Association Dues
 

This year (October 2010), we had to pay $85 dues in order to belong to our Basketball Association, pay for books and insurance. I am located in small town Virginia.

What are the rest of you paying this year for Association dues? I think ours are way too high, but, I won't know until scores of you reply to this post. Please reply with amount of dues you pay and what state you officiate in. Thanks.:confused:

To be licensed in our state (Illinois), it's $45 for the first sport and $15 for each additional sport.

As far as association, I pay $15 and $20 for two different associations.

The Check's In The Mail ...
 

In our little corner of Connecticut our annual dues are $115.00. In addition to that we also pay 7% of our season's gross earnings.

il play along!

Here in CA its $75 for my HS assoc, and $115 for JC/NAIA dues

In CO, the state wide dues are $75 or $95 if late. They will go up to $85/$105 (late) next year. We have association dues as well, I can't remember what they are at the moment though.

$45.
Assignor fee is a sliding scale based on number of games assigned.

In my part of VA.....
 

$40 annual association dues ($25 if you do more than one sport).... plus Assignor fees.

Don't like it? Start your own association and charge less.

Here in sunny San Diego its...

$90 for association dues ($110 if late)

$70 for assignor fees ($90 if late)

I don't think our dues are particularly high, but it's all relative to the area you live in I guess.

Here dues are: $115. $50 to the state, $65 to the chapter. We also pay a flat $80 assigning fee which rather severely punishes sub varsity officials or those who can't work as much IMO.

In our GA association it's $90. First year folks pay at the beginning of the season while vets have that amount taken out of their year-end check for the next year.

NCHSAA dues - $30 + $21 insurance

Local dues - $10

Assignor fees - $65

To register with state: $34
Primary Assn: $50
Secondary Assn: $35
Level 2 Screening: $20 [pro-rated as the screening card is good for 5 yrs]

My previous assn which includes national IAABO dues: $75

You can cover that $85 in less than a week's worth of games. I get a lot of good training for my dues. I get good assignments and get to work with a lot of great officials who have helped me along. I get MORE than my money's worth.

Iowa has two state associations, one for boys and one for girls. I pay $45 for the first sport and $12 for each additional sport for the boys, and $35 plus $10 for each additional sport for the girls. I do boys and girls basketball and boys baseball, so I pay $92 each year.

I belong to a local association but it really isn't required in Iowa, those dues are $15. I don't receive any games from the local association and after about 10 years am considering dropping out of it at this point. Pretty pointless. I don't pay anyone to assign me games; around here the assigners generally negotiate a fee for their services with the conferences they assign. I get many games myself directly from school AD's, particularly in baseball.

I belong to three basketball associations. The main one where I am a board member I only pay $35 dollars for being a multiple sport official in that association. I pay $40 for one and I believe $45 for the other.

Peace

Our state charges $55 to register for the first sport, $30 for the second, and $25 for each additional sport, so I paid $110 this year. I pay $50 in association dues for basketball and $30 each for two different baseball associations, plus $125 for college baseball which goes mostly to the NCAA.

Dues for my HS group in CA are $50. The JC conference there is $75.
My HS group on the NV side of the line charges $65.

For those of you who are paying assigning fees, I can't believe that you put up with that. That cost should not be borne by the game officials, but instead by the member schools who are contracting with the assignor or organization doing the assigning. That fee should be built into that contract.

To stick the rank and file officials with that cost is bush league.

Very true. But in TN last spring the State "backed" the Assignor and supervisors in disbanding the local association leaders who had been voted into leadership by ballot. They took control of the bank account and the scholarship account, and have provided only a "balance sheet". No information on to whom our money is going to, just how much is coming in an going out.

State dues $65 for 1st sport.
Local dues $85 plus $1 for each game assigned.

It is a "racket" in every understanding of the word. We can not start a new association because the State will not "recognize" a new association to meet the state mandated local "training" requirement.

Really, it doesn't matter. The schools can pay the assignor or they can pay the officials who then pay the assignor. In the end, it comes out the same.

I completely agree with you there. Which is why I am glad we do not have to do such a thing.

It does matter big time in my opinion. For one joining any association in my area is about training, not assigning. You can be a member of any number of associations and not get a single game from anyone in theory. And we do not pay any extra fee to work games to be a member or have an assignor that is obligated to assign games to members of any specific association. We are independent contractors, so what the assignor is paid to assign has nothing to do with us. And based on what we are paid for games at it relates to other parts of the country, we are not losing that much as a result. The conferences pay our assignors and our fees seem to be consistent or more than many areas. Of course we do not get things like gas, but we certainly are not paying more money to work games.

