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Provisional Status

When you first join a league, you start with provisional status. This page explains what that means and how to get fully approved.

What is Provisional Status?

Provisional status is a temporary state for new umpires. It allows you to:

  • Sign up for up to 3 games per league
  • Work games while your approval is being processed
  • Show league admins your commitment and abilities

Provisional status is per-league. If you’re in multiple leagues, each league has its own approval process.

Checking Your Status

You can see your approval status in several places:

Games Page Banner

If you have provisional status, you’ll see a banner at the top of the Games page showing:

  • Which leagues you’re provisional in
  • How many games you’ve used (out of 3)
  • How many games you have remaining

Your Profile

Your profile page shows your approval status for each league you belong to:

  • Provisional - Awaiting approval (3-game limit)
  • Approved - Fully approved (no limit)
  • Rejected - Not approved for this league

Working Within the Limit

While provisional, you can sign up for up to 3 games per league. Each league tracks its own limit separately. Once you’ve reached the limit for a specific league:

  • You’ll see a message explaining you’ve reached the provisional limit for that league
  • You won’t be able to sign up for additional games in that league
  • You can still sign up for games in other leagues where you have remaining slots
  • You’ll need to wait for league admin approval to continue in that league

The 3-game limit is per league, not per district. If you’re in 3 leagues, you could potentially work up to 9 provisional games (3 in each league).

Getting Approved

League admins review provisional umpires and decide whether to approve them. To increase your chances of approval:

  1. Complete your profile - Fill in all your information
  2. Work your provisional games well - Be on time and professional
  3. Complete any required training - Check with your league for requirements
  4. Submit background check - Most leagues require this for approval

Once approved, you’ll receive a notification and the provisional banner will disappear.

If You’re Rejected

If a league admin rejects your application:

  • You’ll receive a notification with the reason
  • You won’t be able to sign up for games in that league
  • Contact the league admin if you have questions

Annual Re-Approval

All approvals reset to provisional on January 1st each year. This is normal and applies to all umpires, not just new ones.

At the start of each year:

  • Your status returns to provisional
  • You can work up to 3 games while awaiting re-approval
  • League admins will review and re-approve active umpires

Annual re-approval ensures background checks and board confirmations are current for each season.

Multiple Leagues

If you belong to multiple leagues:

  • Each league has its own approval status
  • You might be approved in one league but provisional in another
  • Each league has its own 3-game provisional limit
  • You can sign up for games in any league you’re registered with, even if you’ve hit the limit in another league

Questions?

If you have questions about your approval status, contact your league administrator. They can provide information about:

  • When your approval might be processed
  • Any additional requirements for your league
  • Why an approval was delayed or rejected

Next: Learn about Setting Availability.

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