But those also are the people who must be watched the most carefully in your association. Those are the folks who handle the money, deal with discipline and give final word on much of your association’s operation. As such, your bylaws — which must be created as a state-law-required prerequisite to state incorporation of your non-profit and which may be amended by the association membership — should state specifically the particulars surrounding your association’s board of directors.

As with for-profit corporations, a non-profit’s board of directors generally includes the officers of the company as well as a number of other individuals. There is the president, who serves as the chief executive officer and is responsible for all management functions within the association. There also is a vice president, secretary and treasurer. After that, an officials association is pretty much on its own in deciding who to include on its board of directors: The chairperson of the association’s disciplinary committee, the immediate past-president, a member-at-large and the chief assignor are among the most popular choices for additional board members.

Along with the fancy titles and the board of director status comes a great deal of responsibility — and not just the responsibility of being the one to bring the chocolate-glazed donuts to the meetings. Foremost among a board’s responsibility is its legal and fiduciary duty to assure that the association meets any legal requirements, that it operates in accordance with its mission and that financial issues are handled in the association’s best interests. That “duty of care” requires directors to do such things as attend meetings, keep up-to-date on any pending association matters and carry out their duties in responsible and reasonable manners. If the local park wants to guarantee that six officials work every game, if a high school wants to require all basketball officials to wear suits upon entering the gym or if a baseball league wants to make the officials provide the bases and other equipment, the board of directors had better be ready with information on those issues and be prepared to handle them quickly and efficiently.

As part of their fiduciary responsibility, board members also are responsible for making sure that the organization has the money it needs to operate effectively. Getting actively involved in fundraising may be the fiduciary duty of every board member.

Selecting a certified public accountant to check the books, review the organization’s fiscal picture and otherwise conduct a complete financial audit — including an audit of the board’s handling of association matters — is another responsibility. In that way, the board can demonstrate to the membership that it indeed is doing its job properly and that all money is right where it should be.

Finally, a board of directors is required to balance, keeping in mind the needs and desires of the membership with the need to act with the non-profit’s best interests in mind — even if that goes against the wishes of the majority of the members.

One of the toughest things that a board of directors deals with is handling conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest arise when the personal or professional interests of a board member are — at least potentially — at odds with the best interests of the non-profit association. It happens a lot more frequently than you might think. The vice president of your officials association proposes that her lawyer-brother handle the association’s legal affairs, or the secretary of the association suggests that the association buy its members’ uniforms from his cousin, a sporting goods store owner. Those transactions are often perfectly acceptable (check your state’s specific laws, of course) if they benefit the organization and the board makes the decisions in an objective and informed manner. However, keep in mind that even the mere appearance of a conflict is vulnerable to legal challenges and plenty of bad press. Consider adding a line or two in your new association’s bylaws prohibiting or limiting business transactions with board members and requiring board members to disclose any potential conflicts as soon as they arise. And make sure to check with your association attorney if you are ever faced with one of those potential conflicts.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

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What are bylaws?

Bylaws are rules adopted by an association to manage its affairs and regulate the internal practices and procedures of the association. Bylaws serve to define the relations, rights and duties among members and define the powers, duties and limitations of directors and officers. With a workable set of bylaws, setting out the rights and powers of members and officers, issues which often confront associations can be easily resolved.

Who decides on the bylaws?

The power to adopt bylaws lies with the membership. Sometimes a committee is appointed to draft proposed bylaws and then present them to the membership for consideration. The membership then has the opportunity to debate the merits of the proposed bylaws and suggest modifications to them. After debate and possible revisions, the membership is empowered to adopt the bylaws.

What are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when drafting bylaws?

First of all, bylaws must be flexible. If bylaw provisions are too rigid, the association will not be able to react to changing priorities or new projects. Conversely, a set of bylaws cannot be subject to amendment every time an important decision must be made. In addition, bylaws should be clearly written in order to provide a sound basis for the activities of the board of directors as the board works to achieve the goals of the association. Bylaws should let members know, in plain language, what is expected of them. A well-drafted set of bylaws provides an association with a sense of order as it makes decisions and sets policy, enabling it to function more smoothly, more efficiently and in a businesslike manner.

How often should bylaws be updated?

Regular review of the bylaws should be made every two or three years to ensure that the current practices of the association conform to the bylaws and that the existing bylaws provide a workable framework for governing the association.

How should a review be conducted?

The president of the association, with the approval of the board, should appoint a committee to review the bylaws. The composition of the committee should include a cross-section of the membership so that all points of view are considered. The member with the best schedule may or may not necessarily be a good person to serve on this committee. A new member may be useful person on this committee if they have membership experience in other nonprofit associations, have a business background, or possess some good old common sense.

Is it vital for an attorney to review an association’s bylaws?

If the association has the funds to enable it to afford such a review, it would be money well spent. In a best case scenario, an attorney member can review the association’s bylaws gratis or for a reduced fee. Merely having any attorney review the association’s bylaws is not necessarily the thing to do. The attorney should have some background with nonprofit membership organizations as well as an understanding of how your particular association functions. It may also be a good idea to have an attorney review proposed amendments to ensure that an amendment is properly worded, the language of the amendment is consistent with the amendment’s intent, and the amendment conforms to the association’s state law.

What is the best way to present proposed amendments to the membership?

Distribute a copy of the current bylaw provision, the proposed amendment, and a statement of the rationale behind the adoption of the amendment. In this way, members will have a clear understanding of the text of the bylaw provision, the proposed amendment, and the reasoning behind the adoption of the amendment.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

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The key to any discipline procedures your local association might employ is having a very clear set of expectations for behavior and conduct. Those “rules” will be in line with your association’s goals or objectives and become the basis for disciplinary actions when the rules are broken. Those rules may be laid out in the form of association bylaws, a published code of expected conduct, or even something as simple as a “do-don’t” list in the context of an officials’ handbook. Along with the rules, the consequences for non-compliance should also be articulated. Until and unless your members have the opportunity to know what standards they’re expected to follow, any discipline meted out will be capricious and subject to dispute.

For all manners of discipline, and especially with adults, a model of progressive discipline appears to work best. Progressive discipline is characterized by using a tiered set of consequences designed to get your member’s attention so that he or she understands that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists, and understands that continued non-compliance will result in more severe consequences. The following is an example of such a progressive model. 

Verbal warning

Usually, the first tier of discipline is a verbal warning (“Hey, Jim … you missed that mandatory meeting last Tuesday. Remember there’s a make-up session this Wednesday.”). That amounts to an informal notification that something’s amiss — and provides a means to set things straight again.

Reprimand

The next level will be a written notification, clearly identified as a “letter of reprimand,” informing Sue that her annual dues payment is late. That is a formal notification that (a) becomes an association record, and (b) informs Sue that additional sanctions are possible if she doesn’t write a check soon.

Probation

The third level of discipline is the notification of probation, which is a predetermined period during which the member and his or her behavior/activity is scrutinized. Implicit in probation is an expectation of proper conduct and behavior and potentially escalating penalties. That is, during probation, what might have earned a verbal warning under normal circumstances may lead to harsher penalties. Rich has failed his rules test for two straight seasons and you’ve notified him that he’s been put on probation. You may set that up to limit scrutiny to Rich’s rules test score next year, or you might want to expand it to cover Rich’s adherence to all membership standards. Setting the example aside for a moment, a lot of that decision-making will depend upon the infraction. Regardless of how you might set up probation, your notification must inform Rich of exactly what’s expected and also inform him that failure to comply with terms of the probation will potentially result in more serious consequences.

A higher level of disciplinary consequence will be suspension, a temporary revocation of the rights and privileges of membership in your association. Often that will be equivalent to suspending the member’s opportunities to actually officiate. That revocation may be for a month, two months or an entire season depending on the violation of conduct.

Finally, when everything else has failed to correct the issue, the nuclear option —expulsion, which represents a permanent revocation of association membership and with it most likely, the ability to officiate games.

Depending on how your association is constituted, you may have other potential ways of dealing with members who have difficulty keeping up. Some associations place officials into classification levels reflecting experience, performance on tests, field observations, etc. For those, a potential way for dealing with issues of performance is demotion to a lower classification — either temporarily or permanently. That would come after attempts to work collaboratively with an under-performing member have failed. That is obviously more applicable to cases of inadequate performance at a specific level, rather than violation of bylaws. 

In order to make all of it real, and to make it functional, you might want to consider establishing a discipline committee, which will gather information related to the member and his/her transgressions, evaluate past history, investigate precedents and ultimately make recommendations to your executive committee (or other governing body) on proposed disciplinary action.

The following guiding principles for carrying out disciplinary action are adapted from University of California at San Francisco’s human resources department:

Maintain a professional manner by keeping the disciplinary process confidential between the association and the member.

Make a careful diagnosis of the problem to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate 

Provide specific examples of performance discrepancies or rule violations so the member fully understands what needs correction.

Allow the member ample opportunity to explain so that you have all facts. 

Make sure discipline is the appropriate tool. Would coaching or formal evaluation be sufficient to get the member’s attention? 

When you take disciplinary action, make sure the punishment fits the crime.

Help your member improve performance by providing specific recommendations and requirements.

Communicate clearly so the member understands the consequences if performance or conduct does not improve. 

If your association desires to have an effective disciplinary procedure, all parties have important roles to play. The association through referendum has the overall responsibility of establishing bylaws. The governing body for the association will communicate rules to members, develop a system for enforcing them and, if desired, establish a disciplinary committee. That committee will be responsible for implementing and executing the discipline procedure, and for recommending action in specific cases brought before it. To the extent that all parties perform their roles effectively, the disciplinary procedure will be effective, well-communicated and understood, and there is a good chance that member non-compliance can be significantly reduced.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post Spell Out Your Discipline Procedures appeared first on Referee.com.

Unfortunately, the associations that hold this innocent view of officiating are occasionally surprised by various disruptions. Those disruptions could be an injured official, an official upset over game assignments, an official who wasn’t paid, a sportsmanship problem, officials raising discrimination claims and any of a host of other problems.

Problems can be avoided through preventive measures

Associations may be good at responding to a crisis when it happens, turning to the person in their association who might be able to bring in expertise from their outside work. The success of this approach to officiating correlates to the ability of the troubleshooter. Unfortunately, this approach is not always reliable and can be avoided if preventive measures are in place.

There are many associations that take preventive measures that put more concrete solutions in place. They can require their members to carry liability insurance, make sure that their association is insured and join the NASO MICP program. This gives these associations protection and the ability to consult with someone should things go south.

