Interested in Becoming a Referee or Umpire?
Baseball
Message from the RRVB UIC
Message from the Red River Valley Baseball Umpire in Chief:
My name is William Streilein and the 2021 season will be my first as Umpire in Chief of Red River Valley Baseball. I am excited to begin a new season and a new adventure in overseeing the recruitment and development of umpires throughout the region.
A little bit about myself, I have been a certified umpire for a combined 12 seasons now, 6 during my teenage years and another 6 now in my adulthood. I began officiating in Red River Valley Baseball in 2003 when I was 14 years. Over the following 6 seasons I became a level 3 umpire working numerous league, city, and provincial championships. I stepped away from the game for work and schooling until 2016 when I decided to recertify while living in Brandon. In 2017, I earned an invitation into the province’s high performance program and moved back to Winnipeg. Eventually earning my Level 4 national certification following the 2019 season.
Since joining the high performance program I have been fortunate enough to work two national level events, the 2018 U21 women’s invitational and the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games, and was in line to officiate the 2020 U13 national Championships prior to their cancellation.
In the role of Umpire in Chief a big focus will be on the recruitment and development of umpires. Without umpires there is no baseball and at Red River Valley Baseball we welcome and encourage everyone to try their hand at umpiring. If you are over the age of 12, boys and girls, you can become an umpire. So take on the challenge, bring out friends and family, and spend an awesome summer on diamond together. We are sure once you get started you’ll want to stay.
I hope to see you all on the diamond this summer. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at UIC@redrivervalleybaseball.ca.
Will Streilein
Umpire in Chief
Red River Valley Baseball
Frequently asked questions
Why should I become an umpire?
There are endless reasons to try your hand at umpiring baseball.
- Great for building character, teamwork, and leadership skills
- Build lifelong friendships
- Stay active and outdoors all summer
- Flexible schedules
- Get paid, make some extra summer savings
- Perfect first job experience for youth officials
- Excellent bonding activity for parents and children
Who can become an umpire?
Anyone, boys and girls, 12 year of age and older can certify to become an umpire. No past baseball experience is required.
How much does it cost to umpire?
The cost to become certified is $60, but it can be free. Umpires who certify and work 10 games through Red River Valley Baseball will be reimbursed their clinic fee. An even greater incentive, if an umpire works 30 games through Red River Valley Baseball they will earn an extra $150.
What equipment is needed to umpire?
Basic catchers gear is required for working behind the plate, this includes a mask, chest protector, shin guards, and protective cup. For your uniform you will need black or powder blue collared shirt (no logos), grey pants, black shoes, and a black baseball cap (no logos). A Baseball Manitoba umpire patch will be provided.
How do I become certified?
To become an umpire you can register for a clinic through Baseball Manitoba and sign up for any clinic in the Red River Valley Baseball area.
How do the clinics work?
For level 1 and 2 umpires, the clinic will be split into sections, an online course and an on field course. The online course is roughly 2 hours in length and the on field course will run 6 hours.
For level 3 umpires, the course will be done completely online for 2021.
Once certified what position will I be filling on the field?
We train all umpires to be able to work as both the plate umpire and the base umpire. Our goal at Red River Valley is to have two umpires for all games, as such when selecting games you can choose to work the plate or the bases.
How often will I be working games?
Umpire at your own leisure, you can work as many or as few games as you wish. The online assigning tool allows you to pick what games you work, when you want to work.
Do I have to travel to umpire games?
Travel outside your community is not a requirement of umpiring. Just like you can select what days you want to work, the online assigning tool also allows you to pick and choose what locations. While Red River Valley Baseball does extend outside the city of Winnipeg there is no requirement to travel.
For those living outside Winnipeg and travel into the city to umpire, there is a $10 incentive for travel. The same incentive is applied for those who live inside Winnipeg and travel outside the city to umpire.
