Ref Shortage

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

All three of my children played scholastic soccer, and one played collegiate soccer. I can only remember attending two, or three, night games. For some reason, Connecticut high school soccer is played in the afternoon, usually on weekdays. Most people have to work for a living, and most work during the day.

Well here, they play many games at night. These games make very little revenue for either gender at the high school level. Same in small colleges as well. They even play soccer here on Friday nights and still not the focus that football or basketball gets. I have a good friend that is a soccer official and he makes it very clear it is nothing like football.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

We're having the same problem with our basketball officials. Middle school, and high school freshman, games are usually played in the afternoon (3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m.). We just don't have enough available officials to cover those games. Some of those games only get one official. Many middle school officials work their middle school game, stay dressed, get in their car, and head to a nearby high school junior varsity game. Others work the freshman game and stay and work the junior varsity game.

If you're available in the afternoon, there is money to be made; basketball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, and a few other sports.

Is that why fans are always yelling at me, "Don't quit your day job".

Since we are on the basketball site, basketball officials in our state is not at all an issue. More than enough to cover games at all levels. Now the quality of officials to cover many games might be an issue, but I am not sure that is bad either.

But those other sports are hurting big time to find people to cover games.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

These games make very little revenue for either gender at the high school level. Same in small colleges as well.

Agree.

I never paid to attend a regular season, or early round state tournament, scholastic, or collegiate, soccer game.

Football, and basketball, are the big high school revenue producers here in Connecticut.

[SheRef]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Well here, they play many games at night. These games make very little revenue for either gender at the high school level. Same in small colleges as well. They even play soccer here on Friday nights and still not the focus that football or basketball gets. I have a good friend that is a soccer official and he makes it very clear it is nothing like football.



Since we are on the basketball site, basketball officials in our state is not at all an issue. More than enough to cover games at all levels. Now the quality of officials to cover many games might be an issue, but I am not sure that is bad either.

But those other sports are hurting big time to find people to cover games.

Peace

I'm curious to know what State this is? "basketball officials in our state is not at all an issue."

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SheRef

I'm curious to know what State this is? "basketball officials in our state is not at all an issue."

My state has over 5000 (Actually 4970 officials at this week is renewal week for the coming season) basketball officials licensed. We do not have a shortage anywhere to working high school sports in basketball. In other sports, yes. But not here. The only issue might be the quality in some places, but there are games being covered all over the place. Even when someone gets hurt or sick, the issue is not if someone can come and fill in, but who can fill in. And I also think because of the training that we do here as well, many officials can step in and fill in the games.

Peace

[Mbilica]

Originally Posted by SheRef

I'm curious to know what State this is? "basketball officials in our state is not at all an issue."

In Connecticut, we have a shortage.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[RefCT]

Originally Posted by Mbilica

In Connecticut, we have a shortage.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I guess it depends on where you are. Being on Bd 8 or Bd 35, you may be short. I would argue that there isn't much of a shortage where I am, until the conferences and schools decide to schedule all their games the same night. This is especially the case when there is a cancellation (i.e. snow) and all the schools want to rebook to the next night, which already has a full slate of games. Our commissioner tells schools he literally has nobody available to officiate their games, unless they want a one man crew on a varsity game. None of the coaches/ADs are for that and then they decide to be flexible.

During the good winters with minimal disruptions, there are very few "all hands on deck" days.

[JRutledge]

Here is the additional fact. We do not play girls and boys basketball games in the same place as the norm. Often just in the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs, they play a Freshman A & B games (two games) in one gym and a Sophomore (usually the prelim game) before the varsity. So it is not unusual to have 7 officials assigned to one site on any given night. Then you might have 8 different sites or games going on in a particular conference. So that is if everyone one in the conference is playing (16 team model) then that means you have 56 officials assigned on any given night for just one gender of basketball. There are times when there are emergency fill-ins or last minute coverages of games, but they almost always get someone to fill those games even the day of the game. The schools might not get the best of the best every night working, but they get officials that can competently cover the games. And not all conferences are 16 teams. Many are 12 or fewer and I rarely hear of this being a problem to get officials in basketball. Also that means that you might even get some younger officials working levels they would not have worked in the past, but the games get covered.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by RefCT

I guess it depends on where you are.

