Most, if not all volunteer Little League umpires want to do a good job. We are here on our time, not for money but for the benefit of the kids and for our own love of the game. We always want to get the call right and we are our strongest critics when we make a mistake.
Although there is no official Little League umpire certification program, the committee felt that a district level certification program would be a great tool in helping us accomplish our mission. To this end, we have defined a multi-level district certification program. Each level builds on the knowledge and skills gained at the previous level. As umpires advance through this program, they will become eligible to umpire in higher level games and tournaments which could culminate in a Regional tournament assignment where they will be evaluated by the Southeastern Region staff for a possible World Series assignment.
One area of great need throughout the district is umpiring in the Little League Softball program. As Little League umpires, we have an obligation to the children of the leagues where we umpire. All of the children. Many umpires avoid softball. Some think it's boring, some are uncertain of the rules, some say the parents are harder to deal with and some don't really have a reason, they just know they don't want to do it. Many umpires find that once they give softball a try, they really like it. They discover the rules aren't all that much different, the parents aren't as bad as they heard and the game can often move quite fast and be very exciting.
In an effort to develop well rounded Little League umpires as well as meet the needs of the children of our communities, the committee has included softball education as well as softball game requirements to our certification program. Our position is that District 17 provides free training, uniform shirts, umpire hats, an annual umpire awards banquet, a path to advancement within the Little League program and many other benefits to our umpires. It is not unreasonable to ask an umpire to work a softball game from time to time for the benefit of the children we are here to serve.