Ultimately, crisis response — intervention on behalf of the official or the association — has to be a part of a coordinated strategy of education, training, communication and feedback within the association and with the association’s clients. Association leadership has to start with education on association bylaws, policies and other association practices. This education has to be followed by training, actual implementation of the practices (they can’t just be written down on paper and forgotten on a shelf) and feedback from members on how things work.

Associations have to use this same approach with fine policies, penalties and due-process systems. Then, associations need ongoing feedback and have to be willing to consider the feedback and make changes where appropriate.

This process has to occur on other matters, too. Members need a review of basic business practices. Associations will have to call on the attorneys, CPAs and insurance people within their ranks (and outside if that expertise isn’t available) to make sure that there is an educated membership.

Associations also need to continue this process with their clients. Clients need to know what to do — and have someone to tell them to do it  — on matters ranging from pay and hosting officials to sportsmanship and game security.

Intervention should not seem like an ad hoc solution to an emergency.

In a modern officials association, intervention should become a continuation of ongoing education, training, discussion and feedback. Intervention should become a routine practice that flows from ongoing conversations on a wide array of topics that the association has identified as core issues.

The post When Associations Need to Weigh In appeared first on Referee.com.

If it’s not tackling the things on the following list, it’s probably falling short in serving you and the other members, and the schools and leagues to which it directly or indirectly provides officials.

Whether your association has less than 50 members or more than 500, there are certain things every association should be doing to protect the organization and its members from liability, ensure an environment in which members can better themselves and help guarantee the future of the organization.

Take a look at your group. Is it doing the things listed below? If not, perhaps it’s time to get more involved and help steer matters in the right direction.

Carry Proper Insurance

Ask your board what type of insurance the board is carrying and whether they continue to assess whether it’s adequate.

As an organization, your association should make sure it is protected. Your board members should have insurance, and if you’re leasing space, running training or otherwise meeting, your organization should make sure it’s carrying proper liability insurance. If any of the events the organization hosts involves serving alcohol, there are additional risks that need to be covered by insurance. Additional liquor liability insurance may be a wise idea for certain situations.

Educate Members

To help avoid liability, an association should ensure members are being properly trained. Do they know the rules regarding safe equipment? Concussion mechanics? The best associations also make sure their members have opportunities to expand their knowledge of the rules, mechanics and philosophy of the sport(s) they officiate. That can include training sessions, outside speakers and other educational offerings.

Follow Bylaws

Have them and follow them. Well written bylaws should serve as the basis for any actions the organization takes. If there is ever a lawsuit about the board’s activities, having followed your bylaws will help protect the organization. Besides outlining how the group will operate and how any discipline will be handled, bylaws should provide for adequate testing, training and evaluation of officials. They should link an officials’ testing, training, evaluations and overall ratings in a manner designed to place officials in situations that they can presumably control.

Recruit

Eventually old members are going to retire. Most of us would like to stay in officiating until we’re old and gray. But rare is the official who can keep up and keep going deep into his or her retirement years. When the time comes for members to step off the field, court or pitch, there needs to be new people to fill the ranks and fill the games. If your association isn’t taking steps to draw in new members, it will eventually wither and die.

Retain

Far too often, there’s a focus on recruiting new officials. But equally important is making sure there are adequate efforts for retaining existing members. Recognitions, award banquets and other events make sure your members get a positive boost. Another part of retaining is grooming people for leadership positions within the organization — giving them a new reason to stay involved. Keep training opportunities interesting. Occasionally bring in an outside speaker — the NASO Speaker’s Bureau could be a place to turn. On the retention front, it’s also important that for any assigning, that the “good old boys” network gives way to merit-based assignments. Nothing is worse for an association’s morale and long-term future than when a small core in power consistently takes all the plum assignments. Transparency and openness in the assigning process can help.

Mentor

This fits under the retention category. A good mentoring system goes incredibly far in helping officials overcome those early months and years where the challenges are often the greatest — and the risk of losing new officials is highest. The mentoring program should be well-specified and outlined, with the responsibilities of the mentor put in writing and the duties of the mentee outlined as well.

Respond

Silence just doesn’t cut it anymore. If a member is under attack in the media, the association should have a mechanism to evaluate the situation and formulate a proper response. “No comment” used to be the way to go in all cases; today, a lack of a response often looks worse. Also, encourage your association to have a report officer, someone who reviews all significant game reports to ensure officials are saying what needs to be said about an incident, but not straying into territory the report should not be going.

Incorporate

In a rare situation of a lawsuit judgment where insurance doesn’t suffice, the association could be liable, but generally individual board members’ assets can’t be touched when it incorporates.

Audit

The board — and an association’s members — should insist on an annual audit. It’s not because there’s no trust in the treasurer. Good treasurers will insist on an audit for their own protection. It should be standard operating procedure.

Use Technology

The future is now. Why not make full use of the tools available to better run the association? Video is a great tool for training purposes. A website can help promote your organization and facilitate communication with members. Social media can help in that area, too — and really shines in promoting the organization and boosting recruiting efforts. With social media, make sure the association has a policy of what’s appropriate and what’s not for posting.

Plan

A good officials association isn’t just concerned with the board and officer’s activities today, it’s thinking about the future. Giving thought to the time when key members step aside is wise. Many groups descend into chaos — or even collapse — when key leaders step aside and there hasn’t been advance thought on filling those ranks. Having some type of succession planning, and grooming people for future leadership roles, helps ensure the organization doesn’t fall apart the moment a few key members depart.

Stay active in your association, ask questions, get involved and help bring about the changes that will move the group to a better state of existence — one which will help the officials within the association and help the association serve the organizations for which its members serve.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post 11 Things Your Officials Association Should Be Doing Right Now appeared first on Referee.com.

1. Be organized

Depending on the amount of games you’re responsible for, how long your season is and how many officials you’re assigning, it’s very easy to get sidetracked. If you’re not organized, the details that start as a trickle can quickly threaten to become a tsunami. If you can keep everything organized into an efficient work process, you can contain and control the flow.

2. Pay attention to detail

Being detail oriented will make your job easier and give you the backup proof if there’s any kind of issue that arises. Check and recheck your work. Keep good records of changes you’ve had to make, whether it’s from the leagues/schools you work for, or if it’s the officials that are making changes to their availability. Save and file emails, so you can go back and verify anything.

3. Show the ability to prioritize

You must prioritize or the sheer volume of details will overwhelm you. Separate tasks by what has to be done in the next 24 to 48 hours and then what’s next week. Prioritize and at the same time don’t lose track of the stuff that’s coming up just because it’s not no. 1! Those first three items all deal with the working portion of the job. Believe it or not, that’s the “easy” part.

4. Develop a thick skin

You’re basically raising “children” when you agree to become an assigner. Multiple personalities, family and work situations, financial status. All of those factors contribute to which officials do which games. Be prepared for any and all reasons to not make it to games, not be on time, have last-minute “excuses” for late changes, etc. You have to figure out quickly which “kids” are going to be your “go to” people and which “kids” end up on the “naughty” list.

5. Get to know your staff

There is a human side to what we do. What hobbies do they have? Where do they work? Where do they go to church? Where do their kids go to school? Those are all details that will help you make decisions about assigning which official where and when.

6. Be fair to a fault

Be honest with your officials and expect them to be honest with you. Crew integrity doesn’t just apply on the court or field. Keep track of which officials work championship games in tournaments and move them around from tournament to tournament. Be sure all qualified officials get an opportunity to work that championship game eventually. Seniority does count for something in officiating, just like any other job. But in order for the younger officials to stick around long enough to be a “senior” official, you have to also give them opportunities. Give them the occasional big game, recommend them for postseason assignments when they’re ready and be excited about their success.

7. Be approachable to all

If they know you genuinely care about their wellbeing and want what’s best for them, often officials will respond more positively than if you just treat them as a name to fill in a slot. You will always have “favorites,” officials you can really depend on when you’re in a pinch, but you can’t make it obvious to everyone. You may also have some officials that aren’t your favorites. Again, you can’t make that obvious either. Your job as assigner is to do the best job for all officials, whether they’re ranked in the top 10, or dead last. You work for the people, not the other way around.

Being a successful assigner takes a lot of hard work and dedication. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Why not you? If you want it done right and you’ve stepped forward, it’s time to put the walk in place of the talk. Being a good assigner has many of the same attributes of being a good official. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Look out for what’s best for all the membership, not what’s best for you personally. Be honest and have integrity. Do what’s right when applying the “rules,” and apply them according to the intent of the rules, not the letter of the rules. As with officiating, all of these factors will make the “game of assigning” run smoothly and help you be successful.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post Meet the Assigning Challenge appeared first on Referee.com.

To be of any value, the bylaws need to be reviewed from time to time. Here is a checklist to help you get a review under way.

Review Committee

A committee should be designated to review the existing bylaws. It can be a standing committee (always in place) or a group that serves for a set period of time. It can be the same as the drafting committee, be totally separate or have a mix of members. The president of the association or the board should appoint the committee. How many people should be named to serve on the committee can vary, although you want to be sure it’s not so large that meetings become contentious or veer off point, or so small that the views of the group are too narrow.

More important than the number is the composition of the committee. It should include a cross-section of the membership so that all points of view are considered. Ideal candidates would be those with legal or governmental expertise or those who have dealt with issues faced by nonprofit associations.

Collecting Proposals

Since the power to adopt bylaws lies with the membership, it’s a good idea to accept proposals from the members. Be sure the members have a copy of the current bylaws, and give them some time to review them before the review committee meets. But set a deadline for proposals and stick to it.

You may want to form a drafting committee that solicits and reviews or generates proposed changes. Be sure to give the committee the power to reject proposals that are frivolous, non-applicable or ill-advised. You wouldn’t, for example, take seriously a bylaw that makes the president’s position a lifetime appointment.

Comparison Shop

Contact other associations and ask for a copy of their bylaws. Drawing comparisons from associations of similar size or composition may be particularly helpful. Be sure to find out how recently the bylaws were amended or adopted. That will tell you how up-to-date the concepts are.

Keep Them Real

Bylaws must be flexible. If bylaws are too rigid, the association will not be able to react to changing priorities or new projects. Conversely, a set of bylaws cannot be subject to amendment every time an important decision must be made.

In addition, bylaws should be clearly written in order to provide a sound basis for the activities of the board of directors as the board works to achieve the goals of the association

Bylaws should let members know, in plain language, what is expected of them. A well-drafted set of bylaws provides an association with a sense of order as it makes decisions and sets policy, enabling it to function more smoothly, more efficiently and in a businesslike manner.