In my little corner of Connecticut: 300 officials, 75 high schools, both genders (with very few exceptions), varsity, junior varsity, freshman, almost all two man crews; coaches, athletic directors, and principals don't like officials working doubleheaders if one of those games is a varsity game, unless absolutely necessary, many middle school programs (both genders). Boys and girls play on different nights, or at different sites (i.e. boys home, girls away, no such thing as a boys/girls doubleheader). Middle school, and freshman, games scheduled in the late afternoon (3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m.), junior varsity (5:30 p.m.) and varsity (7:00 p.m.) at night. Not many Saturdays (except freshman games, and prep high school games), no Sundays. Very few schools with auxiliary gymnasiums that can seat fans.

We have a few dozen guys that don't work high school games (they just want the "patch" so that they can work their local town recreation, and travel games).

A few guys get hurt, a few guys get the flu, and it's tough to cover busy Fridays. Get a few games snowed out, and it get tough to have enough officials to cover the makeup nights.

Our new class has had about thirty officials the past few years, but that same number leaves for whatever reason (not moving up fast enough), or retires.

We've restructured out rating system so that deserving officials can move up quicker (no minimum years experience to move up, all one needs is talent). We may also start conducting exit interviews to see if we can make policy changes to keep officials from prematurely leaving.

[SC Official]

So funny how things are different regionally. In GA, SC, and NC, there are no "girls officials" or "boys officials." You work both genders or you don't work, and 99% of assignments are doubleheaders. In SC there's never really been pushback from coaches or ADs because it's just the way it's always been, and quite frankly always will be. Most of the complainers are officials themselves, but the reality is 95% of varsity games are on Tuesday and Friday nights, and sending two crews a night would cause officials to lose a significant amount of money over the course of the season (no school wants to play girls and boys on separate nights). We don't really have a shortage of varsity officials (whether competent or not is entirely different) that I know of in SC, but that would change if we ever sent separate crews for girls/boys.

I can't emphasize how glad I am that I don't have to worry about what coaches think about me with respect to the assignments I get.

[Mark Padgett]

The official in the middle represents a referee shortage.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

So funny how things are different regionally. In GA, SC, and NC, there are no "girls officials" or "boys officials." You work both genders or you don't work, and 99% of assignments are doubleheaders. In SC there's never really been pushback from coaches or ADs because it's just the way it's always been, and quite frankly always will be. Most of the complainers are officials themselves, but the reality is 95% of varsity games are on Tuesday and Friday nights, and sending two crews a night would cause officials to lose a significant amount of money over the course of the season (no school wants to play girls and boys on separate nights). We don't really have a shortage of varsity officials (whether competent or not is entirely different) that I know of in SC, but that would change if we ever sent separate crews for girls/boys.

I can't emphasize how glad I am that I don't have to worry about what coaches think about me with respect to the assignments I get.

I equate our system to what happens in college. You would ever see a women's official work a men's game. The games are different and what is considered a foul on one is not close to a foul in another on similar type of plays.

Then again I work boys basketball too, so there is no need to get a coach to respect the assignment I get as that is all I work. Boys is the side that is covered extensively by the media. And if I had to do two games in a night, I can tell you the effort would be limited just because doing two games are harder than doing one. I do not get that model, but if it works for those in other states more power to you guys. The same reason we are not asked in this part of the state to work a prelim game and a varsity game in the same night. Players do not play two games in a night typically, not sure why it is an idea that officials should be expected to do the same. Yes it can be done, but are you getting the same effort in both games? I know how I feel doing multiple games during the summer for running clock games. I can imagine how that would be if that was my entire schedule. Every now and then OK, but not every assignment. Maybe that is part of the reason lots of areas have a shortage. IJS.

Peace