By Greg Scholand

Greg Scholand is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. He can be reached at: gs@MomentumMedia.com.

It was a perfect storm--a confluence of several unfortunate factors--that drove high school boys' and girls' soccer in Florida's Highlands County to the brink of extinction due to an officials shortage earlier this year. First, new schools sprung up in nearby Polk County, putting a strain on the already overstretched local officials pool. Then, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) dropped fall soccer, which some teams played as an alternative to the winter game, putting all schools in the same season and in competition for the same refs. And with the recent increase in fuel costs, bringing in officials from elsewhere in central Florida seemed less practical by the day.

"The local officials association, which had been providing refs for all our games, called and told us they might not be able to serve our county any longer," says Terry Quarles, Athletic Director at Sebring (Fla.) High School. "They said they just didn't have enough manpower to cover everyone."

Faced with the prospect of having to cut one of the district's more popular sports, Highlands County's three athletic directors--plus one from neighboring Hardee County--are stepping up to fill the void. This spring, they each agreed to recruit three new local officials, hoping that at least 12 new whistle-blowers will be ready by winter. "We consider this an emergency, so we're doing what we have to do," Quarles says.

Across the country, an officials shortage crisis has cropped up in many sports. To face the problem, athletic administrators are working harder than ever to get more people into stripes--and to keep the ones they already have. Finding effective recruiting and retention strategies for officials is everyone's business, and in this article, we'll profile individuals who are finding various ways to get the job done.

SPREADING THE WORD
Quarles based her recruiting efforts for new soccer officials around a simple premise: There are plenty of good people willing to do the job, they just have to be informed of the need and guided through the process. So her first step was enlisting the help of local media to publicize the problem.

"I called both of our local newspapers and told them, 'Our soccer program is in real danger. I'm hoping you can help us out,'" she says. "One of them put me in touch with a reporter, and we had an article in print the next day."

Under the eye-catching headline, "Lack of Soccer Officials Could Kill Sport In Heartland," the article was more than just a forum for Quarles to describe the urgent need. It explained that anyone over 18 and in decent physical shape could fit the bill, and that training and certification assistance would be provided by the local soccer officials association. "We felt it was important to get people to think, 'Yeah, this is something I can do,'" Quarles says. "Making it clear they'd be properly trained and educated is a big part of that."

In addition to setting up clinics that will help new officials learn the ropes, Quarles is also telling candidates they can ease into the role at a comfortable pace. She offers new officials the opportunity to get their feet wet in a low-pressure environment by refereeing local youth and club soccer matches, working the lines at first, or even just observing while they become familiar with the sport and the referees' duties.

She has also addressed another obstacle that might stand in someone's way--the cost of becoming an official. A state-mandated fingerprinting and background check, FHSAA certification, and uniform with shoes typically add up to around $200, so Quarles met with Sebring's booster club to ask for help. "The club agreed to pay for the background checks and fingerprinting of any person who needs help with that," she says. "We can now tell people who call and say they're interested that as long as they can buy a uniform and a good pair of shoes, they'll be in business."

The efforts paid off quickly, with 10 Sebring-area residents responding to the newspaper article within a month after it ran. "I can't say for sure if they'll all become officials," says Quarles, "but it was encouraging to hear from so many people."

This fall, Quarles plans to go a step further by taking her recruiting message to nearby college campuses. Webber International University and Warner Southern College both have soccer programs, and she thinks college players could be a great untapped source for high school officials.

"I'm going to talk with the college coaches about inviting their athletes to give it a try--we're hoping some of them will see it as a way to make extra money doing something they'll enjoy," she says. "The soccer pay rate this year is $46 for a varsity game and $36 for j.v., so someone could hypothetically make about $80 in a night. For college kids, that should be pretty appealing."

BETTER EDUCATION
In the early 1990s, when Ohio high schools were struggling to find enough officials in several sports, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) conducted a research project to find out what the problem was. It revealed some interesting data.

"We found that for every 100 people who applied to the association to become an official, only 50 showed up to take the test--we lost half right off the bat, after we sent them the rulebook and basic officiating information," recalls Henry Zaborniak, Assistant Commissioner of the OHSAA. "Of the remaining 50, on average, 37 passed the test. And of those 37, about three quarters would quit within the first three years."

Behind those numbers was an obvious conclusion: The education system for officials in the state was sorely lacking. Many potential candidates were so overwhelmed when they first received the rulebook they decided the job wasn't for them. Others weren't learning and understanding the material adequately. And of those who were, a large majority clearly hadn't understood what they were in for, because they weren't sticking around. "We realized we had to change something if we were going to get more applicants and keep them," Zaborniak says.