Bylaws must always be realistic. For instance, you’d likely not want to enforce a bylaw that mandated expulsion from the association for a member who misses an assignment. Extenuating circumstances such as an accident or a mix-up on the part of the assigner that led to the official going to the wrong site or going on the wrong day should always be considered.

Dust Them Off

The bylaw review should take place every other year. Don’t go three years without a review. You want to ensure that the current practices of the association conform to the bylaws and that the existing bylaws provide a workable framework for governing the association.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post Are Your Bylaws Keeping Up With the Times? appeared first on Referee.com.

Of course, most associations work hard to make sure their officials are not employees, but independent contractors. Consequently, associations are not automatically liable for the negligent acts of their officials. However, that doesn’t mean the enterprising plaintiff’s lawyer is totally out of luck. It just means he has to allege that the association itself was negligent in training or assigning its officials. While it’s possible to imagine a complaint alleging that an association’s negligent assignment of an official to a game resulted in some sort of injury or damage, of all the activities an association takes on, training clearly presents the greatest potential for legal risk.

A great example of how important training can be is the emphasis the NFHS and state associations have placed on training officials to properly handle possible concussions. Naturally, their primary concern is for the safety of the student-athletes, but once they decided to address the issue of head injuries at all in the context of the rules, they had to make sure for legal reasons that they have a sound training program in place.

Almost all local associations have no choice but to take on the job of training their officials in one way or another. It’s one of the main reasons local associations exist. As a result, they have a legal obligation to conduct their training in a reasonable fashion, doing what they can to make sure their members know and properly apply and enforce the rules. Take, for instance, these five areas of training where failures could be more likely to lead to legal liability.

Know the rules regarding safe equipment

In a freshman game, the catcher makes the third out and a sub runs out to warm up the pitcher while he gets his gear back on. If the sub is hit by a bouncing fast ball and gets hurt because he doesn’t have the required protective gear on, the association needs to show it gives training on required equipment to all of its officials, especially the newer ones likely to do sub-varsity games.      

Know and enforce the rules regarding safe equipment

It’s the long anticipated match between two powerhouse soccer programs in the state final. The all-state star for one team had her arm dinged up and is wearing a cast or split that may or may not have been properly covered. No matter, because the referee elects not to check, as he doesn’t want to insult the coach by implying that she would send a player out with an illegal or dangerous piece of equipment. Besides, he isn’t anxious to start the biggest match of the season and delay the telecast by telling the coach her star can’t play. Unfortunately, the referee’s attempt to finesse the issue runs into trouble when the star collides with the opposing team’s MVP and breaks her arm. The MVP misses her traveling team season and loses a probable scholarship. Mom and dad want to know what the association did to make sure its officials understand their obligation to enforce the rules at every game.

Inspect and monitor the playing court or field for safety and rules compliance

With time running out in the half, the marching band is crowding the sideline, waiting for its chance to take the field. They are 30 yards from the line of scrimmage, so no one thinks much about it until a defensive back and receiver fight over a long pass outside the hash marks and go sprawling into the clarinet section, leaving some severely wounded woodwinds. The band boosters, along with a number of other folks, are going to want to know if the association told its officials to keep the sidelines clear at all times.

Know and stay in your lane

Instead of going to game management for help, an official directly confronts an obnoxious fan and orders him to be quiet or leave. The confrontation gets physical and in the process a bystanding fan gets injured. His lawyer wants to know why the association didn’t train its officials to let event staff or security deal with the unruly fan.

Be in the right place,  looking for and at the right thing

You might not think mechanics is a high legal risk area for training, but it can be. Consider a trail official who focuses his attention narrowly on the basketball as it is dribbled in back court nearing the division line and allows two players that were lagging behind to drift out of his field of vision. A shoving match goes unnoticed and suddenly explodes into a sucker punch, which none of the officials see. With proper mechanics, one of the officials would have seen the shoving and could have broken up the brewing storm. Because proper mechanics were not used, a player is undergoing surgery for a fractured skull. The insurance company’s lawyer is going to want to know what the association did to train that crew to make sure they had all 10 players covered.

To be fair, it’s very unusual for an association to be sued for the acts of one of its officials. But if it happens, it’s not likely to be over a failure to adequately train its officials in the complexity of the jump stop or batting out of order rules. It’s going to be over something related to player safety in terms of equipment, the playing environment, or controlling the game. Except for game control, it’s the stuff we often gloss over in meetings, because it rarely comes up in a game. That doesn’t mean it’s not important, and associations need to make sure their members know safety always comes first and ignoring rules about safety puts both the official and association at legal risk.   

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post Educate Your Members to Avoid Liability appeared first on Referee.com.

Unfortunately, officials are human beings and subject to the same flaws and foibles as anyone else. You’d like to think that while you might miss a call here and there, none of your brother or sister officials would ever cross the line that would require some sort of discipline, punishment or even expulsion. However, although the Tim Donaghys and other bad apples of the officiating barrel are few and far between, they do exist and associations need to be ready to deal with them appropriately.

The key to an effective code of conduct is to establish clear standards; ensure all members are informed of the standards and hold everyone equally accountable to those standards. The key to an effective enforcement mechanism is to establish a transparent process that allows for the member to be fully informed of what it is he or she is alleged to have done or failed to do and what consequences might result; provide the member an opportunity to tell his or her side of the story and designate an unbiased person or persons who will decide if the allegations are substantiated and what penalties should be imposed.

Standards and the enforcement mechanism must be part of your association’s bylaws.

Naturally, the standards and the enforcement mechanism need to be set out in writing and part of the association bylaws, particularly since most states require the bylaws to address how someone can join or be removed from an association. An attorney’s advice will be of great help in developing the proper language. In reviewing an association’s disciplinary action against a member, the courts will first focus on whether there were well-defined standards of conduct that gave the member adequate notice of what was acceptable behavior. They will then turn to see if the association had a fair process set forth for dealing with the problem and if it followed its own rules. Associations most commonly get in trouble by failing to set clear standards or by not following their own rules.

Obviously, the “punishment” needs to fit the “crime.” An official who misses a single game assignment would be treated differently than one who arrives drunk or curses a coach. Most groups have a relatively simple fine system for missed games, with the possibility of an appeal to the board or a committee. More serious offenses can lead to punishments ranging from heavier fines and suspensions to removal.

Some associations have discipline or ethics committees whose purpose is to address member misconduct. Others place that responsibility on the board. A separate committee has the advantage of at least appearing to be more neutral, since in most cases it will be the board recommending disciplinary action. In fact, the best practice is for all complaints against members to come through the board before being referred to the disciplinary committee.

If an official acts in a way that leads the board to conclude he or she should be sanctioned, it’s not going to be pretty. The official will be offended and angry at the allegation. If the board seeks to suspend or expel the official, it will be even worse because of what may be a significant financial impact in the form of lost games fees. That certainly ups the ante and increases the chances litigation will follow.

In order to maximize the association’s chances of prevailing, it should make sure its code of conduct and disciplinary process are clearly described in the bylaws and then meticulously follow its own rules.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

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Social media policies are part conduct regulation and part regulation of a specific forum of communication. Most associations know that they expose themselves to liability when their rules and procedures are unclear.

Social media forces associations to grapple with the fact that conduct regulations aren’t enough.  Associations now have to regulate specific forums for communication.  Regulating a forum of communication means that conduct that may be perfectly fine in other forums becomes a breach of a bylaw or conduct code simply because it takes place on social media.

Associations need to have social media policies in place in their bylaws

From a legal perspective, an absolute ban seems attractive at first glance, but it would probably be an impractical mistake for high school and lower level associations. An absolute ban can expose entities to lawsuits predicated upon selective enforcement. Those lawsuits can run the gamut from contract disputes to claims that the banning entity discriminates in determining who gets penalized under the ban.

At high school and lower levels, associations regulate social media by placing conduct restrictions on things written on social media. Often, the regulations simply capture conduct that would violate a code of ethics under any circumstances. However, there are times where otherwise acceptable communication can become unacceptable simply because it took place on social media.

Associations are darned if they do and darned if they don’t when it comes to regulating social media. A lack of a policy will create business problems when a school, league or official complains about an abusive official. However, an association that regulates social media runs the risk of drafting over-broad regulations that can incorporate anything. It could be anything from a newspaper op-ed column that runs online and generates a slew of profane comments, to a member using a poorly disguised handle on a football forum to explain the strengths and weaknesses of a rule change, to a group of officials breaking down mechanics on one of the officials’ Facebook page.

Associations have to start by recognizing that the main problem with social media is that it induces members to assume they’re making private comments when they’re actually in a forum that the general public can see. Social media is the electronic equivalent of the official who sits in the stands and criticizes coaches or officials, forgetting that nearby fans can hear the criticism.

A good social media policy regulates private speech that could be harmful or seen as unprofessional if it’s made public. Next, a good social media policy will bar officials from making comments that the public could see that links to a real official, coach, player or situation.

Associations need to take action to regulate social media because they’re going to eventually confront the issue. The key is to think very carefully before regulating, and to educate one’s members about social media and other types of private discussions that could be overheard by members of the public

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A professional approach between board members and members of the association is absolutely necessary. No board position is potentially more volatile than that of assigner. If you can’t maintain an honest approach with a highlight on your integrity, you won’t be able to do your best work, and you might not be in that position for very long.

The position of assigner in any officiating association has the spotlight on it at all times, so don’t do anything that you’re not going to want to see again in the light of day. Mistakes have a life all their own, and you’re going to make them. The focus should be to minimize the damage of a mistake and don’t do it again. It’s a topic I’m very passionate about, as I’m in the eighth year as assigner of our association. I’ve served as member at large, rules interpreter and vice president. No other position has the ongoing headaches that come with the assigner position. Let’s outline some things to work on, and some things to avoid.

DO:

1. Be transparent.

To do a stellar job as an assigner, everyone in your association has to feel that he or she is being treated fairly and consistently. When you are questioned by members as to why their schedule isn’t what they think it should be, sometimes tact and diplomacy work. Sometimes brutal honesty works better, as long as you remember to deal in facts, not opinions. Don’t let a personality clash turn into an all-out war. Let them know where they stand, and what they need to improve on to get higher level games.

2. Work hard to deal patiently with changes from officials and leagues.

They will happen and more often than you care for. Be understanding, especially if it’s an official that is usually dependable. If you’re patient when they make a mistake, hopefully they’ll be patient when you make a mistake, because those will happen too. If you have an official who has a bad habit of being late or not showing up, give them a week or two to think about it with no assignments, and see if they get the point.