As a matter of fact when assignors last year took on the Arbiter website for assigning, it was more money than the previous site they used. So a group of them got together and convinced Arbiter to allow them to all use the site together based on the Chicago area conferences. These assignors went to our local associations to ask to cover their costs saying that our members benefit from the usage of the assigning site which is used almost exclusively by every basketball assignor in the Chicago land area. This idea was shot down big time because it was felt that members should not pay anything to get games.

Peace

SC

$50 for state association
$30 for local district

PA

I think it is $35 to the state and $30 to my chapter, or vice versa.

In my association, commissioner's fee is 8% of our game fees and each school pays a nominal annual scheduling fee to the commissioner.

As far as dues, $40 to register with the association (plus $10 for newcomers/transfers) and $40 to the State ($25 if already registered in another sport).

That's exactly what I believe is wrong. The schools should be paying the amount that your officials are having to make up by that 8%. The commissioner should be getting his fee solely from the schools, not taking a cut of the check of each official. If he doesn't believe that the nominal annual scheduling fee is high enough, then he needs to discuss that with the schools, not take it out of the pockets of his officials.

It's standard practice around these parts. Military, adult rec, kiddy rec, high school, middle school--all associations have a commissioner's fee coming from the game fee. Customer's are pretty much only putting out the money for the games themselves.

Only venue where the customer pays the commissioner's fee is AAU.

It is pretty much standard practice for just about any similar type of operation...officiating or otherwise. Not sure why he's so worked up about it.

Its the highest out of all the sports. What I dont get is $50 is what use to go to TASO, but it goes to UIL but UIL registration is suppose to be free apparently. The assigning fee is rather high, I rather it go to the way it useto be, you pay by the games.

The school pays (say) $100 to the officials, who give $8 to the assigner.

Or, the school pays $92 to the officials and $8 to the assigner.

Or, the school pays $100 to the assigner who sends $92 to the officials.

It seems everyone ends up with the same amount of money under either scenario. So, unless one method is more efficient than the other, or there are some "legal" ramifications (the latter could lead to an employment relationship, for example), it doesn't seem to matter much.

From what I have heard, UIL registration is free unless you are a member of a UIL chapter. Makes a lot of sense.... :confused:

The assigning fee is a good deal for varsity officials or those that work a lot. Not so much for anyone else though.

In our case the school pays $100 to the association which in turn pays $92 to the officials and $8 to the commissioner.

But, for some reason, the commissioner receives a one-time $15-25 (not sure the amount) fee from each school before the season. Don't know what that fee is for.

Because it's tantamount to a kickback. That's an unethical practice.

I do not know if I would go that far. But the practice might violate some other laws if there is some kind of legal action taken place. Something like that happened here because of a kind of "kick back." But if that is the policy I would not consider that a kick back if that is the standard. I just think it is silly. If you are going to pay the officials, it should not be based on what the fee you decide to give the assignor.

Peace

From the UIL (Texas' governing body for HS Sports):A(n) (officials) chapter that requests a service/assignor fee from schools will not be a chapter in
good standing...

For the Texas officials doing sub varsity games who are upset about the assignor's fee, the recent change to the pay scale should soften some of the blow: 2 sub varsity games plus mileage = $92. One varsity game plus mileage = $67.

No, it's tantamount to paying a commission. Just like entertainers and athletes pay to their agents. The commissioner is a receiving a fee for service.

or $125. for a newbie ! :rolleyes:

That does not sound out of the question. Many associations in my area allow officials that are new to come to the group for free for the first year and observe. But after all your fees you will have to pay. A $125 can be made in one or two games (or dates) so I see that as very reasonable.

Peace

I have no problem at all with an assignment fee. Those guys spend lots of time getting their games booked and should be compensated. One previous assignor took a flat fee based on number of games booked, which I thought was very generous. Another charged $2 per game. I think the associations have a booking fee that is assessed to the schools down here. Nobody should work for free. And if you [not the quoted poster] think that assignors are any different, perhaps you would like to trade places. For no fee of course.:D

Unless you're doing Jr High, then it is $72 or $75 for two games depending on how far out the school is.

But the assigning fee for a Jr High game was $1.50 vs $2.50 (or was it $3.00?) for a varsity game.