Almost 20 years later, Ohio has one of the most ambitious educational requirements for officials in the country--in most sports, interested individuals must attend a series of classes totaling at least 25 hours before becoming certified. And the strategy has succeeded: According to the most recent state association numbers, between 90 and 95 percent of people who apply to become officials end up passing the test and donning a whistle, and the state's total number of officials has grown from around 10,000 in 1990 to about 17,000 today.

The 25-hour requirement has a gatekeeper effect, ensuring that those who show up are serious about becoming officials. "Does our high standard probably drive some people away? Sure," Zaborniak says. "But it also means the people who take the classes have already shown a level of commitment and genuine interest, so we know we're investing our time in the right people."

The classes themselves, which are conducted by some 280 local officials' organizations statewide with guidance from the OHSAA, go far beyond the rules of the sport and officiating mechanics (though those are covered in great detail). They also explain everything a new ref needs to know about the role.

"When I started officiating football more than 30 years ago, we had to figure out a lot of stuff on our own: How do I join an officials' association? Who do I call to get scheduled? Where can I order a uniform?" Zaborniak says. "That's basic stuff, but if you don't know the answers, they can be real obstacles. Our instructors discuss a lot of logistics, so when someone starts officiating, it's an easy transition. I think that has really helped our retention rate."

Looking toward the future, one thing that concerns Ohio athletic directors is the "graying" of the profession--the average age of a high school official in the Buckeye State has increased significantly in recent years and is now 48. To attract more young blood, the OHSAA now runs a junior certification program, in which high school students can attend the same officiating classes as the adults and receive a license to officiate youth sports as well as seventh, eighth, and ninth grade contests.

"We've found some very good young people through the program, and hopefully it will show them early on how much enjoyment they can get out of being an official," Zaborniak says. "For them, it might provide a pretty good summer job umpiring youth baseball or calling middle school basketball games in their senior year. And for us, it's an opportunity to begin mentoring relationships that will hopefully continue after they graduate and become adults. We typically give out between 100 and 200 certifications per year under the program, and we're currently working on ways to expand it even further."

Zaborniak points out that since all these efforts are coordinated at the local, grassroots level, almost anyone can help implement them in their own setting. "Most officials' organizations are very interested in recruiting," he says. "Giving them some direction and assistance with expanding their education programs can go a long way."

ASSIGNOR'S ADVANTAGE
When Dan Fulscher began calling high school wrestling matches in Illinois 33 years ago, he was joining a group of almost 800 officials in the sport statewide. Today, the number hovers around 500--slightly more in a good year, slightly less in a down year. And Fulscher believes he knows exactly what's behind the decrease.

"Wrestling is a very tough sport to officiate," he says. "Fans, coaches, parents, and athletes put tremendous pressure on officials to make the right call every time, and that ability only comes through experience. But the problem is, many wrestling officials get thrown in over their head, calling varsity matches or other high-level competition before they're ready. So they have a bad experience. A lot of them get discouraged by it, and they give up."

The solution? Fulscher decided the answer was to institute a smarter, more structured way for officials to receive match assignments. "In wrestling and other sports that are not considered 'major sports,' all too often the officials are scheduled by an athletic director just grabbing names off a list and picking up the phone," he explains. "They don't know if the person they're calling is a varsity-level official with years of experience or a kid right out of college--they just know they need someone. That puts less experienced officials into an environment of failure."

About 15 years ago, Fulscher began working independently as a high school wrestling officials assignor, and today he assigns for five central Illinois conferences and 66 schools in all. While assignors have long been common in football and basketball, he thinks many other sports that don't typically use them could benefit from their services, particularly because they provide a level of organization that improves recruiting and retention.

"I assign close to 100 officials, and I know them all--their ability level, how long they've been at it, and how well they deal with pressure situations," Fulscher says. "Because I schedule everyone's matches, I can make sure no one is put into a situation they can't handle. That's absolutely the best way to keep good officials coming back year after year."

Another benefit of the organized assigning process is that everyday matches and tournaments can become mentoring opportunities. "I'll often pair up younger officials with more experienced guys and encourage the veteran to observe the rookie and help him out," Fulscher explains. "When possible, I'll even suggest they drive to the event together. On the way there, the experienced official can talk about how to handle the coaches who will be at the particular match, and anything else he might know about the setting or level of competition. And on the way back, the younger official can ask questions and they can discuss what happened both on and off the mat. That kind of mentoring means a lot for the development of younger guys."

