intermediate: Umpire must be at least 14 years old
Juniors: Umpire must be at least 16 years old
Seniors: Umpire must be at least 16 years old

Age requirement can be waived by the UIC based on the Junior Umpire’s baseball knowledge and maturity. In addition, a Junior Umpire can umpire in any Division that is below the Division that the Junior Umpire currently plays in, regardless of age, if allowed by the UIC. 


II. PARTICIPATION IN THE UMPIRE PROGRAM.
 Little League realizes that there will be a high level of turnover for umpires each season. In order to maintain an effective umpire program, a rewards and recognition program will be sustained. For these programs refer to: MNLL’s Umpire Rewards Program. 


III. UMPIRE REQUIREMENTS FOR GAMES.
 The umpire requirement for each game in each division is detailed below: 

Tee-Ball: No umpire is required 
A: No umpire is required; however, one of the team’s managers may serve as an umpire 
AA: A plate umpire is required; one or more base umpires may be assigned 
AAA: A plate umpire is required; one or more base umpires may be assigned 
Majors: A plate umpire is required; one or more base umpires may be assigned 
Inter: A plate umpire is required; one or more base umpires may be assigned 
Juniors: A plate umpire is required; one or more base umpires may be assigned 
Seniors: A plate umpire is required; one or more base umpires may be assigned 

Note: If a game does not have anyone umpire sign up to umpire it, then the Manager or a Coach will umpire the game from behind the pitching mound (Credit will not be given for umpiring that game). 


IV. NEW UMPIRES.
 Umpires who have not umpired before, will be encouraged to umpire a minimum of 1 game with an adult umpire. 


V. MANAGER INTERACTION WITH JUNIOR UMPIRES 
A. Managers will conduct themselves and set a proper example when interacting with Junior Umpires. As such, managers will not argue or comment on calls made by a junior umpire such as, but not limited to; strikes, balls, safe, out, fair and foul. 

B. A manager can still ask questions to a junior umpire on a call, such as asking the junior umpire to ask for the other umpire’s help on a call, however, at no time will a manger continue the conversation once the final call is made. 

C. Any questionable conduct or behavior from any adult (Coach, Manager or Spectator) will be recommended to the League’s Disciplinary Board. 


VI. REQUIREMENTS FOR TEAMS TO PROVIDE UMPIRES, ASSIGNMENT OF UMPIRE GAMES AND PENALTY FOR NOT ACHIEVING UMPIRE POINTS 
A. Team Umpire Requirements. Each team in the AA and above Divisions will be required to provide umpires to the league throughout the season. The team’s umpires may only be the team’s manager, coaches, players, or parents/family members of the team’s players. The provided umpires must meet and complete all administrative, age and training requirements stated in this policy prior to umpiring. 

1. Each team in the AA and above Divisions are required to provide an umpire for a total of 8-10 games. Exact number of games and minimum requirement of plate umpired games will be determined and communicated prior to start of the season. 
a. The team will be given credit for the games umpired by the team’s identified umpires only. 
b. A teams umpires may umpire in any division they are qualified for. 

B. If a team completes a total of ten (10) games umpired in the regular season, that will receive hot dogs and drinks for the Manager, two coaches and all players at their next scheduled game after completing ten (10) umpired games. The UIC and the Manager/Team Parent will coordinate with the Snack Bar Manager. 
C. Penalty. When a manager does not produce a team umpire for the required games before the regular season ends, the following penalty will be asserted: 

a. The manager will not be allowed to manage his/her team in the MNLL In-House Tournament or applicable TOC’s. 

D. Monetary or any other form of payment by a team to an umpire for umpiring a game is not allowed and goes contrary to Little League’s principle of an all-volunteer umpire program. Ensure that no one solicits an umpire to umpire a game for a team for payment. Doing so violates this policy and may have disciplinary consequences. 


VII. UMPIRE ASSIGNMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR THE END OF SEASON IN-HOUSE TOURNAMENT GAMES UMPIRE ASSIGNMENTS 
A. Umpire Assignments. All umpire assignments will be coordinated and scheduled through the Signup Genius Website or app by the umpires themselves, ensuring adherence to minimum age limits. All umpires who have completed the required training will be invited to the Signup Genius Website/app by the UIC. Each Teams Managers are required to ensure that their volunteer umpires have completed the required training and registered for the games required for coverage.

1. Umpires can assign themselves as a plate or base umpire. If an umpire has assigned him/herself as a base umpire and no one assigned themselves as a plate umpire, then the base umpire will be the plate umpire by default. 
2. The UIC will be responsible for maintaining the current schedule page. 

B. In-House Tournament Umpire Assignment. For the MNLL’s In-House Tournament, umpires may submit their names for consideration to the UIC. The UIC will make all In-House Tournament Games Umpire Assignments, to include Championship Games. Total regular season games umpired, and performance will be considered in the selection process. 


VIII. REPORTS FOR EJECTION AND PROTESTS
If a manager, coach, or player is ejected from a game, the umpire who ejected the manager, coach, or player will send a detailed e-mailed to the League President, Umpire in Chief, and the Head Player Agent containing the circumstances surrounding the ejection and the actions taken by the person ejected before, during and after the ejection. Junior umpires are not allowed to eject personnel from the game. The same is required for any protests made by a manager. 


IX. APPEARANCE AND DRESS CODE. 
A. Appearance is a solid attribute to good umpiring. A properly dressed and equipped umpire creates an atmosphere of respect and dignity. All uniform items should be clean and presentable. 

B. Umpire Dress Code. In keeping with proper Umpire Etiquette, all Murrieta National Little League Umpires will be required to adhere to the Umpire Dress Code. Failure to follow the dress code in a game will result in the offender being denied the opportunity to umpire by the UIC, Assistant UIC or Duty Board Member. The following is the Umpire Dress Code: 

1. Shirt: A MNLL umpire shirt or personal regulation umpire shirt with the Little League Umpire patch on the left sleeve. 
2. Pants: Shorts may be worn, but it is highly discouraged to do so. Jeans are acceptable for both bases and plate duties; however, gray or charcoal umpire pants are preferred. 
3. Shoes: Closed toe shoes are mandatory, dark color are preferred. 
4. Uniformity: When two or more umpires work a game together, the wearing of the same color shirt is mandatory. 
5. Protective Equipment: All plate gear will be worn when umpiring behind the plate: mask, chest protector, protective cup (male umpires) and shin guards. No exemptions will be made. 
6. Shirts, protective equipment (mask, chest protector, and chin guards), indicator, brush, umpire ball bag, and water will be made available for all umpires. Male umpires will be required to furnish their own protective cups. 


X. Code of Conduct for Umpires 
A. Conduct. When working a game, an umpire needs to understand that his/her conduct is being scrutinized by the players, managers, coaches, spectators, Duty Board Member and the UIC. Therefore, an umpire is expected to be above reproach. An umpire should never use profane language or lose his/her nerve. An umpire keeps control of a game by hustle, decisiveness, and self-control. Umpires should always remember that they are there to make decisions based on the rules. The below Umpire Code of Conduct is expected to be followed by all umpires at Murrieta National Little League: 

MNLL UMPIRE CODE OF CONDUCT 
1. Fairly call the game. 
2. Respond professionally, communicating the rules effectively. 
3. Treat everyone with dignity and respect. 
4. Ensure your sportsmanship is worthy to be emulated by all on the field. 




The Umpire-in-Chief (UIC) will ensure that this policy is available to all managers, coaches, Board Members, parents, and umpires. 



All questions can be referred to the UIC: 
UIC: Len Conner      [email protected]      (760) 644-9727