Connecticut 2025-26 Game Fees ...
 

Connecticut 2025-26 Game Fees

Scrimmages: $330 per game for 3 or more assigned officials

Subvarsity and Middle School: $77.16

Varsity: $110.22

Annual Dues: $135.00
Includes IAABO local, state, and international dues as well a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Officials Association, and National Federation of High Schools.

Assignment Fee: 7%

Note: No statewide contract for regular season three person crews, varies by each local board.

Does it mean that 3-person is finally allowed in the regular season in CT?

Discounted Fees ...
 

Yes and no.

We have six local IAABO boards here in Connecticut. Each local board has unilaterally negotiated with schools in their own geographic area regarding three person fees, discounted by some boards, not discounted by other boards, for three person regular season games, as requested by some schools (or conferences), and not requested by others.

Some local boards are adamant that fees for three person games will not be discounted, and their three officials will get the non-discounted $110.22 varsity fee each come hell or high water.

Other local boards are willing to negotiate discounted fees for three person games, to encourage the use of three person crews.

Oddly, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has stayed out of this fracas and has allowed this to occur, only contractually dictating $110.22 regular season variety fees, assuming two person games. The CIAC does dictate non-discounted fees for three person games in some early round state tournament games, and all later round state tournament games (quarterfinals and up), with a tiered fee system, higher fees for higher rounds.

Thus, some parts of Connecticut have lots (for Connecticut) of regular season three person games, other parts have very few regular season three person games.

It all mainly depends on two things, the willingness of local boards to discount fees for regular season three person games, and the wealth (urban, rural, suburban) of individual school districts. Third on the priority list is the competitive nature of basketball in various local areas (and conferences).

In many areas we are seeing some three person crews "creep" into post season conference tournaments, especially in the later rounds.

Smoke Filled Back Rooms
 

Annual varsity fees increase based on average annual teacher salary increases in the State of Connecticut.

Been that way since 1984-85.

No more annual contact negotiation meetings in smoke filled back rooms between officials and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

Also, to improve recruitment and retention of basketball officials the CIAC increased the subvarsity fee (since 2023-24) to 70% of the varsity fee.

CIAC increased subvarsity fees from 50% to 65% of the varsity fee in 1980-81.

Bilaterally ...
 

No IAABO board, local, or state (Connecticut is 100% IAABO for all interscholastic games), can "insist" that they will always and only provide three officials for all assigned varsity games, both regular season games and post season conference tournament games.

Only individual schools (and sometimes conferences) can request three person official crews for some, or all, regular season games, and the three person crew fee structure is decided bilaterally between the schools (athletic director) and the local assigners.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference doesn't get involved with three person crew fee structures until the State tournament, definitely starting with State quarterfinals, but sometimes sooner.

Between Economic Recessions ...
 

Oddly, between economic recessions, when we sometimes didn't have enough officials to service games, especially subvarsity games, we experimented with three person crews in junior varsity games (two varsity guys and a subvarsity guy), and the two varsity guys would then "hang around" and do the subsequent varsity game.

Somebody figured that two varsity guys would be less tired for their varsity game by working in a three person crew in the junior varsity game. I forgot how the fee structure worked (maybe the two varsity guys split a single subvarsity fee in the junior varsity game), but the experiment only lasted one season.

The idea was that principals, athletic directors, and coaches didn't mind tired officials in their freshman and junior varsity back to back doubleheaders, but wanted officials as fresh as possible in their varsity games.

A very odd experiment.