3. Reward your “go-to” people with more and better games.

If you think that contradicts point 1, it doesn’t. Again, you have to be honest and transparent with those that haven’t achieved that level yet. I don’t mind pointing out to officials that availability and dependability go hand in hand when it comes to getting games. Those officials that are willing to fill in on a last-minute basis because someone else bailed on you deserve to be rewarded. If I have a veteran varsity official who fills in for me on a C or JV game during a hectic week of changes, I make sure I keep track and get them on a good varsity assignment.

4. Be visible.

Get out and view your officials working. Give them positive feedback on what you’d like to see them improve, and also include what you think they’re doing well. If it’s a newer official, give them small bites. If it’s a veteran, give them “polish” points to make their game sharper and improve perception of them as an official.

DON’T:

1. Hold grudges.

Allow members to apologize, and reward them if they are honestly trying to improve your perception of them. Everyone makes mistakes. If the member sees the error of his or her way, allow the member some leeway to make it right.

2. Don’t talk about members to other members.

Sometimes in board meetings, assessments and observations about officials come up. Leave those discussions in the board meeting. This is one of those landmines that you want to avoid. Be professional. Be very careful when you’re out in public. You never know who might be watching. People in your town know who you are, so they’ll want to ask questions about what this official said or did and what do you think about it. If it’s an official request from a league administrator, activities principal or a coach, ask for specifics about any rules that they perceived were incorrect, and for game film if it’s available. Don’t get into a discussion about judgment calls. That’s a “no win” situation. Talk to the official about the issue and get their side of the story.

Our assigning system allows for postgame reports. We require those in any odd rules situation, and also if a coach or player receives a technical foul or is ejected. Those reports go to our president, vice-president and assigner. Officials should give administrators a little “heads-up” hopefully before the phone calls start.

Assigning is much like raising kids. Many days it’s a lot of work with little reward. On other days, it’s very rewarding. You have to take the bad with the good, and work hard to “raise your children” so they are doing their best work for your association and for themselves. Again, as with raising your kids, a lot of patience is required to get them from the “baby” stage, through “adolescence” and hopefully to the “mature adult” stage. Most assigners are getting paid to do the job, but if it’s not a labor of love also, you’ll give up before you see positive results. You’ll definitely have a “parent’s pride” when they succeed, and receive higher level recognition.

Be honest and transparent, and be patient and passionate about your officials and the sports you assign. Finally, work hard. As with many good things, if it was easy, anyone could do it.

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They include basics such as the following:

1. Having an online presence, be it a Facebook account or someone savvy in the use of Twitter (also a plus in recruitment).
2. Making sure you have a set policy for your officials concerning the use of social media (guidelines can be found at the NASO.org site under the resources tab).
3. Establishing a media contact person, because as noted in this day and age, the old policy of “no comment” can often be a recipe for speculation and misunderstanding.
4. Keeping the lines of communication open with the local media. That might be as simple as emailing or calling them to let them know you exist, letting them know you’re running a recruitment drive or even potentially serving as a background source for them (not to be quoted) on some rule interpretation issue.
5. Having an association board that can quickly respond to a high-level situation either through a quick but thorough email “conversation” or by text message or cell phone. Making sure that there is video of the event is a huge plus in those situations. There again, knowing someone on the inside of local media could be helpful.

“I just tried to be honest,” said South Gulf (Fla.) Football Officials Association President Gil Whitmore in a recent issue of NASO’s Advisor about speaking to the media after a particular incident. “They’re (the media) not necessarily interested in a cut-and-dried answer. They’re looking for something they can string along. So, I was very measured in the response that I provided.

“I tried not to give them something they could take out of context. You read and hear horror stories about things being taken out of context. It’s hard to defend your comments when you don’t have a record of the entire conversation.”

6. For lower-level events not likely to make the media, it’s good to have an assigner or association rep who will handle complaints in a rational, honest manner, demanding a logical, written letter or email with evidence. These people can help defuse potentially “significant” situations. Only rule applications should be considered and judgment calls should be strictly excluded.
7. Having a good assigner or assistant who can review game reports and offer guidance to officials on what to include and what to leave out of such reports is also a huge plus. The “Goldilocks” principle of getting such things “just right” is helpful in avoiding confusion and makes life simpler for officials.

General report guidelines include being specific and avoiding speculation, sarcasm or bringing up past incidents with any coach, player or team you are talking about.

8. Also, being on good terms with the schools or teams you work with can go far in preventing things from blowing up. Establishing the fact that you’re going to be fair with them and listen to their issues (up to a certain point) and then following through on those promises will build a solid base of goodwill that you can tap into when something “interesting” happens in a game, which it almost always will.
9. And above all, especially for liability situations, make sure your association is covered by NASO’s Sports Officials Security (SOS) Program, plus Game Call and assigners’ coverage. Enrolling in the assault protection program is also recommended.

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Officials who are skilled in enforcing the rules of the game while officiating often don’t feel bound by any of the internal rules of their own association, otherwise known as constitutions or bylaws. That can lead to severe legal consequences. Officers of associations need to follow the bylaws at all times, especially when dealing in matters involving discipline or expulsion of members. Any association officer who fails to follow the bylaws in that area increases not only his or her association’s exposure to liability, but also will risk, in many cases, personal liability.

2. Don’t Keep Your Policies a Secret

Officials have a right to know what their association expects of them – and what will happen should those expectations not be met. Meeting and financial requirements, restrictions on members’ activities and policies and mechanics must be made available to all members.

3. Don’t Make Officials Employees of the Association

If you want to decrease your association’s exposure to liability, don’t hire members! Communicate to leagues, conferences and schools that officials will be supplied for game fees. Members must know that the association is not liable should anyone be injured.

4. Don’t Suspend a Member Automatically

Anytime an officials association officer uses the word “automatically” within five miles of the word “suspend” or “expel,” watch out! A member who you think may have violated your bylaws must be given notice of the violation and a chance to defend the charge. Some state laws have specific requirements for suspension or expulsion of association members. Wherever you live, your association should coordinate any disciplinary action with local counsel to make sure appropriate guidelines are observed.

5. Don’t Assume Incorporating Will Avoid Personal Liability

The commonly held belief that the officers and members of an organization need not be concerned with personal liability if the organization incorporates is a fallacy. Incorporation is often seen as an absolute shield against liability – which it is not.

6. Deal with Potential Claims By Seeking Professional Advice

An attempt to “do it yourself” in defending a claim (or potential claim) could have a number of serious legal consequences. Officers and directors of officials associations have a fiduciary responsibility to their associations and the members. Since they are entrusted with dues and other funds, officers are required to conserve assets by applying good business judgment. Consequently, officers must seek legal or accounting advice when a legal or accounting issue presents itself.

7. Keep Good Meeting Minutes

Without minutes, there is no official record of the action of the board or executive committee. As memories fade, the course an association decides to take may vary from meeting to meeting, with devastating legal results. And minutes should be taken correctly – include the action taken, rather than a replay of all discussion at the meeting.

8. Review Your Insurance Policies to Match the Risks Inherent in the Operation of Your Association

Officials associations conduct meetings and clinics, assign games, supervise officials, establish rating systems, engage personnel, develop mechanics and codes and hold tournaments. Any one of those activities can lead to a lawsuit. Only your insurance expert can tell you if your coverage matches what your association does.

9. Pretend That You Are Running a Business

Ever hear an association member say, “All we want to do is referee?” For most associations, the truth is, it’s not all you want to do – not by a long shot. You want to recruit; be officers, commissioners and assigners; discipline officials; establish ratings; set policies, regulations, and in some cases, officiating mechanics. In short, you want to determine your own fate. As in any business, each of those activities carries legal responsibilities that cannot be overlooked.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post Nine Tips to Decrease Your Association’s Exposure to Liability appeared first on Referee.com.

Nobody wants to think about disciplining a fellow official, but putting on a striped or blue shirt doesn’t make us less subject to human frailties than anybody else (even the coaches we regularly butt heads with). So, planning for what to do when an imperfection grows into a major problem is a necessary evil. In other words, it’s no fun to think about dealing with wayward members, but a responsible association must have a policy and procedure for discipline. That policy needs to be in writing in the bylaws, so that everyone understands the rules and no one can complain that you’re just making it up as you go along in order to throw him or her under the bus. 

One size does not always fit all when it comes to establishing a disciplinary program. The size of the group, the nature of the membership and even the sport may all play a role in defining the exact rules that should be adopted. 

For example, an NCAA D-I football officials’ group may want to have a different approach to discipline than a local group of recreation and junior high soccer officials. Nevertheless, there are some general principles that always apply. 

The discipline process really involves two steps. The first is to determine the actual facts. Just because an allegation is made does not mean it’s true. The second is to determine what corrective action is appropriate in light of the facts. In many instances, that is a much more difficult task, since it is so subjective. 

The fact-finding process should first allow for a neutral fact finder. It might be a member of the association who was previously identified and elected or appointed for a term. It might be a committee or an individual who is appointed to look into the specific allegation. The second thing the fact-finding process must provide is an opportunity for the official to be informed of the allegations against him or her and to tell his or her side of the story. Of course, the official is entitled to know not just the alleged facts, but the standard of conduct or performance he or she has violated. For that reason, it’s important that associations clearly state their standards of conduct in their bylaws.  

As long as the investigation process includes a neutral fact finder and an opportunity to respond, everything else can be adjusted, based on the severity of the case. In the example, it may be that the fact finder wants to talk to the other guys on the crew and the principal. Or perhaps the official wants to offer a statement from the cop who responded. 

The rule of reason applies and it’s important to have a fact finder who can make sure everyone gets heard but not let the process run amok and turn a simple dispute into a federal case.

Most of the time, the facts can be established with some degree of certainty. If the case turns into a he said-she said and the fact finder really can’t figure out what happened, the benefit of the doubt generally goes to the official. But remember, it is not a criminal case and we’re not talking about beyond a reasonable doubt. If the allegation is more likely true than not true, it should be considered established for the purposes of discipline. Only in a 50-50 just-can’t-tell case does the “tie” go to the official.

Once the facts are established, if they show a violation of the standards of conduct, the association must determine the appropriate corrective action. That might be done by or upon a recommendation from the fact finder. Typically, the board of directors will vote on any corrective measures. Obviously, any member of the board who might have a personal interest in the case should not take any part. 

The official should be offered an opportunity to be heard on the question of punishment also, although in most cases, he will have addressed that topic at the same time he made his case about the violation. The types of corrective actions available to the board might include reprimands, fines, suspensions, additional training, and dismissal. However, it’s very important that when and how they may be imposed is set out in the bylaws.

