For softball umpires (fast pitch and slo-pitch) under Softball Canada's umpire certification program, 2026. Covers Levels I to V, WBSC certification, maintenance exams, Canadian Championship selection, protests and bat checks.
Softball Canada's Umpire Certification Program has Levels I to V, plus Level VA (Administrative) and Level VR (Retired) for Level V officials.
Each level needs prerequisites, training and an evaluation (no evaluation for Level I). Advancement is measured in seasons of experience, not calendar dates. The questions below give the detail for each level.
Source: https://softball.ca/programs/umpires/policy/certification-criteria
Prerequisites: none. Level I is for new officials.
Training: attend a Level I clinic and score 60% or higher on the Level I exam. The national exam is not required in your first year but is required in later years. No evaluation is required.
Where you can work: local minor and adult recreational softball.
Maintenance: attend a local or association clinic every two years and write the national exam, scoring 60% or higher. A failing score means that year does not count toward advancement.
Prerequisites: certified Level I for at least one season, and age-appropriate for competitive minor and adult ball (16 or older is recommended).
Training: attend a P/T Level II clinic (fast pitch or slo-pitch) and score 70% or higher on the Level II exam.
Evaluation: one successful local, regional or P/T Level II evaluation.
Where you can work: local and P/T minor softball and/or local adult softball. A Level II umpire may be a secondary selection for the U15 or U17 Canadian Championships.
Maintenance: attend a regional or P/T clinic every two years and write the national exam, scoring 70% or higher. A failing score means that year does not count toward advancement. A Level II umpire may be considered only as a U15 or U17 fill-in at Canadian Championships.
Prerequisites: certified Level II for at least two seasons.
Training: attend a P/T Level III clinic (fast pitch or slo-pitch) and score 80% or higher on the Level III exam.
Evaluation: one successful P/T Championship evaluation.
Where you can work: P/T minor and adult softball. Level III umpires are qualified for the U19, U23, Women's fast pitch, Masters 40+ slo-pitch, Women's slo-pitch and Co-Ed slo-pitch Canadian Championships.
Maintenance: attend a P/T or regional clinic annually and write the national exam annually, scoring 80% or higher. A failing score means that year does not count toward advancement and bars selection to a Canadian Championship that year. Stay active in local and regional officiating programs.
Prerequisites: certified Level III for at least two seasons, with at least one P/T Championship attended and a successful evaluation.
Training: attend a National Level IV Theory Clinic and pass the Level IV exam.
Evaluation
Where you can work: P/T minor and adult softball, any Canadian Championship, and Designated Umpire-in-Chief (DUIC) roles at Canadian Championships or national clinician roles.
Maintenance: attend a P/T clinic annually and write the national exam annually, scoring 80% or higher. A failing score means that year does not count toward advancement and bars selection to a Canadian Championship that year. Stay active in regional and P/T programs.
Prerequisites
Evaluation: two successful evaluations by a P/T officiating representative, a recommendation from your province or territory, and then a highly successful evaluation at a Women's or Men's fast pitch, Masters 35+ slo-pitch, Men's slo-pitch or Women's slo-pitch Canadian Championship.
Where you can work: P/T minor and adult ball, Canadian Championships, international and national events, and UIC or DUIC roles at Canadian Championships.
Maintenance
You must first hold full Level V certification with Softball Canada. Then:
If you do not achieve certification, you reapply to attend another WBSC seminar within three years of the first. If you do not, you must re-qualify at a Men's or Women's fast pitch or Men's slo-pitch Canadian Championship.
The National Director of Umpires of Softball Canada selects the umpires:
Certification matters too: for example, Level III umpires are qualified for the U19, U23, Women's fast pitch, Masters 40+ slo-pitch, Women's slo-pitch and Co-Ed slo-pitch Canadian Championships, and a failing national exam score bars selection to a Canadian Championship that year for Level III and IV umpires.
Compression testing applies at the U20 Men's, U23 Men's, Men's and Master Men's Canadian Championships, and is done annually against current WBSC standards. A bat that passes is approved for Canadian Championship play whatever its certification stamp; a bat that fails is illegal. Approved bats are marked, and an unmarked bat is considered illegal.
Physical inspection: bats are ring-tested and checked for rattles, burrs or other non-compliance with the Official Bat specification in Appendix 2 of the Softball Canada Rulebook. Bats that fail go back to the team.
Compression test:
Rule questions go first to your Provincial/Territorial Umpire-in-Chief (P/TUIC). If needed, the P/TUIC forwards the question to the ODC Rules Committee Chair, and then possibly to the National Director of Umpires. Answers come back to the P/TUIC and the Rules Committee.
Softball Canada's umpire pages also list the Umpire Casebook, technical bulletins, the rule book addendum (currently one correction, to the Temporary Runner rule in 3.2.7) and an email address for reporting discrepancies in the rulebook: softballcan.odc@gmail.com.
Sources: https://softball.ca/programs/umpires/rule-interpretations and https://softball.ca/programs/umpires/rule-book-addendum