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There are many reasons people decide to become an umpire. Some are helping their club while others aim to extend their playing career or seek social and community involvement.

Becoming an accredited umpire highlights a recognised level of competence and effort and enables you to wear the Softball Australia Umpires logo with pride, knowing you have earned it.

Prior to deciding to become an official umpire of softball, the following next steps provide excellent insights into the role of an umpire and whether it is suited to you.

• You will need to keep good fitness levels for the role
• You will need to familiarise yourself with the member policies and guideline related to umpires
• An outline of the accreditation process and registration will also give you a scope of the education pathway available to you
• You will need to know the basic skills involved in playing softball as you will need to umpire on throwing, catching, fielding a ball, hitting and moving between bases. More tips and training programs to help you develop your skills.
• It is helpful to have an understanding of the basic softball rules and terminology
• Extensive umpiring resources are available to answer all your enquires
• There are also various umpire profiles available to provide you with inspiration
• The frequently asked questions or Ask an umpire sections also offer invaluable insights for umpire beginners
• There are many regularly updated resources for umpires, including the umpiring news
•  You can find a club near you or contact your State or Softball Australia for more information.

More than 2,300 accredited softball umpires throughout Australia spend their summer ruling the diamond at local clubs and associations. They dedicate their time to umpiring as the benefits include helping improve fitness and knowledge, enhancing leadership and management skills in high-pressure situations and also having fun.

A good umpire is able to demonstrate knowledge of the rules, quick decision-making, an ability to explain and defend decisions and a willingness to keep the game moving at a steady pace.

Most umpires start at local association level and umpire from junior through to senior competitions. As umpires gain skills and confidence, they often seek optional ongoing accreditation, which can lead to umpiring state, national and international games.

Australia is well represented on the international panel of umpires who officiate in international competitions around the world and the umpire profiles at state and national level will inspire all budding umpires.

During the last 20 years, Softball Australia National Umpiring sub-Committee (NUC) has spearheaded the technical development of umpiring in softball. The NUC reports to Softball Australia Technical Committee and the Softball Australia Board. The NUC is managed by 4 national umpires in chiefs (UIC) and 7 national staff volunteer committee members, all of whom share a reputable career in umpiring softball at national and elite levels.

The NUC oversees the sporting governance policies applicable to umpiring Softball in Australia and is also responsible for providing extensive education resources. In addition, Softball Australia also nominates honours and awards for all members of the Softball community, including umpires, as they play a critical role in the game of softball. Members also value the Umpiring news updates and the photo gallery managed by the NUC and Softball Australia.

As the NUC streamlines and integrates umpiring content to the Softball Australia website, it aims to make information more accessible. Please contact Softball Australia and the NUC if you have any further enquiries.