I don't mind paying a fee for game assignments, but officials that work only subvarsity or cannot work may games end up paying a higher rate, which is what I don't care for.

Varsity games are also underpaid in my opinion. ;)

+1

I'm pretty sure we don't pay assigning fees. I got the full amount in my checks that I was told I would get. Our assignor is also an official. Right now as I type this, all the area schools are in town for the officials draft. The schools pick two and the association assigns the third man to the crew for varsity games. The jv/hr. high games are assigned at the meetings we have.

What are the new fees?? Was this given out at a meeting, or is the new UIL fee where now you get a flat mileage rate depending on the radius from address to contest?

Some officials call more than others, there are times when I can only do a date a week. While the fee is rather high, I just pay.

Hey are you going to contract night?

It is the new UIL 1204 fee structure. $30 / game for Jr High, $40 / game for sub-varsity. You are correct, mileage is a flat fee based upon radius. $12 for a 20 mile radius, $15 for 30 miles and $18 for 40 miles.

Not I as I am 99.9999% positive that I won't have any contracts. ;)

How did you come to that conclusion?? This isnt your first year it?? Your in second correct?

Yes, it's my second year. I did not attend a 3 whistle camp this summer so I don't believe I even qualify to work varsity games this year.

I was my understanding from a previous discuss with Chapter President that attending a camp is not mandatory to get varsity games, obviously camps are good but not sure it gets on you on the list. There are a couple districts that use two officials for varsity, mainly girls game.
I will probably go, see if I have any luck in getting a couple of games.

Sending you a PM.

You guys are getting of cheap
 

In the Baltimore Metro area guys are paying in the neighborhood of $125 up to $150. However don't forget that includes IAABO dues.

But if you wanna talk about assigner fees', the word on the street that the guy who is the assigner for IAABO #12 makes in excess of $80,000 GGGGGG's.

Can't confirm that, although maybe someone from D.C. / Board #12 can confirm.

Hey Billy Mac - in the number you gave does that include your IAABO dues????

The Constitution State ...
 

Yes it does. It also includes our dues to belong to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletics Association Officials Association. It does not include a supplemental insurance policy that most of us individually purchase at an annual cost of approximately $9.00.

24/7 ...
 

Our local assigner earned $26,775.00 last season. He assigns about 300 officials to work at about 70 high schools. He earns every penny. Although not a requirement in his job description, he's out on the road observing officials almost every night of the season.

My local association dues are $35 ($45 if late). This will vary by area, obviously, so yours may be different. So, combined, my area pays $110 per year in dues.

In Mass., each IAABO board sets its own dues. My dues are $85, which includes MIAA registration ($6), IAABO national dues (whatever they are) and a season-ending banquet.

There are no assignor fees, but since assignors started using Arbiter, I have to pay $5-$8 to each assignor for the Arbiter.

Assigners here pay $2 for Arbiter.

I object to the assigning fee coming out of my pocket. It should be a payment from the schools to the assigner for his service to furnish officials. It's usually 10%.

If a guy pays the fee and works one game, he's in the hole. If another works 50 games, he got a heckuva deal.

And most assignors eat the Arbiter fee as a business expense.

Whether you pay it to your assigner or it gets paid by the school doesn't really matter in the end. Either way, a portion of the schools negotiated check is going to your assigner.

If I'm an assignor, I really do not want a guy who is going to work one game. Too much overhead to deal with for that.

We're talking about 2 different fees here.

There is an assignor's fee (8-10%) that comes out of our game fees that the schools have nothing to do with.

You also have a fee that schools pay up front to the commissioner/assignor to assign their games for the season. In our association's case, that fee is very small, somthing like $25/school. That's a fee that has no effect on the officials.

I disagree. Both fees are negotiated, and it's the school's costs for the game. Whether they give it to you up front for you to pay the assigner or your directly to your assigner, the concept is the same.

Sort of like the payroll tax your employer pays to the government.

I disagree. The schools are agreeing to pay a set fee for each game. What the association does with that money is none of their concern. The 8-10% we pay the commissioner out of our game fee is what we pay for the commissioner to negioate and secure those contracts/games for us. Now, I think 8-10% is too high but I don't think the commissioner should be assigning me games for free. He is essentially acting as my agent.

The upfront fee the schools pay to the assignor/commissioner is what they pay for the scheduling service the assignor/commissioner provides. As I have stated, it a nominal fee. I'm assuming is bascially an administrative fee to cover cost of doing the paperwork.

