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Coaches — Help Solve the Officiating Crisis


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As we prepare for the upcoming season, it is clear the numbers crisis in officiating not only still exists, but it’s not getting any better. We need your help to avoid radical steps like moving games off of the traditional Friday night schedule. What can you do to help? Here are some needed steps:

(I first have to point out that this is strictly my opinion, based on my 45 yrs. of officiating experience, in which I’ve occupied many, many different roles: from crew member, to Association leader, to state champion crew chief, IHSAA official of the year, and now IHSAA observer.)

In no particular order:

  • Treat the officials better. Disagree with a call or no-call. Voice your opinion or ask a question. But do it in a sportsmanlike manner, and then LET IT GO. The assistants, players, and even fans take their cue from you.
  • Be a good host. Make sure the officials have a secure place to dress and hold their pregame. Decent showers afterward. A towel and some cold drinks are greatly appreciated.
  • Be a recruiter. Talk to your seniors, many of whom will never play another down. Get them interested in officiating. It’s a great way to stay in touch with the game and pick up some spending money, too. If you teach PE, talk to those kids, too.
  • Here’s the tough one: give up the coach’s vote as the primary determinant of crew tournament advancement. In a quiet moment, when no one else is around, admit to yourself that coaches lack the three essential elements of a fair and accurate system of evaluation: training, objectivity, and a standardized method of evaluation. I can tell you for a fact that frustration with the tournament process is a significant factor in the inability to retain officials. Rightly or wrongly, the coaches’ vote is viewed as the principal flaw in the system. Coaches are entitled to have a voice in the selection of tournament officials. But making that voice the primary determining factor is killing careers.

My $0.02.

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38 minutes ago, Bobref said:

As we prepare for the upcoming season, it is clear the numbers crisis in officiating not only still exists, but it’s not getting any better. We need your help to avoid radical steps like moving games off of the traditional Friday night schedule. What can you do to help? Here are some needed steps:

(I first have to point out that this is strictly my opinion, based on my 45 yrs. of officiating experience, in which I’ve occupied many, many different roles: from crew member, to Association leader, to state champion crew chief, IHSAA official of the year, and now IHSAA observer.)

In no particular order:

  • Treat the officials better. Disagree with a call or no-call. Voice your opinion or ask a question. But do it in a sportsmanlike manner, and then LET IT GO. The assistants, players, and even fans take their cue from you.
  • Be a good host. Make sure the officials have a secure place to dress and hold their pregame. Decent showers afterward. A towel and some cold drinks are greatly appreciated.
  • Be a recruiter. Talk to your seniors, many of whom will never play another down. Get them interested in officiating. It’s a great way to stay in touch with the game and pick up some spending money, too. If you teach PE, talk to those kids, too.
  • Here’s the tough one: give up the coach’s vote as the primary determinant of crew tournament advancement. In a quiet moment, when no one else is around, admit to yourself that coaches lack the three essential elements of a fair and accurate system of evaluation: training, objectivity, and a standardized method of evaluation. I can tell you for a fact that frustration with the tournament process is a significant factor in the inability to retain officials. Rightly or wrongly, the coaches’ vote is viewed as the principal flaw in the system. Coaches are entitled to have a voice in the selection of tournament officials. But making that voice the primary determining factor is killing careers.

My $0.02.

Most officials, at least in the youth program games, brought their water bottle or cooler to the games, but the one thing I started to notice is that they only drank from them between games or at half-time.  We always tried, whenever we had a water break on the field, to offer the officials some water too.  I know that sometimes there could be the appearance issue in taking a drink from one team, but I think it'd be a small, but nice gesture if, when any team called a time out and had water on the field, bringing a bottle for the officials to share would become a norm.

 

One other edit:  In the recruitment thing, in the youth programs, we hired Friday-night officials to ref our games and encouraged them to bring members with their crew if they wanted to do training.  We'd typically get a senior ref and then usually a new ref that they could train with things like placement, ball marking, calls, etc.  It was the best of both worlds as the junior guy got some great one-on-one time with a senior guy and the senior guy often spent additional time during the game explaining to the kids and coaches, why something was being called and also helping coaches train up kids in how to avoid the infraction in the future.

Edited by foxbat
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28 minutes ago, Whiting89 said:

My opinion is supply and demand you wants more officials raise the wage, simple as that.

I don’t think it’s that simple. I swear to God it’s not. Fans have gotten worse and can be rickys and I’ll say it right to their face 

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1 minute ago, Bobref said:

That assumes officiating is economically driven. Maybe for some. Certainly not all.

I'd guess it's not the driving factor for most.

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2 minutes ago, Bobref said:

That assumes officiating is economically driven. Maybe for some. Certainly not all.

Good point Bob. I know some refs and I’m kin to a retired ref. I don’t think they were in it for the money but one picked up a side piece, I swear to God he did 

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I am totally willing to do ANY game, ANY time, ANY place! 

But be cognoscente of the travel needed that YOU requested to officiate!   

The same pay scale that you normally apply to a 'local' crew should be adjusted due to the situation(s) involved.  

AD's/Coaches and the like need to start thinking outside of the box as it pertains to 11 man HS Varsity FB....officials

Edited by Yuccaguy
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