In 1988, Angela Noury’s mother, Robin, aspired to volunteer her time as a Little League® umpire. However, at the time, she was not taken seriously by her male counterparts and when she arrived at a weeklong training camp in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the organization was surprised that “Robin Noury” was not a man.
It was not an easy journey for Robin, but it was worth it when just a year later Ms. Noury, inspired by her mother, started her training as a Junior Umpire. Today, more than 35 years later, Ms. Noury continues to spend her days at the North Oakland/South Oakland (Calif.) Little League fields calling games as the league’s Umpire-in-Chief. Over the years, umpiring has given Ms. Noury life lessons that she carries off the field and into her day-to-day life, as well.
“I think because rules and order are such a big part of who I am as a person, being an umpire and knowing that my voice and opinion matters on the field has really propelled me not just in baseball, but in my personal and professional life, too,” said Ms. Noury. “Going through college and choosing to study science and technology, which is a male-dominated field, it was great that I learned through Little League at a very young age that my voice matters and that I can speak up.”
In 2024, Ms. Noury was selected as one of 16 female umpires to participate in the history-making 2024 Maria Pepe Little League Baseball® Legacy Series, a weekend long event welcoming nearly 100 girls to play baseball at the Little League International Complex.
To learn more about her experience as a female umpire, Little League sat down for a special Girls with Game 50 (#GWG50) Full-Count Conversation with Ms. Noury:
1-0 Count: Before you became an umpire, you played Little League Baseball® in Rhode Island. What was this experience like for you as a young female athlete?
My younger brothers and I all played Little League and my family got really involved. My dad was a Player Agent and later became the League President and my mom became a volunteer umpire. My experience playing was great and I remember having such a good time. The first year I played, there was another girl on my team, but when I moved up to the different levels of play, I became the only girl. But it was still good because I always felt like a part of the team, and I have very fond memories of my days on the field.
1-1 Count: What about your mother’s journey to become an umpire acted as inspiration for you to also become an umpire?
She came to Williamsport for a week to get trained. When she arrived, the umpire in charge of the training said, ‘but you’re a girl.’ That piece of it never mattered to her and she stayed for the week, got the necessary training, and became an umpire. She’s definitely my inspiration. She really showed me if you want to do it, even in the face of adversity, you can do it. If you want to be an umpire, go be an umpire.
2-1 Count: What was the experience like for you when you determined you wanted to be volunteer umpire and started taking those first steps to become one?
It was very tough during that era to be a woman in baseball. You must develop a tough skin, and as a teenage girl, being able to be the authority on the field and being able to tell grown men what to do, there’s nothing more empowering than that. It’s fundamentally changed who I am as a person, and that’s why I have advocated for girls in baseball and why I am still involved with Little League. I try to get more girls into umpiring. Currently, we have a few Junior Umpires who play in our league, and I love working with them and inspiring them to continue with their journey.
2-2 Count: Do you have any pregame rituals to help calm the nerves before the first pitch?
Everyone’s nervous before games, especially when you umpire a game at Lamade or Volunteer Stadium. Breathing, yoga, meditation, and I do some box breathing. I just try to let out the tension in my chest and in my body before the game. I will blast music by Prince. Everyone I work with jokes they know when I have arrived because they can hear the music. I like to have fun, I like to smile, and my pregame rituals just puts me in a great and confident mood, so I am ready to face the intensity of the game.
3-2 Count: What advice would you give to a female looking to become an umpire?
Reach out to your local leagues. I had never met another female umpire in my entire career, other than my mom, until I went to the West Region for an umpire training. I went to a weekend clinic in 2018 and met two other female umpires who I latched onto and were open to mentoring me. My biggest advice is to reach out. Somebody always knows someone. You’re not alone so just reach out. There are umpires out there that are willing to bring you along and help you reach your goals. We also have a great group of female umpires from all over the country that connect on social media and provides a great support system for each other.
Interested in becoming a Little League umpire? Visit LittleLeague.org/Umpires to learn more.
NOTE: The #GWG50 Celebration is proudly supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods, a long-time Little League partner that is committed to creating opportunities for girls and women in sports and will be activating around key events and milestones this year.