OFM HANDBOOK

THE OFF FIELD MANAGER HANDBOOK

Baseball Alberta is committed to supporting our amazing Off Field Managers (OFM) who work to coordinate and organize their team’s season away from the field so that the coaches can concentrate on the field and the players and their families have a well organized and enjoyable season. 

To assist the OFM, we have created this OFM Handbook for the upcoming baseball season which we hope will ensure that the volunteers taking on this role, and the responsibilities that come with it, are as best prepared as possible.

In the following pages you will find an example of a laid out OFM binder including sample forms which are filled out for reference during the season by yourself and your volunteers on the team. In trying to keep the OFM Handbook as reader friendly as possible, there are some sheets that will need to be printed or photocopied numerous times to meet the requirements of your team’s schedule this season. We will ensure that we are indicating which sheets need to have more produced through the handbook.

The OFM Handbook is not a replacement or a replication of the Baseball Alberta Handbook. The new Baseball Alberta Virtual Handbook is always available in an online version and we have a printable copy of the rulebook that can be used at all Baseball Alberta games for quick reference. The OFM Handbook is the key information needed to successfully navigate the host weekend/weekday duties that your team will be experiencing during the season and a quick point of reference for any other parent volunteers who may be assisting in the role of the Official Scorekeeper or Official Pitch Counter.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMUNICATION WITH BASEBALL ALBERTA

One of the key roles of the OFM will be the communication with Baseball Alberta and the Association. Whether it is an on-field or off-field incident, question or concern, having a clear pathway of communication will lead to more efficient and faster communication to your team.

Expected Pathway of Communication for OFM support:

TEAM MEETINGS

Scheduling a team meeting is essential to start the season for your team. The initial team meeting should be scheduled around the time of the first team practice. It will be a great opportunity for parents and coaches to meet for the first time as well as the first opportunity for you and the coaches to inform the parent group about the expectations and rules of the team. It is also a great time to inform the parent group of any important policies that your Association has in place for the season. Some associations may have a designated board member that leads all of these meetings or at least attends these meetings, in that case you may want to find out what the process is in your association first.

The OFM should communicate with the Head Coach and Coaching Staff prior to the meeting to set the team meeting agenda. Some potential team meeting agenda topics to consider are:

• Overall season plan (league play, tournaments, provincials, practices)

• Coaching philosophy

• Expectations of players - mention any  possible dress codes (games vs. practices)

• Social Media Conduct for Players, Parents and Coaches

• Explain that they should have already signed a code of conduct and media release at registration to allow the use of photos. 

• Expectations of parents during the season (at games, at practices) & Communication Tools or options 

• Association's conflict resolution process

• Emergency procedures

• Team budget

• Volunteer positions within the team (treasurer, safety officer, scorekeeping, pitching counting, field prep, fundraising, social committee, etc)

The team meeting will help you and your coaches provide the parent group with expectations around time commitment, financial commitment and how to best represent your team and minor baseball association during the season.

It is also a great time to have parents ask questions and provide input into how the season will unfold and provide their expectations on the type of experience they are hoping their athlete gets with the team.

Some brief meeting minutes can be taken and provided to the parents the following day. This provides the parent group with some written and agreed upon expectations that everyone can reference throughout the season if needed. You can also provide some contact information and any other information that your association has available for your parent group as well.

TREASURER & TEAM BUDGET

The first volunteer position that you should fill is the role of the treasurer. This role will need to immediately begin working on accounting and budget building. As the OFM, you will ensure that your treasurer and team budget are properly supported. The treasurer will most likely be the person to help collect team fees from all of the families and process any expense payments.

Your local minor baseball association will have specific policies around creating a team budget, accounting and fundraising. Please ensure that you have reached out to your association for any specific policies and materials that are needed to form the team budget for the season.

However, for Baseball Alberta purposes, this position will need to have a good understanding of the process to pay umpires for each of your league games whether you are the host or visiting team. You can access the umpire payment receipts on our website.

