New Officials' Recruitment/Community Outreach Initiative
 

Idea is being floated for our association to take advantage of the popularity of our county fair to sponsor a booth with the two-fold aims of 1) presenting to the community our members' commitment to and involvement in educational athletics, and 2) attracting names of interested prospective new officials of all sports that we do.
Have any of your associations ever tried an initiative like this? Seeking feedback on the effectiveness of the effort and great ideas that might be involved in such an undertaking.

I belong to an "associations of associations" that does this at multiple State Finals like football and basketball. Several of us volunteer to spend part of our weekends and run a multimedia display to recruit. It seems to work as we run it in conjunction IHSA at their side event, the March Madness Experience and it is a great time and tool to get officiating as apart of the festivities.

Peace

Too Much Of A Good Thing ...
 

We, as an IAABO State Board, have done this the past few years. One problem. It worked to well. For the past few years we have had to turn away recruits for our fall clinics. Go back ten years and we were begging for new officials. I believe that the poor economy has something to do with it, with many looking to supplement their income by officiating.

Sounds Good...
 

Care to mention specific things your board did? What ideas worked? What kind of setup did you have? What things did the hosts of the booth do?

Just Like A Lemonade Stand ...
 

Actually, it wasn't our local board, but the state board. They had a card table set up at the gym entrance, manned by officials before, during, and after the state tournament finals, all divisions, both boys, and girls. They passed out these brochures (below), and answered questions:

http://www.casciac.org/pdfs/getinthegame.pdf

I think you have to be cautious of the groups you advertise to depending on what you are looking for.

Do you want to get younger, physically fit officials who will have potentially long and successful careers ahead of them or do you want a lot of bodies that need some money but have a much lower likelihood of being a successful official.

Recruit in college intramural programs, state championship venues, etc.

At the fair, you might get more of a group that sees it as a way to make a buck than you'd like. You have to be ready to turn people away that just don't have what it takes if you recruit in such a venue....unless you just need bodies and you're not getting them.

Not Just Bodies, We Needed Warm Bodies ...
 

That's what we needed about ten years ago. Our assignment commissioner was having trouble getting available officials for the 3:30 p.m. middle school games, and the 4:00 p.m. freshman high school games. Some officials were being asked to work more than one assignment a day, something that is frowned upon here in Connecticut. Must have something to do with the Blue Laws? Can't buy alcohol at a "package store" on a Sunday, and can't work two assignments in one day.

Just don't set up a dunk tank unless it is a fundraiser.

Step Right Up, Dunk An Official, Win A Cigar ...
 

Our state board will be again hosting an IAABO conference shortly. They're looking for ways to raise money. Right now they're considering a golf tournament. I will pass on this additional idea to them. It should be very popular among fans, and coaches.

10-4-1i
 

And...not to be used during pregame warmups.

Or during a timeout, unless they want a DOG warning.

I think it makes sense to offer a summer training program for kids in college, since college players, especially seniors, are a good area to recruit and have good upside potential as far as developing is concerned, but they can't take the course if they play and it runs into Nov. They also may prefer taking it close to home if they're returning after graduation. I think you'd probably have to have a pre-exam review session since a test probably couldn't be given in the summer. I realize some do join after graduation, but with all the life changes fter graduation from college, they're more likely to continue something they already started than to pick it up in their first year out.