Newmarket Baseball Green Armband Project for New Umpires

  NEWMARKET BASEBALL GREEN ARMBAND PROJECT

During the 2024 house league season, all first and second year Level One umpires will be wearing a Green Armband on their left upper arm area.  This armband will indicate that these are new umpires to the Newmarket Baseball Association umpire list.  This is a pilot program that is being run in conjunction with the Markham Baseball Association, the Richmond Hill Baseball Association and the Vaughan Vikings Baseball association. 

These mostly young umpires are in their early stages of their umpiring careers. We are sending out this notice to all parents, spectators, coaches and players. We are asking all to be patient when you watch these umpires. Just like our young baseball players, they are learning the game. This project will only be run in the house league program. It will not be used at the Elite, Rep or Select level of baseball.

This project was started in Nova Scotia to try and curb yelling, screaming, bad behaviour and verbal abuse towards younger umpires. The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), along with other hockey organizations, have also adopted this project for new referees. If you want to learn more about the project, please google “Green Armband Program in Nova Scotia”.

If a manager, coach or player is ejected from a baseball game where an umpire is wearing  a green armband there will be increased penalties.  The below listed suspensions will be enforced by the Umpire-in-Chief.

1st Offence: Two Games

2nd Offence: Four Games

3rd Offence: You will be suspended indefinitely pending a hearing.

If anyone wishes to know more about The Green Armband Project, please feel free to contact me.

Doug Yarenko

Umpire-in-Chief, Newmarket Baseball Association

president-uic@newmarketbaseball.com

416-294-6048