Some (my area) don't have the %; any fees get paid directly to the assigner. I think my old association was a flat rate of $3 per official, paid directly to the assigner by the school. I have no idea what my current assigner gets paid, largely because I really couldn't care less what other people make. It's all negotiated, and the school is going to look at the overall number. They don't care how it gets broken down.

And the service he is providing is to the member schools in getting officials for them, not to the officials themselves who are providing a service themselves. Therefore, the schools not the officials should be paying the commission. That's the point, which you are missing.

Otherwise, let the school ADs or athletic secretaries contract and obtain their own officials. If they don't wish to do that task, then they should pay someone else to do it for them.

I am on the Executive Boards, which do the assigning, for two different HS sports in my area. I fully understand the time and effort which goes into it. My issue is not with the assignors getting compensated for their services, but rather WHO is paying them for the task. I believe that it should be the schools and NOT the game officials.

Why does the assignor need two fees?
Is it ethical to double-dip and charge both sides for the same service?

I believe that the problem is that the assignor/commissioner is not being strong enough in his dealings with the schools. He should not be accepting a nominal fee from them and then charging the game officials 8-10% in order to obtain enough compensation for his duties. That is not fighting for his officials. It is taking advantage of them.
I believe that your guy is doing it backwards.

I can confirm that. He made over $70,000 while I was there and that was more than a decade ago.
However, please understand that includes all of the rec and summer games, not just the HS games.
If it is still the same person his initials are JM.

The point you are missing is that all associations around here operate that way (which I have already stated once before in this thread). So you can quit blaming it on "one" guy. It the system that is used here.

I just got off the phone with my president. VHSL just held a leadership conference for all sports associations and school administrators this past weekend.

President says there are associations in VA who are charging a 4%/game booking fees to the schools AND still taking 8-10% from the officials.

The assignor is not doing anything for you? He's giving you the job. Assigning is more or less like a temp agency. I bet you'd not find a temp agency anywhere that doesn't take a cut of what client is paying the temp.....and the client is also paying a fee to the temp agency. I still fail to see what your issue is.

Um what else is new?

Perhaps you are warming to my thinking on this. I don't believe that is proper, especially if both sides aren't aware that the other is being charged and how much.

You are right !!!!!!
 

Does anybody know of a hs assigner that makes more than $70,000 ??????

Talking about ruling with an Iron Fist !!!!!!

And get this my sources tell me he still isn't using the arbiter !!!!

It's $85 here in the nation's northeast corner, and the annual fall conference is another $40. All boards in each sport are separate entities, so there are no discounts for multiple sports. (It's only $50 for soccer, anyway.)

We also pay fines of $5/game to the assigner if we turn back a game we already accepted on Arbiter.

What if .......................
 

Hey Bainsey -

Does the assigner waive that fee if you receive a game at a high level?

I think that fine is reasonable, but if you receive a college basketball game

the fine should be waived.

Beg to differ - just hear me out......................
 

While you make a valid point, just hear my argument.

I assign two sports and have 12 schools both jv and v teams.

I get my schedule about a month and a half prior to the season beginning.

I charge each school $75 to assign their games and get $7 per varsity official

and $5 per jv official. $14 a v game and $10 a jv game. The $75 covers

all the changes that occur during the season (weather is not taken into

consideration) Sometimes games are changed because their is a field trip

and team won't have enough players. My point is am I double dippin sure

but I am working for both sides.

Comments ????

Yeah, that's a lot of money going to you for each game. ;)

I've got no issue with what assigner's make. If you don't like it, create your own association and charge what you think is reasonable.

But do you think that it is fair ??

My association is getting you $67 a game.

I also charge you the assigner's fee after your second turnback.

Man's gotta make a living !!!!!

Oh, I'm not judging whether it's fair or not.

Are there any penalties you have to pay for screw-ups? Sending too many officials to a game. Failing to assign a game. Failing to notify a crew when a game time has been changed. Assiging a game to someone on a closed date.

Not being critical, just asking.

No fines paid by me.

If there is a game that was changed and I wasn't notified, my guys get a full fee.

The arbiter doesn't really allow you to send extra officials to a game.

If I assign you and the date is closed, two things occur. The arbiter has a big red letter B or you turn it back and then talk bad about me to everyone.

I missed two jv games last year. The arbiter lets the A.D.'s see the schedule.

If the game isn't listed they should call me. We just made up the games

at a later date.........