The primary factors that should control any association’s approach to discipline are to have a process that (1) provides fair notice to the accused official, (2) gives him or her a reasonable opportunity to respond, (3) has an impartial fact finder and decision maker, and (4) is set out in the bylaws. 

Dealing with allegations that an official did something seriously wrong is probably the most unpleasant part of association leadership. If you have a proper discipline plan in place, you won’t have to ask, “What do we do now?” You can say, “Well, Mr. Principal, I’m really sorry to hear that, but can honestly tell you we have a system in place that will allow us to quickly and fairly gather the facts and take any appropriate corrective action.”

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post How to Develop a Discipline Program appeared first on Referee.com.

A high school official aspires to the state title game. College officials aim for the Final Four, national championship game or College World Series.

In most cases at the amateur level, getting multiple shots at the highest game is rare.

Some state associations and national governing bodies limit the number of times an official can go the championships. Some don’t permit officials to go consecutive years. And sometimes, it takes so long to reach the goal that an official doesn’t want to continue working the next couple of years for a chance at a return trip.

All that aside, reaching the top of the mountain shouldn’t be the end of an officiating career. If you’ve accomplished your goals, why not try to help others achieve theirs? There are many other ways to contribute to officiating success of others.

Mentor roles

Think back to early in your career. Wouldn’t it have been fantastic to have someone who had been there and done that?

An official who no longer wants to pursue the highest games can take on the job of mentoring a younger official — whether it’s a rookie or an official on the cusp of reaching his or her goals.

Be available for that official for phone calls and in-person meetings, offering advice and support. You’ll derive great satisfaction when a person you are guiding reaches a career goal, and you’ll be setting up your local association for future successes by leading the way in establishing a mentoring program.

Evaluating

Many officials complain that they can’t advance because no one is evaluating them, so they don’t know what they are doing wrong or how to get better.

An experienced official can work within his or her association to form either a formal or informal evaluation program for all officials, with the goal of seeing each official at least once a season.

The veteran officials — active or not — can be paid a small amount either through the association or from the members who request an evaluation.

The bottom line is the veteran will still keep his or her hand in the game and be a valuable asset to area officials.

Assigning

While most conferences or associations hire assigners, that is definitely an area where a veteran can make himself or herself available to stay in the game.

Assigning can be a daunting to overwhelming task for an official who still works on the floor or field. Yet having someone who is just out of the game is a great trait as an assigner. It’s a fresh look for the association’s members — both the officials and coaches.

Clinician

Most groups meet several times before the season (or during the first half) to go over new rules, mechanics or officiating philosophy.

A veteran official can make him or herself available for leading one of those sessions and deliver a very relevant topic, especially to first- and second-year officials.

Whether it’s as a mentor, evaluator, assigner or clinician, a veteran is a great asset for any officials association. Don’t reach the mountaintop and fall sharply out of sight. Take your time on the way down, and give back just like those who helped you reach those peaks in your career.

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1. Know your assigning system.

When I started assigning three years ago, I didn’t know a lot about our scheduling system. If you can get some instruction from your previous assigner, that’s great. In our local association, the treasurer is responsible for making sure the assigning gets done, whether they do it themselves, or select someone to do it, with the board’s approval, and under the supervision of the treasurer. The first thing I did was get on our web system, navigate around it, and find out what looked fairly simple, and what I was going to have to spend more time on. I also made it a point to build a repoire with the webmaster of our website, which incorporates the assigning system into it. We had quite a few conversations that first season, both to learn what the system was currently set up for, and to find out what it wasn’t doing yet that it was capable of. You really want to let your system work for you. Scheduling, billing and payroll should all be handled by a good web assigning system. If you have a smaller association, and are still scheduling on the paper and telephone call system, that’s fine. You still want to understand how to work that system and keep good records.

2. Know your personnel.

It’s imperative that you know who your “problem children” are right away. You also need to know who your “go to” people are. Knowledge of both are equally important. Your problem children will take up a majority of your time, if you let them. Don’t! Your “go to” people will save your bacon many times during the season, with last-minute fill-ins, or by doing that game that no one else wants, and they’ll do it without griping about it. Reward them when possible, and always thank them.

3. Set definite criteria for assignments and advancement.

At the beginning of the season, the association board needs to set criteria for the assigning and advancement. That takes the assigner out of play in a lot of situations. Either the member fulfilled the criteria or didn’t. Our board uses meeting attendance, test scores, clinics attendance, mentorship and evaluations as a basis for varsity assignments and postseason play. Our board also meets and votes on who will be awarded a postseason recommendation for either a region or state slot. It’s not the choice of one or two people, but the entire board.

4. Be fair and honest.

Those are absolutes and go hand in hand. If you’re not fair in the eyes of the majority of your group, you’re in trouble. If you’re still an active official, assign yourself at the level you were when you took over the assigning job, and don’t use that as an opportunity to “raise” your assignments. That’ll not bode well for your future as an assigner.

Personality conflicts cannot come into play when assigning. Whether you like or dislike an official is immaterial. Are they capable of handling the level of game that you are assigning? Are you giving them the opportunity to advance, if warranted? If they call you and ask for an assessment of their abilities, give them an honest answer based on your observations and the feedback directed to you by board members or senior officials. Be honest and at the same time be as unbiased as you can. Give them what they need to work on, and give them positive points. Keep good records of reports about officials, especially complaints from school or league administrators. Share those with the official, without naming names, to let them know that is serious, and you want them to work on improvement.

5. Be approachable.

The members need to know you are working for them. They need to know they can call you and discuss an assignment, a game situation that went awry or a personal issue. They shouldn’t have to be worried about their schedule being in jeopardy. The members also need to know the absolutes. The items I require of our officials are simple:

A. Be accurate in your availability. If you’re not sure, you’re not available.

B. Check the schedule when published, and let me know right away if you can’t do the assigned games. Everyone should work rec, youth, C and JV, even varsity officials. For training purposes, we assign all high school ball as three-crew, if we have enough officials available. We use our varsity officials as trainers during the C/JV games, giving immediate feedback to the younger/newer officials.

6. Be available.

Be available to devote an immense amount of time during the season to assigning. Make sure your spouse and family buy in. Be available to field calls from coaches, administrators and officials at almost anytime. Be available to watch games and offer positive feedback to aspiring officials. Watching games allows you to better assess the capabilities and attitudes of your officials. Attitude incorporates everything from work ethic, loyalty to the association, showing up on time and at the right gym, being a great partner, self evaluation and constantly striving to be better.

Assigning isn’t for everyone. It’s like being parent, friend, confidant, father confessor and most of all babysitter all rolled into one. As with most jobs, 10 percent of the people will cause 90 percent of the problems. You have to be persistent to “gut it out.” You get paid, but like good officials, you can’t be doing it just for the money. You have to be passionate about it, and want to do your best. If you’ve agreed to do it, tackle it with all the gusto you can manage. There are a lot of headaches, but there are a lot of rewards. Watching younger officials advance because of your training, or giving them opportunities to officiate higher level games is a thrill. Remember where you came from, how you got to where you are, and give back.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

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After you graduated, you finally had time for other interests, like officiating — and here they come with the @$#$ tests again.

But this time it’s different; tests in school were about objectively ranking a student among peers and the same went for the institutions administering them. We all know someone who got into a professional school or not because of a few marks here or there. We’ve probably all heard the debate about a 3.8 GPA meaning the same coming from School A, B or C, too: Grades meant everything in academia.

In sports, meanwhile, A, B or C are three esoteric choices on a rules quiz and most jurisdictions require passing one as a condition of registration or advancement. The norm these days is for the test to be of the “open book” variety. It can be taken multiple times, if necessary, and often as a group activity with others. To top it off, the candidate only needs a minimum score before being released into the wild; getting a higher score often doesn’t change anything.

So, our psyches burn with indignation and confusion. We know what it took to pass some college exams. Then we look at the test we take for basketball officiating every year and proclaim some sort of comedown: “They can’t be serious,” you might sniff. “Some guy who made 76 on his second try is just as qualified as moi?

“My rulebook and I spent our summer vacation together and I had a 98 to show for it. If it hadn’t been for that one dumb question, I would have been perfect!”

Or would I?

Virtually every state office is unique in its approach to testing. Most agree on the motivation for testing, but then they often diverge in the method. They view the annual rules exam as an audit, accomplishing two important things: First, it demonstrates that an individual official is continuing to put effort into learning the rules. Second, the pattern of incorrect answers turned in by all the candidates tells them about the rules themselves — which ones need improvement and which ones need more attention from officials; just as much as a right answer shows whether an official knows what targeting is, enough wrong answers show whether officials get what targeting is, too. That can be a critical distinction, and the states weave what they see in test responses into their training. What follows is a sampling of how various states prepare officials to work high school sports. We’ll talk about testing requirements but include the other arrows in their quivers, too, like training programs and performance assessments.

Mark Dreibelbis is an associate commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), responsible for officials. The NFHS, through its rules committees, drafts two 100-question tests each year that states may use for testing in a given sport. The Part I test is more straightforward, while the Part II test is designed to be a stiffer evaluation of overall rules knowledge. Dreibelbis’ officials take the Part I test and must pass it with a 75 percent score on the first try to be regular-season eligible for football, as an example. In itself, that doesn’t seem like much of an achievement. The test is open book, an approach that is a departure from the proctored format that North Carolina used about 10 years ago. Dreibelbis says the change was made because studies have shown the open-book format promotes better learning. “(It’s) better than me just going in blind (on a closed-book test) and having a question that I don’t know the answer to and just taking a guess,” he explains. “What I’m going to do is answer the 70 or 80 or so questions (on the Part I test) I know and then … I’m going to go stick my nose in the rulebook and look up the rest.”

Concerns with the open book test…..

The concern often heard is that open-book tests lead to … collusion in achieving passing grades. Dreibelbis has a good answer to this: Cheating on the test won’t get you very far in North Carolina because of the other requirements. “You have to go to a minimum six preseason clinics where they work on rules and mechanics,” Dreibelbis says. “You have a local association meeting. You have a mandatory state rules clinic where we go over all the rules changes, and interpreters now use video review. You have to work three scrimmages and then we add the NFHS concussion test.

“But you have to do all of those every year to be eligible. So, it’s much more than just a 100-question test.”

