Protect the Game

Protect the Game (PTG), established in 2019, is a 501c3 Fort Collins Colorado-based nonprofit organization that supports U.S. Military Veterans, Active Duty, and their families. PTG offers no-cost training, uniforms, equipment, certification, local association fees, and liability insurance to become youth sports officials. It also connects them with paid employment opportunities as officials, thereby offering local veterans an employment opportunity and a place of belonging. This program also helps offset the shortage of youth sports officials by adding more qualified officials in the field. It supports community building and economic vitality for Northern Colorado's Veterans & Youth sports. 

Mission: We are providing opportunities for U.S. Military Veterans to train and then be paid to work in youth sports AND we are building the numbers of qualified youth sports officials in America. 

Purpose: Our military veterans protected our US soil.  We now protect them through training and employment in the sports industry.  They now Protect The Game. 

Protect the game provides trainings all over the United States. The trainings are held in 15 sites across the US, and are training umpires for baseball, softball, volleyball, football, and wrestling (sport type varying based on site-partnerships). Trainings are held in San Diego, CA, Honolulu, HI, Chugiak, AK, Las Vegas, NV, Texas (2), Colorado (3), New Jersey, Phoenix, AZ, Kansas City, MO, Virginia, Chicago, and Portland, OR. 

These are 3-day trainings that include everything the trainee needs to be successful as an umpire, including connecting them with the organizations they will be umpires for. The program has seen huge success since 2019, adding 255 trained youth sport umpires into the field. 

The website provides information on training dates, media coverage, annual fundraising golf tournament event, and photos of past training events. https://www.protectthegame.org/

Mission Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-w-R_OsMIg