Tri-State Officials Association Looking for High School Umpires for Upcoming Spring Sports Season

Before the pandemic, the Tri-State Officials Association had nearly 80 umpires. And last year, it was all the way down to just 34.

DULUTH, Minn. – With the winter sports season wrapping up, that means spring sports are right around the corner. And with that comes the discussion about the ongoing shortage of umpires in the Northland.

Before the pandemic, the Tri-State Officials Association had nearly 80 umpires. And last year, it was all the way down to just 34. The organization has made some recruiting pushes recently, but the fact is that these days, there are less people willing to do the job.

“It’s hard to find people willing to take on that role and youth sports suffer as a result. Schedule changes have been the norm the last couple years. It hasn’t affected the big schools yet. We hope it doesn’t get to that case. We’re trying to take preventative measures to to remedy that,” said Tri-State Officials Association vice president Matt Solberg.

The association will be hosting their annual meeting next week to go over the rules of baseball. This will give perspective umpires the chance to sign up for as many games as they possibly can cover.

“The first couple years as an official, the high school league gives you a significant break as far as your registration costs. Locally, we don’t charge you anything for your first two years. There are some cost of affiliated with running an association so starting your third year, there’s a nominal fee. But your first two years, we we just need people,” said Solberg.

The meeting will take place Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Proctor High School. For more information, contact Matt Solberg from the Tri-State Officials Association.