Some of us can feel the treads shallowing on our tires at the thought of crisscrossing the state to find “a minimum” of six clinics, let alone putting in the other work. The North Carolina system of local officiating chapters provides broad access to available clinics and, with some direction, Dreibelbis gives his selected clinicians healthy leeway to present selected subjects in relatable formats. The proof in the pudding is that NCHSAA officiating numbers have declined only about 5 percent in recent years, against the trend in many areas. The officiating pool is also getting older, however, and the qualification requirements may be a deterrent to younger officials who might balk at the needed time and financial commitment, Dreibelbis admits. He says NCHSAA has taken advantage of the new NFHS program to recruit new officials and it also waives registration fees for first-year officials; on the one hand that leaves about $25,000 in potential fees on the table annually, but it pays for itself in getting more newbies over the hump by evading the initial sticker shock and giving it a try.

Matt Bennett is the instructional chair of the California Basketball Officials Association (CBOA), representing about 3,500 officials in California. He says the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) controls high school sports in the state but is not involved in officiating development in any way. Bennett says the CBOA is the dominant entity in Southern California that trains, evaluates and assigns basketball officials to work in the state. Rather than using NFHS materials, CBOA has written and developed its own program for officials. The focal point is the CBOA Study Guide, something akin to a workbook combining rule discussions with questions like those in Referee’s “Test Yourself” features. The guide becomes a tour of NFHS rules and mechanics with 215 multiple-choice questions to develop the user’s comprehension of the concepts presented (see sidebar for an example).

The first task for an official each year is to submit online answers to the questions in the guide, with numerous opportunities to achieve an 80 percent score. After that comes a classification test for assignment to games; it requires another 80 percent on a selection of 100 of the same questions, this time administered by individual chapters in their own way. This is where officials get more facetime with mentors at the unit level and, if they fail that test, they get one more try at a makeup test after some individual coaching. If they don’t pass the makeup test, they don’t work basketball that season.

“The testing is a guideline to get the knowledge base for our folks,” Bennett says. “But just because you pass the quiz you still have to have confidence. … You probably run into people that are really book smart, but they don’t apply it very well.

“So, you’ve got a guy who could run off rule references by the number and letter all day long, but he can’t apply it. He doesn’t have judgment or is not physically able to move up and down the floor or he’s just got a real irritating personality.” This is where interaction with mentors comes in.

Face-to-face emphasized

Bennett emphasizes the face-to-face element of developing officials. He says one important thing the CBOA requires officials to do as they get into their third and fourth years is go and observe other officials. “We have them basically fill out a card, make a few notes, get a signature from both officials that they were there. … Just the exposure of getting out to the games is so valuable; there’s really no substitute for that.

“You can look at video, you can take quizzes, you can read books, but to get out to see games and watch people do it — it’s just the basic things you’re looking at in terms of … appearance, physical fitness, judgment, mechanics, rule knowledge.”

The same approach is used in evaluating officials themselves. Bennett thinks the methodology is helping keep CBOA’s numbers steady, but he feels like they can always use more officials. Most high school ball in California is worked by two-person crews, so somewhere out there is room for considerable growth, if or when California embraces three-person mechanics.

So far, we’ve looked at two examples of existing structures evolving into concerted training approaches validated by training. Now let’s see what happens when a system is built from the ground up. Jeff Cluff is an assistant director for the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA), responsible for officials and baseball. Cluff says that when he took over the job five years ago, basketball officials had two chances to make 90 percent on the NFHS Part II exam to qualify, but there was a problem. “I could have a guy who scored 99 percent on the Part II, which is supposed to be harder than the Part I test,” Cluff explains. “Then he’ll walk in and he’ll mess up the rules on the floor.”

That changed. UHSAA now requires returning officials to “only” make an 85 percent on the more basic Part I exam during a window early in each season. New officials must pass the test before they can officiate, but that’s only where the story begins, for Cluff. For him, online, open-book testing wasn’t producing valid results. “I believe that’s one of the problems with the testing mechanism,” he says, “which is why I reduced its importance and we’ve tried to refocus in Utah in other areas to try to gauge their level of competency.

“In Utah, we did not have a preseason clinic or require training meetings during the season that were at a high enough standard. We were requiring 50 percent participation.”

The new requirement is that officials attend a six-hour preseason clinic every year to be eligible for postseason. The clinic staff includes many professional and college officials. Officials can apply for a waiver if they happen to have a college game on the clinic date but that’s a one-year-only deal: Miss two years in a row and you can watch the playoffs from the bleachers.

“It’s been overwhelmingly successful,” says Cluff. He says they offer a five-hour makeup clinic that’s actually more difficult than the original and the net result has been buy-in at the rate of about 70 percent for a deal that costs about $20 a head to facilitate. Cluff then follows up the training by going out and observing prospective playoff officials personally before they can work later rounds. It also helps that the policy in Utah, as in some other western states, is that officials can’t work a state final in successive years. That creates more incentive to improve.

The result is that officiating numbers are holding their own in Utah. Cluff also takes advantage of the NFHS recruitment program and makes a point of personally calling every prospective official who inquires through the program. Of them, he says about 80 percent of those who came in through the program at its inception last year have stuck with it this season. That’s a lot of phone calls for a busy man, but the Welcome Wagon approach seems to have worked.

These administrators understand that the success of their officials and their training programs correlate to the level of effort they put in.

The people we’ve quoted here will tell you they assign little or no importance to an official’s test score once the minimum qualification is achieved. For them, it’s performance on the field or court and active participation in learning the theory of officiating that matters most. Demonstrating that you’ve had your nose in the rulebook is simply a box to be checked and not a means of advancement in itself. If you work in a state that seems to imply differently, you might notice there are more problems with retention and the quality of officiating.

The takeaway from all this is to heed your state office’s advice: Don’t kill yourself to make a 100 percent on the test if they say that “X” percent is plenty. There’s enough subjectivity in testing that pursuit of the perfect score is Quixotic anyway. However, if you only read the rulebook long enough to stumble through the test, your lack of commitment will show in the other elements of training and evaluation noted here. There’s the story of a football crew that once, collectively, ruled a field goal attempt “too high”; the rules, they explained on Monday morning, said the ball had to go between the uprights and this attempt went clearly above them. They proved that reading the rules is different from comprehending them and a test score alone can’t always differentiate the two — only performance does.

Study the rules, but not just as a way of getting by. Learn the rules and how they apply as a complement to your mechanics and game management skills. The test will look after itself.

The post What is the Best Way to Test Sports Officials? appeared first on Referee.com.

“How could we have 10 fouls and they have only two? That’s wrong.” “My kids can’t understand why they get held on every play and nothing happens, and we get a flag every time we get inside the 20.”

Right or wrong, your officials need to be defended, right? Right! So long as they haven’t violated bylaws or intentionally disregarded a mechanic, rule or regulation. Defending officials involves investigation, communication and at times, discipline. How do you preserve the integrity of the association when one of the flock is under fire? Here are six things you need to know:

1. Contractual relationships. Does your group contract with conferences, leagues or schools? Are the contracts oral or written? Are there restrictions as to dress, arrival time, incident reporting, payment, etc.? An association can’t defend its refs if it doesn’t know the terms under which they’re engaged – and the group’s role in assignments.
2. Assignment criteria. If your group assigns, is there a rating system and what are the criteria? Or does your association simply train officials and help arrange assignments?
3. Your association’s parent group and the sport’s governing body. Is your officials association a chapter of a parent association? How do the parent association’s rules, regulations and bylaws impact on complaints? What is your association’s relationship, if any, with the state association? Does any other group have input in regulating or sanctioning your officials?
4. Your association’s governing documents. Your corporate charter may contain information about the rights and responsibilities of members. In many areas, a group’s bylaws or constitution will supply it. Whatever your written rules, they must be followed when dealing with complaints.
5. Insurance coverage. Associations need to have documentation concerning insurance coverage should the association, or a member official or officer become involved in a complaint that turns into a legal proceeding.
6. Local law. Some states specifically limit the circumstances under which a member can be expelled or deprived of membership rights. Local law should be consulted, preferably with the aid of your association’s counsel.

Once an association has its knowledge base at hand, steps need to be taken when a complaint is received.

Determine the nature of the complaint.

Does it relate to an issue your association is authorized to handle? If your group doesn’t assign games, it may not be able to sanction for judgment or rule application, unless a bylaw violation is involved. If your group assigns, it must weigh every complaint.

Refer to the right people.

If a complaint involves an official breaking a contract or a similar offense, there should be a provision covering hearings and sanctions. If the complaint is that a ref misinterpreted a rule, you may need to ask an interpreter to review it and then refer to the right committee.

Investigate.

The appropriate person or committee should be identified in your bylaws. Be sure to follow your bylaws to the letter in obtaining your member’s response to the charge. Those items are best accomplished with the help of your association’s attorney, who can guide you in a proper protocol for the current investigation and handling of future complaints.

Take appropriate action.

In most cases, before a member is suspended or expelled, a notice of the charges and a chance to confront opposing witnesses is necessary. Sanctions are usually reserved for bylaw violations.

The post A Guide to Defending Your Officials appeared first on Referee.com.

Conlin shared his thoughts on assigning as part of a panel last July at the Sports Officiating Summit.

“Unfortunately, I think as assigners sometimes we get too caught up in all the numbers,” Conlin said. “It often becomes just a business about trying to fill a slot.”

Conlin likes to focus his efforts on the assignments and has his schools help him out with some of the other administrative tasks. In addition to making initial assignments, he is used to having to replace people as well.

“I made about 6,000 assignments last year between football and basketball,” Conlin said. “That’s just counting the assignment the first time. That’s not counting having to replace people.”

Turnbacks

The issue of turnbacks obviously doesn’t pose as much of a problem at the higher levels for Conlin, as the officials he uses often jump at the chance to work the more advanced contests.

“I don’t do a real good job about keeping track of the declines and the turnbacks because I really don’t think I want to know the number,” Conlin said. “It’s too many, as most of you know. I have another website or Arbiter group that’s just my college officiating. It’s a small group, as far as the assignments go — smaller than high school. But I still have about the same number of officials. So I’m dealing with the better part of 700 officials on a regular basis.”

As both assigners and officials figure out what does and doesn’t work when it comes to assigning, the process becomes less hectic and more manageable. 

“In regard to turnbacks, I think as we get better at the assigning piece and the officials get better at their calendar, we get less and less of that,” Conlin said. He also stresses to his staffs that he prefers to only assign a game once. “I try to tell my officials that this is a business for me as an assigner. If it’s a varsity girls’ basketball game, I get paid to make three assignments. When I make assignment number four, I’m working for free, and nobody realistically wants to work for free. 

