More coaches and refs needed amid ongoing shortage in Manitoba

(File/CTV News Winnipeg)

More umpires and coaches are needed in Manitoba with baseball season fast approaching.

Baseball Manitoba said around 10,000 kids have registered for the upcoming season, and the goal is to hit the 12,000 mark.

The season is expected to start around the beginning of May, and the organization is working hard to get everything in line before then.

But the continued need for coaches, umpires, and volunteers is being felt.

“We always have concerns of recruiting volunteers and retaining volunteers and umpires,” said Jason Miller, the executive director of Baseball Manitoba.

“Once teams are finalized, that’s when we really get down to the nitty-gritty, trying to make sure that every team has a coaching staff and further to that, it’s umpire recruitment.”

Miller said there are more than 2,200 coaches throughout Manitoba, but the biggest struggle is getting them registered, screened, and officially rostered before the start of the season.

On the umpire side of things, there are around 460 currently registered. Ashton Liskie, the vice president of umpire development with Baseball Manitoba, said those numbers need to be increased before the first pitch is thrown.

“We had about 694 umpires last year, so another 200-plus would be great. Magically, we always seem to make things work within Baseball Manitoba and fill in games,” said Liskie. “But I’d love another 200-plus umpires. It makes things easier, gives guys nights off, gives umpires weekends off, and gives a chance to spend (time) with their family instead of officiating games all summer long.”

This will be year 26 for Liskie umpiring baseball games in Manitoba. He loves being able to do it every season, but knows one of the biggest reasons why people don’t come back is the verbal abuse umpires can deal with.

“It’s just the nonstop questions of calls on balls and strikes or safes and outs from coaches, from the players, from the parents. It’s just one of those things that doesn’t need to be had.”

Coaches can face suspensions if they are ejected from games for abuse, but Liskie said it is much harder to enact enforcement on parents.

He said he has witnessed multiple occasions of spectators yelling at umpires as young as 14 years old, noting the attacks can sometimes be personal.

“The kids don’t need that. As an adult myself, I don’t need it. If I’m officiating the games, it’s not the given right by a spectator to be berating an official.”

To protect younger umpires, Liskie said they have implemented wearing yellow wristbands for those under 18.

“It’s just an additional visual aid to help parents, coaches, players remember they’re also out here learning the game.”

Liskie still encourages people to join the umpiring ranks, saying it’s a great way to learn and experience the fun that can be had on the baseball diamond.

‘It’s difficult to recruit’

It’s not just Baseball Manitoba that feels the pinch for coaches and referees. The Manitoba Soccer Association said there is always a shortage in these categories.

“It’s difficult to recruit and continue to recruit,” said Hector Vergara, the executive director of the Manitoba Soccer Association.

The outdoor season will be starting shortly, and Vergara said it is more difficult than ever before to get people to participate.

“At times, you’re still looking for those coaches when competition starts because you may not have (the preferable numbers),” he said.

“We lose a lot of referees who may start refereeing at age 14, 15. When they get to 16, 17, 18, there’s other things that happen in their lives…they may decide not to continue to referee.”

If people are interested in exploring one of these avenues, Vergara said the association will always work to get them up to speed to ensure they can perform the job.

Despite still looking for coaches and refs, Vergara said the 2025 season will be an exciting one.

“The Manitoba Soccer Association is going to host the National Masters Competition in October. We haven’t hosted a competition of this magnitude for many years.”