For all general enquiries about officiating in British baseball, please email – officials@britishbaseball.org.uk

Umpiring – we ran 17 BBF Foundation (Level 6) Umpiring Courses prior to the 2026 season to meet with the objectives of our development plans.  This has created more than 300 newly qualified umpires within our sport and we will continue to progress our plans, through online resources and on the field assessments. 

The BBF Summer Cup, together with other BBF sanctioned events throughout the year, will be used for the Level 5 and Level 4 Umpiring Courses (which are on field and practical based) and depending on demand, we may have other courses running during the season.  Thereafter, we will have a schedule of off-season courses and events to provide ongoing development and support to umpires.

The following forms are available to use as required:

UMPIRE SCORECARD – For Team Managers

Providing constructive feedback through these scorecards is essential to the ongoing improvement of umpiring within British Baseball. It not only helps shape development and training plans but also ensures individual umpires receive appropriate support, guidance, or recognition based on their performance.

INCIDENT REPORT FORM – For Umpires

For any incidents during games umpires must complete this form within 24 hours of the incident occurring. Any other participant may complete this form should it be appropriate to do so

Umpire Feedback Form to assess team and spectator behaviour, plus general field and facility conditions. NB: This does not replace the Incident Report Form that is mandatory for ejections or other serious incidents.

The Umpire Handbook provides information and guidance on how to best officiate at a British baseball game.  Drawn on many years of experience of our own senior umpires, it covers a wide range of topics, tips and tricks to complement our umpire education and training events.  We very much welcome feedback on the document, but most of all on umpiring in general so we encourage everyone to contribute via the various communication channels we have detailed in the handbook and below

For more information on umpiring in British baseball please email umpiring@britishbaseball.org.uk

Scoring – Scoring guidance has been moved to the Members Hub

For more information on or questions about scoring in British baseball, please email scoring@britishbaseball.org.uk

Technical Commissioners – this season, we will be introducing a programme for those interested in becoming a technical commissioner. Technical commissioners are essentially game directors/field managers who ensure the event organiser’s protocols and rules are followed and operations are performed properly for each game they are assigned to.

For more information on being a technical commissioner in British baseball please email officials@britishbaseball.org.uk

2026 BBF UMPIRE RATES 

The tables below show the rates for 9 and 7-inning single games in NBL and Divs 2, 3 & 4, as well indicative rates for all other leagues.  The rates per umpire also depend on whether there are one or more umpires. For double headers, teams should add the relevant umpire fees together accordingly.

If you are asked to supply an invoice for your umpiring services you can download a template here

Incomplete, Postponed, or Cancelled Games; Umpires in Transit

Umpires who are at the field and ready to officiate the scheduled games are entitled to the full game fees and travel (if applicable) for those scheduled games, regardless of forfeit, inclement weather, light restrictions making play unsafe, any other reason causing games not to finish as regulation, or for tournament changes not relayed to you prior to arriving (i.e. scheduled three game series reduced to two due to a sweep, or tournament game cancellation). Furthermore, the same applies to umpires in transit to scheduled games on that day, within reason. Always check if in doubt before setting off that games are going ahead as scheduled if there is any doubt and remember that part of your responsibilities is to ensure the games are played unless unsafe or impossible to do so.

No excuse to abuse an official

There are a limited amount of umpires available at the top level. We are fortunate to have some of the top umpires internationally who occasionally umpire competitions abroad and are selected for their skills and experience. 

We promote a culture where umpires should be treated with respect, admiration, patience, kindness and understanding. 

Umpires do make mistakes and it is not to say fans should not criticise them, however, when criticism turns into abuse, you can expect an enforcement action from the BBF. 

Without umpires there would be no organised games. So, understand the rules and the differences between judgement calls and rules violations. The aforementioned pre-empts arguments during a game. 

Concussion Guidelines

The UK Concussion Guidelines for grassroots sports can be viewed here