Waterloo Minor Baseball faces umpire shortage

Waterloo Minor Baseball needs to be able to assign two umpires per game before the season begins on May 15.

Right now, they don’t have enough.

The association’s Umpire in Chief, Brent Matheson, told the Mike Farwell show on Wednesday reasons he believes factor into the shortage.

“It’s a time commitment,” he said. “It’s a commitment on parents to get them to the ball diamond.”

He also mentioned the emotional toll.

“On the field we have run-ins with coaches,” he said. “If you think about a 12-year-old umpire umpiring a rookie ball game, coming face-to-face with a full-grown man screaming at them in the face, it becomes a little intimidating for the umpire. It becomes a little too much for them to handle and they shy away from the game after that.”

Matheson said there’s a code of conduct in place, and that coaches and players’ parents are told in the offseason not to yell at the umpires, but the games often get the better of them.

Most games require two umpires. Last year many of the games had to be played with just one. The lone umpires would get paid double their regular wage.

According to Matheson, pay for entry-level games goes up to $30 per game, while those working the junior level can earn up to $85 per game.

To become qualified, candidates as young as 12 years old complete an online component on their own time, as well as an on-field session. Those in-person courses run Saturday and May 13 to help learn positioning on the field.

Anyone interested in doing the training can register here on Kitchener Minor Baseball’s website, where their sessions are merged with Waterloo Minor Baseball.