The 2023 WBSC Europe Baseball Umpiring Clinics will take place in Toulouse from November 16th to 19th, 2023. This event features dual clinics: the WBSC Europe Certification Clinic and the Baseball Umpiring Fundamentals’ Clinic.
In a comprehensive program spanning classroom sessions, on-field drills, and targeted discussions, the clinics aim to elevate both existing umpires' skills and foster a new generation of certified officials.
On November 16th, the clinics commence with evening sessions in classrooms, delving into Plate Work presentation. Subsequently, the focus shifts to the discussion of WBSC Europe Certification and Expectations for the WBSC Europe Baseball Umpire Candidates.
Day two will start with a focus on signals, umpires then transition to the field for extensive field work and cage work throughout the day. The afternoon schedule includes comprehensive video analyses of the 2 umpire system, followed by classroom sessions covering regulations and playing rules, as well as insights into building a successful umpiring career.
The day after, on November 18th, the day concentrates on field and cage work, culminating with additional video analyses of the 2 umpire system. Evening classroom sessions focus on situation management and personalised 1 on 1 interaction with instructors to fine-tune individual skills.
The final day sees a morning session dedicated to situation management, concluding at 11:00.
The course structure is designed to provide 10 hours of classroom instruction time, 15:30 hours of field instruction time, and 8 hours of cage instruction time.
The complete schedule can be found here.
WBSC Europe Baseball Umpire Candidates are required to attain a minimum score of "marginal" in specified categories, including professionalism off the field, communication, relationship with others, administrative duties, coachability, overall plate work, overall base work, and achieve an 85% score on the rules test.
Failure to meet the minimum standards in any category will result in the candidate being ineligible for WBSC Europe Baseball Umpire Certification, necessitating a reapplication.
With 44 candidates vying for certification and an additional 10 WBSC Europe umpires enrolled, the WBSC Europe Baseball Clinics in Toulouse represent a significant step towards promoting excellence in baseball officiating, fostering a new generation of certified umpires across Europe.
Cover photo by Manfred Szieber