Many associations will have a budget template available for teams to build upon. Through meeting with the coaches and the parents, additional budget items such as tournaments, travel, team social events and apparel will be clearly laid out if there is a need for any additional cash calls to the parent group. Your team budget will need to be provided to your team and the team will need to vote the approval of this budget. This can also be done online through a survey provider and sent out to each family.

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS REQUIRED

It is a long baseball season and many volunteers will be required to assist in the smooth operation of the team and creating a fun environment for the players and families. As the OFM you will need to delegate to a committed group of parents who are willing to volunteer their time before or after games, during games and even while your team is not playing. Some important volunteer positions for your team may be the following:

• Assistant Coaches will be vital to the on field success of your team and in assisting the Head Coach. Assistant Coaches will likely be picked by the Head Coach however it will become the OFM's responsibility to ensure that the Assistant Coaches have completed their required NCCP certifications

• Treasurer primary role will be to handle any monetary/budgetary functions for the team.

• Safety Officer will be someone who needs to be familiar with the Emergency Action Plan set out by the coaches and Association and be the key person during an emergency

• Fundraising can be an individual or a committee of parents who are going to find exciting ways to raise money for the team's season

• Social Committee is the fun squad and they are going to be looking for team building activities for the players and the parents throughout the season including on the road

• Field Prep Crew Some associations may require these volunteers for every game your team hosts, including games your team does not play in. Please check with your Association on procedures and training regarding field prep expectations should your Association not have a municipal/association crew preparing fields

• Scorekeepers & Pitch Counters are required to have a working knowledge of the game of baseball and will be required to be present at every game your team hosts, including the games that your team is not playing in. This should be managed through a schedule and make it mandatory for each family to do their part.  Training is offered from a variety of sources and your association may have some experts. See an example in attached sample forms.

SCOREKEEPERS OR GAME CHANGER VOLUNTEERS

If you have parents that have never scored before there are a few good videos that you can search online. I would encourage you to send those out well in advance of the season if you have parents that have never scored before.  There are also some in person sessions that we can refer you to, if you have scorers that would like to add a more professional approach to scoring.

Host games you will need to supply an official scorekeeper for every game in your schedule. Regardless if your team plays in one of the games in the series. The official Scorekeeper will sit in the press box or scorer’s table in a neutral area in order for them to stay impartial. Even if your team prefers to use GameChanger, we suggest you have this as a paper backup as some of the information will need to be transposed to the Game Summary Sheet that you will need to return to Baseball Alberta. It is a good practice to fill in the information after each half inning and record the pitches from the Pitch Count Log Book Game Form.

The Scorekeeper should receive line-ups from the teams well in advance of the start of the pre-game warm up to give them time to record them onto the scoresheet. If they haven’t brought them to you, you should track them down at least 15 minutes prior to the start time. Quick Note* It is not your job to notify umpires if someone is batting out of order.

After the game, your Game Summary form can be totaled up and then signed by a designated representative from each team, either an OFM or Head coach. (Sometimes the post meeting with the teams can run long and we do not expect you to wait for their signature so an OFM signing off on the Summary is acceptable. Return to the OFM Binder.

One thing we get asked alot… What are defensive out and Offensive Outs? Think about it like this: Offensive outs happen when your team is at bat (how many k’s or flyouts etc.) Your Defensive outs are how many putouts your team made on the field. Whether that was from a strikeout or fielding out. For the most part when you are filling in the boxes on the Game Summary Sheet they should be the same 21 each for both teams if you made it until the end of the 7th inning. There will be different numbers of outs, if there is a mercy or a walk off.

For BAEL & 18U AAA GameChanger must be used by a trained volunteer - they CANNOT be players in dugouts.

PITCH COUNTING VOLUNTEERS

Host games you need to supply an official pitch counter. They have 2 forms to manage and we’ve briefly explained how to fill them in. Samples are at the end of the manual.  