If you have the right day job assigning can be a lotta fun.

The question to be asked is.........

Do you assign for the coaches or do you assign to keep your guys happy?


We can really have some fun with that !!!!

Prior to this season my old commissioner did it by pencil & pad and had one his trusted friends convert it to an excel spread sheet so we had a lot of the above incidents. It just seemed fair to me that if we got fined for certain things than the commissioner should get fined as well. This season we have a new commissioner and we have ARBITER so those things shouldn't happen anymore, hopefully. ;)

They can still happen.

The concept of a "fair price" went out with the rise of capitalism, and survives today only in such quaint notions as "price gouging."

To me this is the "heart" of the matter. In my opinion the assignors Look out for themselves 1st, the Coaches 2nd, and the referees a distant 3rd only because they are necessary to allow them to earn their money.

In my Day job I work as an "Independent" insurance agent. Since I am not employed by any one insurance company, I work to find the best coverages for the customer by what ever reputable company can provide the best coverage for the lowest total cost. I have a dual fiduciary responsibility to both the customer and the company.

I think an assignor should be seeking to get the best pay, travel reimbursement and working conditions for the referees they represent. Instead, what I most often see is the assignor working to get the most compensation for themselves by cowering to coaches and leagues and dumping any referee who any coach is unable to over run.

Result is assignor compensation keeps growing while the compensation of the people doing the work stays flat, continuing to fall behind the inflation rate of travel and other costs.

Are you sure about that? Most assignors that I know of are paid on a percentage of the officials pay....and the rates are staying constant. The official get more, the assignor gets more....on a proportional basis.

Not around here in either of the two sports I work. The BB assignor charges the School ~$100 per varsity schedule and ~$75 per JV schedule AND charge the referees $1 per assignment. Plus the Association charges $85/Varsity and $75/JV referee to be a member. The Assignor and supervisors pay themselves $2,000 per season, which increased $500 this season, after they "took over" the association a "kicked out" the elected leadership.

Soccer assignors are paid by the Schools/Leagues that have increased payment to assignors over the last 4 years but the referee compensation has not changed.

It may be better elsewhere, but around here it is akin to indentured servitude. Enough compensation to keep you "alive" but no equity.

Eat Your Heart Out Guys ...
 

Connecticut 2010-11 basketball fees (two person games):
Varsity: $88.28 per official
Subvarsity (junior varsity, freshman, middle school): $57.25 per official
No mileage. It's a small state. We stay in our local county. My county has a radius of appoximately 25 miles from the geographic center of the county.

Hey Billy,

After you pay the assignor fee...what does the official end up with?

Not Bad, Huh ???
 

Varsity: $88.28 - 7% = $82.10
Subvarsity: $57.25 - 7% = $53.24

Lgititmate Concerns................. But ????????
 

Hey - I am not out here trying to be the bad guy, as I understand that most officials on this thread haven't been an assigner (at the hs level, assigning midget games on sat. morning doesn't count !!!!!), but here me out.

What I do is no different than any college assigner. Within my leagues, I have the following six quality schools that can beat the snot out of each other and six that suck...... I start you off with the jv of the schools that suck and then the good jv schools. After you handle that, (2 years) I will do the same with the varsity and throw you some cross over varsity games.
Games where you know the final score before the game starts.

Fred Barakat use to do the same when he had the Big South / Colonial / ACC.

Let me see how you do with Radford @ UVa in Nov. before you work NC

State@Wake Forest.


Do you think that any assigner wants phone calls ??? Inevitably none of us

(referees) are that good. We can all be replaced by someone almost just as

good. I ride one of my officials like a rented mule. He works everyday and I

hear nothing negative from coaches / AD's and he doesn't ***** if the game

is garbage.

Hey even at the hs level, I would argue that a friday hoops game can be

more difficult just becuase of a bigger crowd on a friday night.


We can go on and on......inevitably if you aren't getting the schedule

you think you deserve call the assigner and if that doesn't work, then maybe

you need to cut ties.


Some assigner's are rules guys and some are game management guys.


I personally could care less about mechanics. Do you get plays right

and do you take care of the benches and manage the game.

Burr stayed around for 1 zillion years because he was a great game manager.

Now Adams is the boss and look at Burr's post season asignments.


OK !!!! I am now winded.

Feel free to fire back

Hey, Multiple Sports, don't change the topic.
The point of this discussion is the compensation of the assignors, not the schedules of the officials. Stay on point.