“If you let the officials know that, it becomes a little bit easier. I’ve been trying to use that take with them for a number of years, and they now have a tendency to do a better job. I also tell them they move to the bottom of the ladder when they do the decline thing on a regular basis.”

Payment

The method in which officials are compensated is another area of concern that assigners need to figure out. Conlin uses RefPay (now ArbiterPay), a third-party entity that specializes in the payment of sports officials. 

“One thing that I’ve tried to get my schools to do that I think has made it a lot easier on everyone, and especially for the officials, is to get as many of them to use RefPay as possible,” Conlin said. “It’s a lot easier because they know the money’s going to the right person, and they don’t have to worry about the wrong people cashing the check.”

Game fees can greatly differ depending on what sport and level is being worked. Conlin continued, “At the high school level, maybe it’s not that big of a deal. But if the wrong person gets a check that’s got a comma in it, there are certainly tax implications.”

Technology

As a veteran assigner, Conlin has seen a number of positive and negative trends over the years. Technology has made assigning a much more manageable undertaking. “One of the positive things is the use of websites,” he said.

Conlin feels that as new officials and administrators enter the world of officiating and assigning, they tend to be more technologically savvy than previous generations.

“The younger people coming in have grown up using the Internet, so it’s not intimidating to them,” he said. “I’ve found as the staffs get younger, and it’s also true at the high school level, that we don’t have the problems we once had.

“In the beginning when we were trying to use the Internet, you had a lot of athletic directors that really struggled with any of the assigning programs. It’s not so much chronological age as the fact that you’ve now got people that are not technologically intimidated. It’s a much smoother process.”

People Business

Another negative trend that Conlin sees happening in the industry is that officiating is becoming less and less of a people business and more of a filling- the-slot business. “In the ArbiterSports system, it’s a bunch of slots,” he said. “I think we get away from the people business part of it. It’s just about filling a slot. 

“The reality is, if I’m trying to assign you to a game and you can’t, I don’t (unfortunately) have time to shoot the breeze. If I’m looking for a football crew, I really don’t care. I just need to move on.”

Some officials on the receiving end of that can quickly label an assigner as being arrogant or uncaring. That’s not the case, according to Conlin. 

He thinks that it is important for both assigners and officials to recognize where the other is coming from. Working a number of sports with various coordinators has made Conlin recognize that the people side of assigning should never be lost. 

“One of the reasons I’ve stayed connected to the local high school association as the assigner is to be at meetings and have people see who it is that’s on the other end of the assignment when they decline,” Conlin said. “Overall it’s a really good business and I still really enjoy it. You meet a ton of great people, and I wouldn’t know most of the people in this room if it wasn’t for officiating.”

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

The post Assigning Advice for All Levels appeared first on Referee.com.

We’ve categorized our ultimate list of items into 12 sections: structure/management, governing documents, communication, outreach, finances, leadership, training, programs, board administration, membership, organization and future outlook. Are you ready to see how your local association or chapter stacks up? Click each box that applies and see how you graded your local association in the end.

The post Grade Your Local Association appeared first on Referee.com.

The project began as an effort by NASO to explore how data might be used to improve the officiating industry. It was intended to be a project that cracked the door open to data collection and hinted at what information might be discovered.

However, as fate would have it, the officiating world did not want the door to be subtly cracked open. Officials are ready to have their voices heard, not just in the future, but now.

And now, NASO is ready to reveal collected data to the officiating community with meaningful visuals. As might be imagined, the door that has been swung open through this survey will provide the opportunity to explore many officiating topics for a long time to come.

The charts above show the average ages of officials in each sport. The line across the inside of each box shows the median age of officials in that sport. The box represents the range of ages of the middle 50% of the officials in each sport with the upper and lower hinges showing the upper and lower age limits of that middle 50%. The fact that some officials are significantly younger than most of the officials in a sport, or outliers, explains why the mean age is lower than the median age.

Note: The mean age is the sum of all of the participants’ ages divided by the number of respondents that answered this question. The median age is the middle value of all of the ages when the ages are put in order from youngest to oldest.

Important note: When officials are filtered by gender, ethnicity or age, the trends in responses remain very similar. This means that officials as a whole, no matter what group they might be categorized into, have similar views on what types of action should be taken to incorporate more officials from underrepresented groups into the officiating ranks.

With 57.02% of respondents feeling sportsmanship is getting worse, we have a clear indication that action must be taken to improve sportsmanship. Unfortunately, even among the 57.02% that feel sportsmanship is getting worse, a substantial percentage heckle (14.61%) and publicly criticize (11.13%) other officials.

The chart shows the ages and years at which officials began officiating. The colors indicate how many officials joined the ranks at each age and year intersection. The red shows the lowest concentration of officials, with orange, yellow, light green and dark green each incrementally showing higher concentrations. This chart tells a story with the clear pattern of higher concentrations of officials starting the avocation at older ages with the advancing years.

Visit NASO National Officiating Survey Website

The National Sports Officiating Survey was made possible by the National Association of Sports Officials and sponsored by Peopletrail.

Special thanks to Continuus Technologies for providing technical support, and to  ArbiterSports and the National Federation of State High School Associations, along with the dozens of state high school associations, sports governing bodies, college conferences, leagues and associations for their efforts in distributing the survey.

The post The Largest Officiating Survey Ever appeared first on Referee.com.

A recent state workers compensation appeals board decision has joined other judicial and administrative rulings that illustrate the rather draconian consequences of adherence to mythical concepts as a substitute for legal and risk management advice and counsel.

State labor laws in many states identify some, but not all sports officials, as independent contractors under certain circumstances — and then only for certain purposes.

Associations sometimes compound their difficulties by handling the defense of claims against the organization as a “do-it-yourself” project rather than getting legal assistance. Such was the case when a multi-sport assigning agency was faced with a workers’ compensation claim from a staff official who was injured while working a high school football game.

Manage risk by consulting counsel

The association maintained the official was an independent contractor and not an employee. The judge disagreed, in part because the state law, as it turns out, only makes officials “independent contractors” for workers compensation purposes when they are officiating either for an entity sponsoring an intercollegiate or interscholastic sports event; or for a government agency, or a nonprofit organization that sponsors an amateur sports event.

The officiating organization, for which the official worked, was a proprietary business that paid officials to officiate several high school sports — at schools within a conference. Each school was charged a set-up fee and officials were paid game fees and mileage reimbursement by the assigning organization. Payroll processing was the contractual obligation of the organization, as was the training of and assigning of officials. To cement the relationship with its officials, the group even had its officials sign an “independent contractor agreement.”

And because the association was not a business for which the official would be excluded as an employee under the law, other factors were evaluated by the court. This determination resulted in a finding that the official was an employee of the association — primarily because the association’s business was principally to officiate sports — and because the association paid the official and, said the court, had the right to control the manner and means of the work. These and certain other factors weigh on such determinations in the state involved.

Arguments that would have militated against a finding that the official was an employee could have been pointed to factors, such as: (1) that officiating is a distinct occupational business where the official was free to and, in fact, did contract with other schools and organizations to officiate; (2) the officials do not work under the supervision of the organization; and (3) the personal skill and specialized knowledge of an official indicates a “special skill” characteristic of independent contractors.

Whether your officiating association is a nonprofit membership association or a proprietary enterprise, manage risk by consulting counsel before legal complications arise.

The post Employment Status Risks To Associations appeared first on Referee.com.

To determine the historic trends, they examine factors such as interest rates, corporate profits and labor costs.

Well, there appears to be another indicator — the number of employed sports officials.

As odd as that may seem, a rise in the number of registered officials correlates to when the country is in a recession. Anecdotally, that is something many state association officials have long suspected.

A downturn in the economy means more unemployed workers who are looking for full- or part-time work.

Referee magazine analyzed sports official registration data provided by four states: Alabama, Michigan, Ohio and Washington. Data was provided by each of these states regarding registration for all officials over the past 10 years.

The states were selected as a representative sample for the United States, and the 10-year time period reflected the economic bottoming out of the U.S. economy following the 2008 crash, and the ensuing steady economic recovery the past 4-5 years. In discussing the analysis of the data with experts, it was felt that this 10-year time frame would reflect an accurate trend to draw conclusions.

Economic Indicator

When it comes to economic indicators, there are two types that economists use to make their forecasts.

The first is leading indicators. These often change just prior to large economic adjustments and are used to predict future trends.

An example would be the price of copper. If orders for copper are rising, it indicates that industrial jobs are increasing and the economy will remain healthy.

The second is lagging indicators. These numbers reflect the economy’s historical performance and changes to these can only be recognized after an economic pattern or trend has already been established.

An example would be the unemployment ranks. If unemployment numbers rise, it means more and more people are searching for a way to feed their family or supplement their income. This is often when the number of registered sports officials begins to increase.

The chart below details the plotting of registration data juxtaposed against economic indicators. The lower the number, the better the economy. The number reflects the unemployment rate minus the gross domestic product (GDP).

For example, in 2010 the unemployment rate at 9.3 percent combined with a GDP of 2.6 percent makes the final number 6.7. In 2018, the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent and GDP was 4.2, reflecting a (-.3) final number (with a negative final number showing a stronger positive economy).

The graphed data shows a close continuous correlation between economic indicators and registration — as the economy bottoms out, officiating registration goes up; as the economy improves, registration declines.

Motivation to Officiate

Robert Doan, an associate professor and director of graduate studies at Charleston Southern University in North Charleston, S.C., who has presented on sports officiating data topics at NASO Summits, said for some the motivation to become a sports official is strictly extrinsic.

“They need the extra money and find this as a way they can have a second job,” said Doan, who is also an assigner for volleyball officials as well as a veteran college volleyball referee and baseball umpire. “In times of economic need, sports officiating is an enticing option.

“When the economy was bad I had new people coming up to me at church asking how to get involved (in volleyball officiating). They’re coming to me in need of extra money. And other officials I knew were coming to me to add another sport to earn a little extra cash.

“However, when the economy is well, recruiting (officials) is a lot more difficult,” he added.

Statistics bear out his statement. A cross section of data collected from four states — Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington — illustrates that when the nation is suffering economically there’s an influx of new people seeking to become sports officials.

“We can go back to 60 years of data that shows when the economy is down the number of officials is up,” said Mark Uyl, the executive director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). “Ten years ago we had an all-time high (12,772) in the number of officials. A decade later we’re down nearly 3,000 (9,816).”

In Alabama, the raw numbers are in line with the ups and downs of the economy. The state had 7,293 registered sports officials in the 2008-09 season. However, that figure fell to 6,369 in 2017-18 — a drop of 924.

