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Those pay increases put them just a little below what we offer here in Georgia. The pay's not going to pay all of your bills, but it is a quality second income.
The days of "doing it for love of the game" are over. The middle class isn't doing that well, and often times they do it because they need the money. I don't have any problem with this, as long as it doesn't interfere with the job they do on the field/court.
I know it may not be a popular idea, but one area to concentrate recruiting is on college campuses. I know I began officiating at the intramural fields, and that's where I learned how to officiate. There are wealths of young bodies out there that have the extra time, are often available in the afternoons when games are being played (while the older officials are at their 'real' jobs), and the money made for college students has a lot more influence on their budgets than it does on a grown man providing for a family.
I know it's a sore subject, because I know I've received resentment from the experienced officials when they see a 21 year old kid walking up to call a game with them. But I know that in my (small) football officiating association that on Friday's where we've put 30 officials on the crew that around 7-10 of them were college students. At first coaches tend to give us little credit, but once we do the job well we gain their respect.
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