Interesting. I am also rurual, but I travel to work the big events within my own metro.

Here, it works like this

Several tournament hosting organizations have contracted with the umpire organization to provide officials for tournaments. The tournaments are pretty much weekly through the season (mar-nov) and some huge. Each weekend 30-80 umpires are dispatched to these tournaments. This does not include any national / regional championship play events.

Likewise on the NFHS side, every high school I know of goes through our organization to provide officials for most of their games of just every sport. As such, it would be very easy for me to say, transition to football or baseball, because it is the same organization; albeit different leadership. I know the peeps, and easy to get in if I chose.

The exceptions for ASA are: Rec leagues & beer leagues and some small friendlies that do not include outside teams. The exceptions for high school usually involve JV programs. I am a local UIC under my association and I have some rec leagues and beer leagues under me where the organization gets nothing (and neither do I). There are 9 or 10 other similar areas, only one of whom goes through the org for their rec league. These all have various methods of payment, which do not include the umpire organization.

There are also strong ties to the NCAA community, with our regional UIC also a top dog in NCAA, so were one capable and able, it is an easy transition to make in roads to the NCAA, from there your career is in your hands.


So this is an extensive network of officiating and tournament hosting organizations with significant and continuous training and evaluation of umpires.

It sounds a little different than your area; I'm not sure how you could coordinate weekly events involving dozens of umpires at multiple sites without a central command.. so I'm not sure how active it is in your area.

For pay, we get paid weekly from our assocation, just like a job. At the end of the year, those who made over a certain amount get a 1099. I'm not sure what that amount is because I've certainly always well exceeded whatever minimum that is and I'm not involved in that aspect. Also for every umpire dispatched to an event, the org receives payment which is disbursed, for example ot the assigner, etc. The association is run a board (of which I am a insignificant member) who who meet monthly and decide all things wondrous, or in the alternative, whine ad nauseum.

Thats about how it goes here.

WTF? ohhh great. :rolleyes:

Whomever the heck takes over, I hope they up the umpire fee's... last years was a tad low. IMHO

I seriously doubt that the officials; you know, the ones out on the field working, feel degraded or embarrassed by accepting their pay up front, on the field. There are several tournaments every weekend in this area. Each one with it's own assignor/UIC. What compensation for his/her duties that person negotiates with the tournament hosts is his/her concern. As Steve M said, we are independant contractors and like it that way. Please keep your "big government" approach and any revamping to yourself. :)

Hear Ye Hear Ye...Thank you Topper.

Well, obviously, it all depends on where you are standing as to whether this is true or not, or if such an operating format would succeed or not.

BTW, who is talking about big government?

I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying necessarily. I would though like to know what Mr. Voss's side of the argument is.

A few comments about some of the other posts in this thread:

I worked the Sulphur National tournament this year and thought the fees were more than adequate. I would prefer the status quo in my neck of the woods. (SE Houston). Things are just fine pay wise and we sure as heck don't need an "organization" or a "system" to fix things. If it isn't broke, why does someone feel a need to fix it?

My main beef is with TASO (TX high school ball) where it takes forever to get a check. They get away with it because they are an "organized" "system" that could give a rip about how much softball umpire fees are and has been at the same rate structure for a long time.

First of all, TASO has nothing to do with your getting a check. That is between you and the institution (school) you worked for. TASO also has nothing to do with the rate structure of officials' fees in Texas. TASO is merely your voice to the UIL, rather than a few thousand people trying to petition the UIL altogether. TASO is an organization that makes sure you have the materials to officiate with, to help set officiating standards (such as uniform policies), and to make sure you are adequately insured while officiating, or on the way to or from an event. That is the purpose of TASO.

UIL, on the other hand, does set the fees that you will be paid, including maximums that institutions can pay for officials' services. They are also the authors of 1204, the much debated article of this year. The UIL has mandated for ages (as long as I can remember, and that is quite a while) that schools have a check in your hands within 45 days of the date of service, and encourages the schools to pay even sooner than that. (From my understanding, the 45 day period was decided on because many school disctricts, especially the 1 and 2 A ones, frequently cut checks just once a month.) If you an institution fails to pay you in that time frame, you need to immediately report said institution to the UIL in writing. (A quick phone call doesn't hurt either.)

As for the rate structure in Texas for softball umpires, seven years ago it set at $30.00 a game. About three, maybe four years ago, it was upped to $35.00 a game. This year it has been raised to $40.00 a game. I don't know about you, but two raises in a seven year period doesn't constitute as being "the same rate structure for a long time," in my book.

If you have issues that need to be addressed with the UIL, then I strongly encourage you to contact the president of your local chapter, or your district director. If that doesn't work, I have always found the people at TASO extremely easy to contact and to work with. However, I do recommend following the chain of command.

It's definitely a different approach than I am accustomed to. Better? I'm not sure, but I'll let it rest as it is. No purpose would be served by debating it IMO.

Understand that our "approach" evolved (or devolved if you like) IMO due to the lack of a viable local or regional association. Once credability and trust are lost, it's difficult to regain them. Even when it comes to Skahtboi's precious TASO. We have been dealing with this situation so long here that change would be difficult to affect.

We can "get a draw any time," which is not true and to me is demeaning. Some of the money goes for "overhead," which we really don't have for ASA FP games. Well, I take that back. We pay an assignor who doesn't assign ASA FP tournament games. The only overhead is the eventual generation of a 1099 and the postage to send a check -- both of which are an effort of time, money and effort.

We get demeaned if we want to buy more than a case of water and a bunch of bananas for a territorial or national tournament, much less a weekend. Never mind that we are several, multiple, thousands of dollars in the black. (We're in better shape than the Big 3 auto makers.)

We have to ask for a draw which "can be done weekly." Yep. Sure can. Of course then you get put down for asking for a draw -- for our OWN money that WE have earned. Heaven forbid we should ever ever ever go to a cash system, or even allow some extremely trustworthy individual such as SRW to be able to get enough cash outta the bank to pay umpires.

We get paid by check as we leave the game, every game. glad I work where I work... fuq waiting on my money, I earned it. :D
And I try as I might I am never embarrassed or demeaned getting my $25 or $30 bucks in cash from a coach at the plate meeting during the travel ball season... maybe my standards are too low?.... but then again I hang out with you guys!! ;)

Actually, on the other site, the Texas umpire situation is compained about quite a bit. If you read the Texas board, umpires are quite the topic. Those are your client's and they are apprarently not happy. So whatever situation is going on in Texas, it is being reflected in how your clients are perceiving you. I hope you guys are able to work out these issues.

Thats a shame.

There you go again, telling lies about me. :p

Seriously though, I would admit that our system is quite antiquated. Repeated attempts to improve efficiency and reduce effort have been poo-poo'd. It'll take a strong leader with a complete understanding of the whole picture to fix it... and a board that will back "breaking tradition."

Personally, I'd rather NOT have the money. Let the association(s) hold it for me and give me a lump sum at the end of the season.

It is an effective manner of saving money without a bank account and it makes it easier to manage the paperwork for tax purposes.

Others may think it is silly, but if it is in my pocket as I make it, it is gone that much quicker and it seems like I'm making next to nothing.