How to fill in the Pitch Count Logbook Game Form - You need to keep track of every pitch thrown by pitchers on both teams. Cross off each square as the pitch is thrown at the end of the inning circle the last pitch number thrown in that inning. This will make it alot easier to go back in case you forgot to track it. After each half inning record the pitch counts on the Game Summary Report. At the end of the game you will need to total everything up and add the pitchers and their counts to the Weekly Pitching Report. Pay careful attention when tracking the pitches, coaches get mad when we’re incorrect.

The Weekly Pitching Report is a summary of each team's pitching for the week from Friday to Thursday.  

The Official Pitch Counter is responsible to report to the umpire if any pitcher has reached their maximums. (Maximum pitches can be found in the handbook for each age category)  It is a good practice to take a look at the teams Weekly Pitching Report before the game, you can verify if there are any pitchers you need to flag because they are close or not available to pitch for the remainder of the weekend, based on the number of pitches they have thrown in the previous four days.

OFM PAPERWORK

SCORE ENTRY ON SPORDLE

Score entry is to be completed within Spordle PLAY. Off-Field Managers and Head Coaches will have access to be able to enter scores. Coaches and managers are to be added to a roster and fully registered within the Spordle ID system before they are granted access in Spordle PLAY. 

CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS

Baseball Alberta requires every coach who is on the roster to have a cleared Criminal Record Check (CRC) along with the rest of their required NCCP certifications. CRCs are required to be provided every three years to your home baseball association, with the years in-between requiring a signed declaration (screening form) that you can find under Forms / General Forms on our website.

Many Associations will provide volunteers with a signed letter from the President of the Association that they can take to the local police or RCMP station to complete their CRC. There may be a fee associated with the CRC depending on the detachment. Please consult with your Baseball Association to inquire about any policies in place regarding other volunteer position CRCs, including the role of OFM.

CRCs that do not come back as clear will be handled in a case by case approach in consultation with your local baseball Association and Baseball Alberta. 

INTERVENTION RECORD CHECKS

Many Associations will require volunteers to provide a clear IRC every year. Many Associations will provide a letter from the President of the baseball Association to take to a children's services provider in your community to obtain an IRC. This type of record check often takes weeks to complete. Please consult with your local Association to ensure you are aware of their policies for yourself and other volunteers.

SAFE SPORT

Fostering an inclusive culture conducive to everyone's well-being is a collective endeavour. Baseball Alberta's SafeSport initiative integrates various components, including policies, educational efforts, background screenings, and an impartial third-party complaint service. For further details about Baseball Alberta’s SafeSport, please visit https://www.baseballalberta.com/en/page/safe_sport.html. 

UMPIRE FEES & PAYMENT PROCEDURES

New for the 2024 season, the Baseball Alberta Board of Directors has voted to adjust the umpire game fees for 2024 and beyond. The 11U and 13U age categories will remain the same as in previous years. The 15U fees have been increased to $60, the 18U fees have been increased to $65, and the 18U BAEL, JR, and SR League game fees have been increased to $75 per game. To access the full breakdown of fees, you can go here.

*If for any reason, an umpire is required to work a game alone, such umpire shall be paid 1.5 times the normal game fee. In such cases the umpire may recruit a non-certified volunteer to work bases only. Such volunteers shall be eligible for an honorarium of $10/game.

• Games commencing prior to 6pm on non-holiday weekdays will incur a $15/umpire premium to be added to the above Game Fees Per Umpire 

• For originally scheduled 9 innings games, there will be a $5/umpire premium added to the above Game Fees Per Umpire. The DOES NOT include any extra inning games that last 9 innings or more 

Eligible Mileage - Umpires are eligible for reimbursement as follows: 

• No Mileage may be charged when one-way travel from home to game site is 30 km or less 

• A flat fee of $30 may be charged when one-way travel is 31-60km from home to game site no matter what the actual distance is within this range 

• If travel from home to game site exceeds 60 km, mileage may be charged at a rate of $0.50/km for the entire round trip (home-game site-home) 

• Umpires may, by individual choice, accept less than the eligible amounts for mileage but in no way does that set a precedent for any other umpire with respect to mileage charges 

• When possible, umpires are expected to carpool when traveling from the same or similar location

Eligible Accommodation - Umpires are eligible for reimbursement when overnight stay is approved by Baseball Alberta. Umpires must stay double occupancy unless authorized in advance by the Executive Director of Baseball Alberta.