“Our folks study data all the time. If you look at our data from 2007-10, we do attribute our spikes in the number of officials to the economy. It’s a trend throughout all our sports,” said Steve Savarese, executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA).

Starting in 2008-09, Minnesota began an uptick in its numbers that saw its registered officials climb from 8,189 to more than 8,800 from 2010-12. It has slowly decreased since then. In 2017-18 that total was down to 8,334.

It’s no different out west.

“There’s no doubt our highest numbers for officials have been during the recession and probably a little longer after that,” said Todd Stordahl, executive director of the Washington Officials Association (WOA).

The high point in Washington came in 2009-10 when 7,583 sports officials were registered with the WOA. At that point the numbers started to erode each year down to 6,154 in the 2017-18 sports season, a drop of 1,429 over that nine-year period. The difference means the state had an average loss of 159 officials per season.

“For some sports during that time, the numbers jumped up pretty good. However, once the economy got good again we’re back down to where we were before (the recession),” Stordahl said.

So, the problem has been identified. Now comes the hard part. How can state associations, colleges, high schools and youth leagues reverse this trend?

A Growing Problem

Recruiting and retaining officials is a growing challenge all across the nation.

“Back in the day there were maybe eight to 12 sports, now there’s like 30 different high school sports … like water polo, boys’ volleyball and lacrosse,” said Ted Robbins, longtime athletic director at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox, Ill. “Everything keeps growing and adding on. That’s great for the kids but it puts a demand on getting people to officiate them.”

The scarcity of officials has caused athletic directors to occasionally adjust their teams’ schedules during the season. Robbins said it’s particularly bad in the spring when the weather can cause havoc with outdoor events.

As Rich Piatchek, a retired high school AD and currently an Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state finals coordinator, noted, “It would be nice if we could get back to the days when there were more officials than there were contests.”

Which begs the question: Is there a way to entice more people to become sports officials?

The handful of states surveyed took some innovative steps to try to reverse this economic trend and keep their supply of officials on the rise.

Here’s a closer look at what these organizations are doing:

Officiating Classes

Of all the data the AHSAA scours, there is one number that sticks out.

“The most important number is the mean age of our officials, which is about 50 years old,” Savarese said.

To lower that age and get a new generation involved, the AHSAA has gotten together with the State Department of Education to approve an accredited high school class in sports officiating.

“We have hundreds of students who take a year-long class on sports officiating,” Savarese said. “It’s been very successful in our state.”

He noted that there is also a program that gets returning military involved in officiating.

Mark Jones, AHSAA director of officials, added, “We have several junior colleges and universities who have sports officiating classes as well. It’s one of the biggest factors in recruiting officials. This is where we get a lot of our young, good officials.”

Social Media Push

Uyl said the MHSAA is trying to promote officiating on social media, like Instagram.

“We’re trying to get officials when they’re out working to take some photos and post them. I know when I’m at a game I try to take some photos of the officials and post them to help promote officiating,” Uyl said. “We’re trying to create a public awareness of the benefits of officiating. We’re trying to change the culture and getting younger people involved.”

It’s similar in Minnesota.

“There are a lot more things for young people to do now and officiating is not top on their lists. So we have to go where they are. They’re spending their time in the social media sphere … Twitter, Instagram,” said Jason Nickleby, Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) coordinator of officials. “The approach is to promote the positives of officiating to the next generation on social media platforms.”

Money & Expectations

Nickleby said the MSHSL started a program in the 2016-17 sports season to stimulate its number of registered officials. It was a simple but effective approach.

“We dropped the registration fee from $50 to $15 for first-year officials and $30 for second-year officials,” Nickleby said. “We lowered the (financial) barrier. Since then, we have a record number of new officials in almost every program.”

Illinois is also leaning on finances as a way to entice the young to join the sports officials fraternity.

Piatchek said the IHSA has gone to free registration for those just graduating high school.

The WOA serves as an organization that oversees and provides guidelines for local officiating organizations throughout the state of Washington. It tries to provide help in recruiting and retaining officials.

One change Stordahl is implementing in the WOA to help reverse the trend of declining numbers is quite simple — setting up new officials with realistic expectations and goals.

“We have to change the way some view the officiating ‘game,’” he said. “It’s not all about how fast you can move up to officiate a high school state tournament or move up to the college level.”

Stordahl said new officials need to focus on other aspects of the job like relationships with the other officials and the respect of the schools and community.

“The majority of our officials are doing it for their passion of the sport and for their community,” he said, adding, “it’s about becoming something bigger than yourself.”

Once officials have been recruited it becomes important to show them they’re appreciated. Minnesota initiated its “Thank A Ref” program in 2017.

“We have the schools take photos of the officials during events and put them on Twitter,” Nickleby said. “We also ask them to make an announcement during the event to say thank you.”

Alabama just began a recognition program. At the state high school football championships in December, the AHSAA showed a video on the huge scoreboards at both the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium and Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium honoring the officials in that particular game as well as other Alabama officials. By doing so “we hope to create a positive conversation about sports officials,” Savarese said.

Opening Floodgates

If there’s one thing we know about the U.S. economy, it’s like the wind — it can blow in any direction. All the organizations that rely on a solid pool of sports officials — state associations, colleges, high schools, youth leagues — should not let their guard down if the country’s economy begins to take a nosedive.

While the trend of an uptick in the number of registered officials is likely to continue when the economy worsens, those organizations can’t afford to be sedentary. They need to remain active in finding new and innovative ways to spread the news about the benefits and strengths of sports officiating.

This is especially true when you consider two additional factors outside the rise and fall of the national economy — the increase of the number of sports on the high school level and the growing average age of sports officials.

In Michigan, the average age of its officials 10 years ago was 44.87. Over the last decade that figure rose to 48.57 in the 2017-18 sports season. That number is very much the norm in other states across the country.

“We don’t see a lot of longevity in a lot of aspects of sports nowadays; coaches don’t coach as long and officials don’t officiate as long,” said Piatchek, a longtime high school athletic director. “Over the last 25 years we’ve seen a lot of veteran officials aging out and there are limited replacements to take their spots.”

Organizations will need to remain active in order to ensure there are enough officials for all the games.

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The crew had worked together all season before being assigned to the title game by Walt Anderson, who recently retired as the Big 12’s officiating coordinator.

Anderson, who had been the Big 12’s coordinator since 2006 before stepping down to focus on his NFL responsibilities, noted the advantages of assigning postseason games by crew.

“As long as officials had an exceptional year,” he said, “and are going to be warranting assignment of some type, in my opinion, if the assignments can include as many members of the regular crew as it can, I feel that enhances the ability of the crew to work together more effectively.”

Following the conference championship game, the Big 12 was responsible for assigning five bowl games, including the Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Washington. In making those assignments, Anderson tried to keep crew members together when possible and indeed, six members of the crew that worked the conference championship game were assigned to the Fiesta Bowl.

But there were other criteria involved. Anderson told Referee that when it comes to a New Year’s Six bowl, a national semifinal or the national championship game, he prefers to assign the top-ranked officials available, regardless of their crew assignment during the regular season. For other bowls, he tries to keep crew members together when possible.

“If officials on an individual crew are among the group that is going to be assigned a bowl game, I will try to assign them together,” Anderson said. “Simply because I do believe that if you can work officials who have worked together during the year, I believe you have a better chance of efficiency and effectiveness as opposed to putting people together that have not worked together in quite some time.”

The NFL has varied its methodology for assigning postseason crews. In some seasons, it has assigned by crews. In others, it has made assignments based on ratings. On occasion, it has utilized both methods, utilizing the crew system in the early rounds and the individual system in subsequent rounds.

At the high school level, policies may vary from sport to sport. New Jersey and Wisconsin make their postseason football assignments by crews.

Wade Lebecki is a deputy director with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. He assigns five-person crews to his football playoff games, crews that have worked together all season.

“They’re familiar with their mechanics and they’re familiar with their signals,” he says. “That’s probably the biggest thing. It’s also, I believe, a reward for the entire crew, a reward for their years of experience, so we’re not pulling them apart.”

The 100 football-playing schools in Utah are spread out across the state’s 84,899 square miles. Approximately 70 percent of them are situated in a region known as the Wasatch Front, which stretches some 150 miles north to south. The area includes Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden, and is home to some 80 percent of the state’s population.

Jeff Cluff, an assistant director with the Utah High School Activities Association, assigns every varsity game played in the state, including postseason games, on an individual basis.

Cluff, who also assigns boys’ basketball games across the state and works college baseball himself, is starting his fifth season assigning football. He has employed a variety of assigning methodologies, varying from assigning individually, to putting three officials together for three weeks at a time and then adding two more to their crew each week. He has also assigned entire crews as well as having representatives from each of the football associations around the state assist in the process. For 2018 he’ll return to using an individual system for the 10-week regular season plus the postseason.

“Four years in the office and we’ve assigned four different ways,” he says. “Now we’re back to the original way.”

Utah’s football officials board, which includes a representative from each of seven associations from around the state, has the final say on assigning, but it traditionally defers to Cluff.

“I push them one way or another,” he said. “I give them my strong opinion which carries quite a bit of weight.”

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) divides the state into 12 districts. Assignments for the first phase of the postseason in all sports are made at the district level.

Once the state playoffs begins, each district recommends a list of officials for state tournament assignments. Postseason crews consist of seven officials. If a crew is assigned to work a game in the state football playoffs it will likely remain together for subsequent assignments (assuming all members of the crew are available).

Mark Byers, the PIAA’s chief operating officer, said the same protocol is followed in baseball and softball. “Based on availability of each member of the crew, baseball and softball crews move forward on their merits,” he said, “and are assigned by position within the crew.”

At the high school level, assignment methodologies are often dictated by logistics. Simply put, in sports other than football, which schedules during the week, it is often difficult to keep an entire crew together, particularly during a state tournament, which may involve a lot of travel.

Recently, the PIAA expanded its state playoff structure, creating additional classes in a number of sports. That means more contests to assign but not necessarily more playoff-caliber officials available.

Last fall, the PIAA changed its procedure for basketball and soccer and began assigning officials individually rather than as crews. Byers says the change was made because of the increased number of postseason assignments in those sports and because many of the state’s best officials also work at other levels and may not be available for every round of the state tournament.

“(Making individual assignments) provided a greater flexibility to advance officials through the tournament without being reliant on the entire crew being available,” Byers said. “Basketball and soccer officials also rotate throughout the course of the game, unlike football, baseball and softball, which are assigned by position.”

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