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For League AdminsApproving Umpires

Approving Umpires

League admins are responsible for approving umpires who want to work games in their league. This guide explains the approval process and what you need to verify.

Understanding Provisional Status

When an umpire first joins your league—or at the beginning of a new year—they start with provisional status. This means:

  • They can sign up for up to three games while awaiting approval
  • They appear in your pending approvals list
  • They need your approval to work unlimited games
  • Provision status resets each year

The three-game provisional limit gives time to conduct a background check and confirm board approval.

Viewing Pending Approvals

You can review and approve umpires from both desktop and mobile:

On Desktop:

  1. Click Approvals in the main navigation
  2. A red badge shows how many umpires need attention
  3. View all pending umpires across your leagues

On Mobile:

  1. Tap the Profile tab
  2. Tap League Approvals (available to league admins only)
  3. See pending approvals with streamlined mobile interface
  4. A badge shows the count of pending approvals

The badge count updates in real-time, so you’ll always know when new umpires are awaiting approval.

Each pending umpire shows:

  • Name and profile picture
  • Contact information (phone number)
  • The league they’re requesting approval for
  • How many provisional games they’ve used (out of 3)

Approving an Umpire

Before approving an umpire, you must verify two things:

1. Background Check

Confirm that a background check has been completed for this umpire. This is required by most youth sports organizations.

2. Board Confirmation

Confirm that your league’s board has approved this volunteer. This ensures proper oversight of who works with youth athletes.

Approval Steps

On Desktop:

  1. Go to the Approvals page
  2. Find the umpire you want to approve
  3. Click Approve next to their name
  4. Check the Background Check Certified checkbox
  5. Check the Board Confirmation checkbox
  6. Click Approve to confirm

On Mobile:

  1. Go to Profile → League Approvals
  2. Tap the umpire you want to review
  3. Tap Approve
  4. Check the Background Check Certified checkbox
  5. Check the Board Confirmation checkbox
  6. Tap Approve to confirm

Both checkboxes are required. You cannot approve an umpire without certifying both conditions.

Batch Approvals

Batch approvals are available on the desktop version:

  1. Use the checkboxes to select multiple umpires
  2. Or click Select All to select everyone
  3. Click Approve Selected
  4. Certify the background check and board confirmation
  5. All selected umpires will be approved

On mobile, approve umpires individually for a streamlined touch-friendly experience.

Rejecting an Umpire

If you cannot approve an umpire:

  1. Click Reject next to their name
  2. Enter a reason for the rejection (required)
  3. Confirm the rejection

The umpire will be notified of the rejection and the reason.

Rejected umpires cannot sign up for games in your league. Only reject if you’re certain the umpire should not work in your league.

Annual Re-Approval

All umpire approvals reset to provisional status on January 1st each year. This ensures:

  • Background checks are verified annually
  • Board confirmation is renewed each season
  • You have an opportunity to review all umpires

You’ll need to re-approve umpires at the start of each year.

What Umpires See

Umpires with provisional status see:

  • A banner showing their provisional status
  • How many games they can still sign up for
  • Which leagues they’re approved/provisional in

Once approved, the banner disappears and they can sign up for unlimited games.

Next: Learn about League Settings.

Umpire AssignmentsUmpire Roster