• Umpires will be eligible for appropriate mileage and 50% of a single game fee when any game/weekend is completely rained out and no prior notification of cancellation has been made to the umpire assignor and the umpires have dutifully arrived at the field. The host is responsible for such payment. Umpires are not eligible for compensation if notified of rain out before leaving home.

• Umpires will be eligible for a full game fee in the event of rescheduling/cancellation of games (not due to weather) if notification of such change is not provided by 4pm at least 2 calendar days prior to the day of the originally scheduled game. The host team will be responsible for such payment.

Umpires working a game that has started but is subsequently suspended, canceled or forfeited prior to completion will be paid the full game fee. Umpires completing a suspended game will be paid 50% of the normal game fee. Additional fees to complete a suspended game are NOT APPLICABLE at the Baseball Alberta Provincial Championships.

BEST PRACTICE - PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP UMPIRE PAYMENTS - (This example uses the 13U AAA umpire rate)

The host site should collect all Round Robin umpire game fees from each team at the pre-tournament meeting or at the team’s first game of the tournament. All teams should pay the exact same amount for umpire game fees for the Round Robin portion of the tournament. Below is an example of the best practice for host sites to collect the correct payment from each team for a Five Team Provincial Championship Tournament at the 13U Level:

There are a total of 10 round robin games in a Five Team Provincial Championship Tournament, 3 of which have game times that start before 6pm on a weekday which must include the $15/umpire premium.

3 Round Robin games that begin before 6pm on weekday - $65/umpire x 2 umpires x 3 games = $390.00

7 Round Robin games at the regular umpire rate of $50/umpire x 2 umpires x 7 games = $700.00

Total umpire game fees for the Round Robin is $1090.00, divide the total round robin game fees by the five participating teams. In this particular tournament example, each team would pay the host site $218.00 to cover each team’s Round Robin games.

Teams that move onto tiebreaker games, semi-finals and the championship would then need to pay for one umpire game fee for every game they participate in after the Round Robin portion of the schedule is complete.

All umpire travel and accommodations for Provincial Championships are paid for by Baseball Alberta

UMPIRE SCHEDULING & BASEBALL ALBERTA ASSIGNORS

Umpires in 13U AAA, 15U AA, 15U AAA, 18U AA and 18U AAA & 18U BAEL will be scheduled province wide by Baseball Alberta umpire assignors. Umpires in all age categories of Community League, 'A' , 11U AA and 13U AA will be assigned by the host Association Umpire Coordinator and do not require an umpire request form to be submitted to Baseball Alberta. Please check with your local association on specific protocols to request umpires for those age categories listed above.

For games scheduled by Baseball Alberta assignors, teams will only be contacted in the event that there are no umpires able to be scheduled through the assignors pool of umpires and assistance may be needed by the Association to locate an umpire.

You will receive a contact number for the Umpire Assignor in your area, when you receive the schedule, if you need to get a hold of your umpires for any reason.  There is also an Umpire Request Form in the forms section on our website that you can fill in and submit to arrange umpires for any TBD games.  All requests must be submitted at least 3 to 4 working days (Mon. - Fri.) prior to the game. Any TBD games listed on your schedule should be scheduled for midweek, requests for weekend play on TBD games will likely be unfilled as our umpire pool will be depleated most weekends.

Due to the high volume of games, Baseball Alberta umpires will not be sending out confirmation communication to every host site.

HOST VS. TEAMS YOU ARE HOSTING AND PAYING UMPIRES

Host is responsible for half of the fees for the games they play in and all of the potential umpire mileage.

Teams you are hosting are responsible for the other half of the fees in the games they play in. But not responsible for any of the mileage cost.

OFM Note:

Umpires are a scarce but crucial resource in our game. Do your best to take care of them even if they make a bad call. Without them we don’t play. Keeping a great relationship with umpires is a huge benefit to all of us. Offering water and free food from a concession if you have one is always nice. 

