By Abigail Funk

As fall high school sports seasons get underway, the familiar team previews are all over local newspapers, along with home contest dates and reminders that student-athletes must have up-to-date physicals on file. But another type of headline has become just as familiar nationwide: those describing an officiating shortage.

"Organization Needs More Football Officials" implores a San Jose Mercury News headline in California. "Game Officials Shortage Nears Crisis" reports Florida’s Palm Beach Post. And an article titled "Raising The Flag" from the Santa Fe New Mexican addresses the lack of soccer officials in the southwest.

Why the shortage of game officials? Perhaps the biggest reason is poor sportsmanship.

“The lack of sporting-like behavior drives people out of this avocation,” Barry Mano, President of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), told Coaching Management in its football preseason edition. “And I don’t mean the players. It’s the parents, fans, and coaches who are out of control.”

”I don’t give a lot of leeway to the idea of getting caught up in the heat of the moment,” he said regarding coaches’ sideline behavior. “A game may be emotional, but a coach shouldn’t get a free pass for that reason.”

If it’s not poor sportsmanship that is keeping officials from the high school fields and courts, it may be the classroom education requirements and hours refereeing freshman and j.v. contests that some states' officials-in-training must complete before receiving varsity assignments. But these requirements are there for a reason--after all, no player, coach, or fan wants an official who isn’t prepared for the job.

A third reason could be the low pay in many states. New Mexico soccer officials receive anywhere from $30 to $55 per match, depending on experience. Vermont football officials receive $50 per game, while their neighbors in New Hampshire receive $74, but increases are scheduled in Vermont over the next five years.

To deal with the shortages, some athletic directors have been forced to move their teams’ schedules around. In Florida, this has meant having football games on a couple of Thursday nights instead of every Friday. And in northern Nevada, several Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association administrators put on striped jerseys and whistles themselves to help call a few local soccer games this season.

The good news is that veteran officials everywhere are pointing out the positives of refereeing. And sometimes, all a future official needs is a little push in the right direction.

“High school football is where the fun is,” Randy Frey, a high school football official who has called about 35 games per season in California for almost 30 years told the San Jose Mercury News. “It’s an opportunity to give back to the community while having fun and getting a workout at the same time.”

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