When officials are starting out, Fulscher knows it's best to get their feet wet in low-pressure situations, so in addition to his high school duties, he also offers free officials assigning for the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation. Besides providing a great opportunity for young officials to develop their skills, the arrangement is a community service that helps secure the sport's future.

Fulscher's role also boosts retention by ensuring that every official gets enough work to make the investment in certification, a uniform, and other expenses worth it. "Many officials get involved as a way to supplement their income, and to keep them around, I have to make sure they're not sitting at home waiting for a phone call," he says. "Because I coordinate the assigning for such a large number of schools, I can guarantee my officials that they'll work as much as they want to."

Getting started as an assignor was fairly easy, Fulscher says. For him, it was simply a matter of identifying the need, initiating contact with athletic directors, conference offices, and officials themselves, and then setting up a scheduling system and a communication network. He manages everything out of a home office, using a Web site to keep his officials informed of open matches and tournaments and to provide information on becoming an official to anyone who's interested.

While Fulscher's focus is on wrestling, he believes having an assignor can ease the officials shortage in virtually any sport. "The last time I met with a conference about hiring me, they were really impressed with the benefits an assignor can provide," he says. "In fact, as I was leaving the meeting, one of the conference guys turned to me and asked, 'Hey, by any chance do you do soccer, too?'"

AT EVERY GAME
Jay Lyons, Assignment Chair for Boys' Basketball and Football for the West Suburban Conference just outside Chicago, says every athletic director has a role in keeping good officials from leaving the fold. He believes one of the most effective strategies--though often overlooked--is simply making every official at every contest feel valued and respected.

"Athletic directors would be truly surprised at how often officials tell me they form their impression of a school or an event based on how they are treated, like whether someone was there to greet them or whether their locker room was clean," Lyons says. "Those sound like the simplest things in the world, but to an official, they have a big impact. And if you treat officials right, most of them will keep coming back."

The West Suburban Conference has been very successful at retaining its officials, and Lyons says it's no coincidence that he regularly talks to the conference's athletic directors about prioritizing basic hospitality. "Athletic directors should ask themselves a few simple questions," he advises. "When an official shows up at their venue, is a parking space set aside for them? Is a staff member or student waiting to show them to their locker room, or do they have to find it for themselves and hope it's unlocked? Is the locker room clean and secure, with someplace they can lock up their valuables?

"Officials remember those things," Lyons continues. "They don't take very much planning, but they send a very important message: This school appreciates the official and wants him or her to have a good experience."

There are other common courtesies worth remembering, such as providing a fresh water bottle, a beverage or snack at halftime, and a clean towel after the game. A postgame escort from a staff member back to the parking lot is a good idea as well. And, Lyons adds, it's ideal when an official can leave the contest with their check in hand, rather than have to fill out a form and wait several weeks to be paid.

Another aspect of treating officials properly involves handling incidents of unsportsmanlike behavior at events. By going into the stands to confront an unruly fan or telling a fiery coach to keep his or her cool, you can make an official's life much easier and reinforce the message that your school values their contribution to your athletic program.

"You never want an official to say to himself, 'Jeepers, I'm taking a lot of abuse for my 50 bucks,'" Lyons says. "He might soon decide it's not worth it, and then you've lost him."

Ultimately, Lyons believes there's no substitute for old-fashioned respect. "It takes quite a bit of work to become an official, and when someone is willing to do it, we all have a vested interest in making sure they feel good about their decision," he says. "Sometimes, a simple 'thank you' or pat on the back after a game is what they'll remember most as they're driving home. In the long run, that's the stuff that will keep them in the game."

Sidebar: NEXT UP
Most recruiters of officials agree that former athletes are the best pool to draw from. They know the rules of their sport, understand its nuances, and often want to give back to an activity they love. So why not ask your program's coaches to help enlist the next generation of men and women in stripes?

"The best time to address high school athletes about becoming officials is right at the end of the year, at one of the last team gatherings," says Jay Lyons, Assignment Chair for Boys' Basketball and Football for the West Suburban Conference in Illinois. "For the seniors, especially those who won't be playing in college or going to college at all, the coach can present it as a way to stay connected."

"It's something most athletes would never think of on their own," adds Henry Zaborniak, Assistant Commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. "But if you introduce it as they're wrapping up their high school sports career, some of them may be very interested."

Lyons asks athletic directors in his conference to encourage all coaches to have this talk with their players, and he says it has produced several new officiating prospects in recent years. "Coaches know they need a future crop of officials if their sport is going to survive, so they're usually happy to cooperate," he says. "Some of them even have a little fun with it. They might tell their players tongue-in-cheek, 'You remember all those times you complained about how bad our officials are? Maybe now you can step up and become a good one.'"