THE OFM BINDER

Creating a binder with all of the important documents that you may need for a weekend of baseball, is a must have for a successful OFM. This binder should contain hard copies of anything that can either be distributed to a host site or contain information that can be sent out to the team and parents regarding any questions they may have.

Host OFMs are to ensure that Game Summary Forms for each game during a host weekend are submitted to Baseball Alberta along with their own team's Weekly Pitching Report.

Visiting OFMs are to ensure that the host is provided a pre-filled Weekly Pitching Report form to have pitch counts added. This form will be returned by the host to the visiting OFM who will then send it to Baseball Alberta. Visiting OFMs are also required to provide the host with a Team Roster sheet that includes full names (players, coaches) and jersey numbers for the purpose of filling out score sheets and pitch count sheets during the games.

Suggested contents of the OFM Binder include:

• Team Roster Forms

• Blank Score Sheets for Official Scorer

• Game Summary Forms (to be sent in to Baseball Alberta)

• Pitch Count Log Book

• Weekly Pitching Report (to be sent in to Baseball Alberta)

• Umpire Payment Receipts

• Contact List for League, Team, Association and any hotels if traveling

• Schedule from Baseball Alberta that includes game number and field name

• Emergency Action Plan

• Accident/Injury Forms as required by your Association

It is recommended to have forms already divided into game sections for the official scorekeeper and official pitch counter. Each game section will have a divider, a Score Sheet, blank Pitch Count Log Book sheets and a blank Game Summary Form..

Many OFMs will have these forms laid out as follows and in sheet protectors: and one group for each game scheduled as a host site:

• Sheet Protector 1 Front = game cover page with team names and Baseball Alberta game number "Game One - Saturday June 1st, 9:00am - Calgary Bucks vs Red Deer Braves - Game #2345"

• Sheet Protector 1 Back = 'Place Lineups Here' for the official scorer to place lineup cards from both teams for future reference

• Sheet Protector 2 = Blank score sheet

• Sheet Protector 3 Front = Blank Pitch Count Log Books (one per team)

• Sheet Protector 3 Back = Blank Game Summary Form (both pages in the event that there is a protest during the game) ** Always carry $100 with you in case of a protest **

The Official Scorer and the Official Pitch Counter should return these completed forms after the game back into the sheet protectors for record keeping after each game.

Signatures needed for forms will include:

• Home Coach (Can be a Home OFM)

• Visiting Coach (Can be a Visitor OFM)

• Official Score Keeper

• Home Plate Umpire

You can find completed samples of these forms at the end of the OFM Handbook.

ON THE ROAD - ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS

For young athletes, road trips and hotel stays are a big part of what makes lasting memories. As an OFM you will need to get comfortable with planning out road trips that will require accommodations as well as team meals. During the baseball season, most rep baseball teams from 11U to 18U will require one or multiple overnight trips in their schedule. Teams may also find it beneficial to schedule a team meal on a road trip for the players and their families as opposed to everyone finding their own.

Prior to the season getting underway, poll your parent group to see if there are families that are interested in camping options. If so, a great resource for knowing where the best places to camp in the area is the OFM of the host team. Contact them to see if there are recommended camping areas nearby for you to reach out to for booking sites.

OTHER OFM ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

*These may vary per Association

• Establish Team’s contact List

• Assist with Apparel sizing or ordering of team apparel

• Arrange team transportation / accommodations for any travel

• Provide a welcome email and emergency action plan to any visiting teams

• Coordinate any fundraising events with other volunteers on your team

• Coordinate any TBD games from the schedule - you may need to consult with your coach and any other representative to book your home facility. (Once a TBD game is scheduled you will need to fill out the Umpire Request Form for that game number)

• Organize any team tournaments or Provincials you offer to host.

HOST WEEKEND EMAIL TEMPLATE & HOST VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE TEMPLATE

Example of a host weekend information email to send out to all of your visiting teams:

Hello Everyone, 

This is Jane Doe, OFM from the BA Bighorns (type your team name here). I wanted to reach out to you in advance of hosting you on the May 4/5 weekend and welcome you to (add name of your facility). We are happy to be hosting you this weekend. The following email will outline some important information about the weekend and our facility.

