MiLB Vero Beach to open umpire school

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- MiLB Vero Beach LLC is proud to announce the formation of "The Umpire School," the only all-inclusive professional baseball umpire school, at its Vero Beach Sports Village facility in Vero Beach, Fla.

Aspiring professional umpires who attend the inaugural 28-day course in January 2012 will be instructed by supervisors of the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp (PBUC). MiLB Vero Beach, which will own and operate The Umpire School, and PBUC are both subsidiaries of Minor League Baseball.

"The Umpire School is a natural extension of Minor League Baseball's efforts to enhance umpire training, development and experience for our umpires, teams and Major League affiliates," Minor League Baseball President Pat O'Conner stated. "The availability of the Vero Beach Sports Village as a training venue further enhances our ability to house, feed and instruct prospective umpires in a first-class environment. The Umpire School at the VBSV is a key programming element for the facility and we feel the development of this program is a big winner for aspiring umpires, our clubs and our Major League Baseball partners."

PBUC oversees the training and employment of umpires in the Minor League Baseball system throughout the United States and Canada.

"We are extremely excited about the opening of The Umpire School," PBUC Executive Director Justin Klemm said. "With our experience in developing and evaluating current Minor League Umpires for Major League Baseball, combined with a premier, all-inclusive training facility such as Vero Beach Sports Village, we are positioned to set a new standard in umpire training.

"We look forward to welcoming our inaugural class and seeing the impact our methods will have on the profession."

Anyone interested in attending The Umpire School, a State of Florida licensed school, should log onto TheRightCall.net. The Umpire School can also be reached at 877-799-UMPS (8677), or by email at [email protected].