Unfortunately, the US is experiencing a critical shortage of amateur sports officials and our enrollment has diminished significantly, especially following Covid. Throughout our history, we have proudly offered one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective insurance programs for amateur umpires in the country. Our coverage included accident, liability, travel, and a missed game supplement. There are other programs available but none offered the coverage we provided at a comparable rate. As many of you may have experienced, insurance rates have increased throughout the industry for all types of coverage including health, accident, automobile, and homeowner’s. We refuse to compromise the quality of the insurance we offered and we refuse to raise our membership fees to cover costs. We are very aware of the expenses that amateur umpires encounter each year and believe that it is one of the main reasons younger men and women avoid getting involved in baseball umpiring.

I encourage each of you to be proactive with your training. There is no finish line in education. I umpired 28 years in the Major Leagues, operated a professional umpire school for 24 years, and have trained thousands of umpires all over the world. If I can ever assist you or your association with your training programs, contact me.

Thanks again for your support through the years. It has been a pleasure serving you!

Jim Evans ABUA Owner/Operator [email protected]