The forecast is supposed to be hot and sunny this weekend, our coach (insert their name) or I will be in touch with you if anything happens to change.

To start off the address and location of the field we will be playing on is here: (Input a link from google maps)

We have a cashe concession located near our washrooms and it will be open on the weekend. The washrooms are located here (give some sort of direction)

If your team would liek to use our field for a warm up or BP - you can do that at (insert a specific time or time options) just let us know in advance which one will work better so that we can make the appropriate preparations) {If your field is not available please also let them know that in advance}

I have also attached our Emergency Action Plan.

To pay for your portion of the umpires please make cheques payable to: (add your account name) or email e-transfers to: (add email address)

{You could add information on restaurants near by or sponsors you might like to support and even any local attractions in case they have some time to kill in between or have younger siblings to keep entertained}

If you have any questionsor if there is anything I can do to help while you're here or before you arrive, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to meeting you,

Jane Doe - OFM BA Bighorns 555-555-5555

Example of a host volunteer schedule and email to send out to families on your team to work volunteer shifts:

Hello Peewee AAA Parents: Please use the schedule to fill in your family’s volunteer shifts for the regular season.  

Scorekeepers and pitch counters make sure you get your signatures from umpires and coaches/OFM from each side before you leave..

Family = all positions that need to be filled = there are 60 spots to fill for regular season games divide this by 12 player families 5-6 spots per family.  Please type in your family name in the space over top of the word family. Once a spot has a family name in it, it is considered to be filled. 

PLEASE NOTE: you need to arrive at least 30-40 minutes before game time for ALL of the volunteer positions, in order to be ready to go on time!

Once you have filled your positions, you are then responsible for that date and time.  If you are unable to make that date and time, YOU will need to find a replacement.  You will all have access to this schedule at any time. Spots are first come first serve!l

SCOREKEEPING CHEAT SHEET

POSITIONS

There are 9 fielding positions in baseball and each position is represented numerically while scoring the game:

THE SCOREBOOK AND SCORE SHEET

It is a good idea to first familiarize yourself with the score sheet that you will be using.  At first glance it may look complicated, but each section of the score sheet has a purpose to be used at various times from the beginning to the end of the game.  A definition of each is below:

Game Information – The home and Visitor teams, date, location, etc.

Individual Player Game Stats – Totaled at the end of the game to calculate the player’s stats for the game.

Team Hitting Totals – A total of all the individual players hitting stats to calculate team totals.

Team Pitching Totals – A total of the individual players pitching stats to calculate team totals.

Individual Pitcher Game Stats – Totaled once a pitcher has been removed from the game to calculate the player’s stats for the game.

Batting Order and Substitutions – A list of the team’s batting order and any substitutions that have occurred for players in the batting order.

Individual Players Turns At Bat – A diagram and numerical account for what each player accomplished during their particular at-bat.

BEFORE THE GAME

Prior to each game, the manager or coach of each team should present the scorekeeper with a copy of the team’s line-up for that particular game.  Line-up cards should include player’s names, position playing and batting order.  Substitute players are usually listed below the starting line-up.

ENTER THE GAME INFORMATION

Complete the top section of the score sheet which includes the home and visitor teams; the date, time and location of the game; and the game number.

ENTER THE LINE-UPS

Each spot in the batting order allows for the starting player, and then two substitutions below (shaded grey); as well as player’s number, name and position on the field.

In the example above, the first four batters in the line-up are listed with their number, name, and position on the field (refer to the positions section above).  As an example, John Smith is hitting first, his uniform number is #9 and he is playing position 8 (center field).

You will notice that the position box has a diagonal line through it, the position where the player starts goes in the top left of the box.  If the player switches positions during the game, the new position would go in the bottom right of the box.

Once all the game information and line-ups have been correctly entered for both teams, it’s time to play ball!

ALL FORMS