Any thoughts or (does your group have a policy) regarding Alumni working their schoolÂ’s game, at the high school level?

If itÂ’s OK to work them, should there be X number of years following graduation? If so, how many?

Thanks

Policy in Texas is 5 years after graduation, although you can still be picked to work a game at that school if both coaches are aware of the situation and consent.

I'd think that 5 years or so would be sufficient but might think a little harder about it if there were younger siblings still attending.

the policy is 10 years in georgia.

It is seven years in the state of Florida. It seems Florida Alumni forget about their alma mater three years before Georgians.

Must be something in the water down here, that allows us to forget quicker!

The reason for asking about alumni working their game is below.

During an announcerÂ’s introduction (early in the season) of players and officials for the JV game, stated one officialÂ’s name (also assigned to the varsity game to follow) as an alumni of the home team and a classmate from the 1970 class. The visitors during the varsity game, was unhappy with a couple of the officialÂ’s DPI calls and sent a letter to the commissioners. Complaining he was an alumnus of the home team.

Last weekend, the last game of the regular season before playoffs, the visitors (a different team) requested that this same official be moved off of the game which happened.

The visiting team needed to win.... to put them, the home team and another team in a three-way tie for the league championship, which did happen. The three teamsÂ’ records are now 8-2, 9-1 and 8-2. All three teams are in different divisions, one being seeded forth, another seeded third and last being seeded one. So, not only the league championship was on the line but also how each would be seeded. So, there was a lot a stake.

Maybe the moral of the story is, not to have an announcer (classmate) that talks before thinking. As they said in World War ll, loose-lips-sink-ships.

[Edited by Green on Nov 14th, 2005 at 04:47 PM]

I have often worked JV games for the high school I attended and a varsity game for grade school (different school) I went to. I would never want the announcer just for the reasons listed to announce that I attended the school. I have no problem working the games, because ethically, I know that I am going to do my best to work the game as fair as I can.

My old man would often have the announcer at basketball games he was officiating for the hometown announce his birthplace as where is was from just to avoid such issues.

I would never work varsity games for the high school I went to and would try to avoid sub-varsity games there as well. I have no problem working Jr. Hi. games of the school I went to. I've probably worked between 15-20 basketball and football games involving that school, and I'd bet they have a losing record in those games. At best, 50-50.

I would never work college games of the school I graduated from, but I'd have no problem working games of a JuCo I went to.

Our policy is 5 years and no family or other conflicts of interest (i.e. being on the school board, being a teacher, etc).

I graduated from HS last year, I'm in university this year, and when I went back home, my assignor asked me to do a game at my alma mater. It was an fun experience. No policy exists here, just that you can't go to the school, teach there, or have some other conflict of interest.

Now that does appear to have a major possibility of conflict of interest. You might have personally known 75% of one team as well as all of the coaching staff.

I worked a game this year where there were supposed to be a couple of guys playing for the visitors who I had worked kids games with a few weeks earlier. It turned out one of them didn't play because of an injury and the other had a neck injury during the game and didn't play any more.

I wasn't worried about working a game with players who I had previously officiated with but it was unusual.

I am from Kansas and officiate both baseball and football. I graduated in 1986 and often call my alma matter in both sports. The only thing I run into is that the parents of the kids are usually my old classmates and may give me a little "ribbing" during the games. My football crew officiated a district game at my alma matter this season and the announcer announced the crew members over the loud speaker. There really wasn't much response from the crowd.

I am not aware of any length of time before we can officiate our alma matter.

There is no rule in Kansas relating to officiating a game with a school at which you either attended or coached. Some league commissioners will not assign officials to work games for schools when one of the officials is from that town. The state will only not assign you to work a playoff game for a certain school if you asked on your application to not work that school. Some officials are teachers and shouldn't work a game for their school.

from the GHSA manual (Georgia)

. . .STANDARDS OF CONDUCT: Each GHSA official must avoid any action, whether specifically prohibited by this code or not, which might result in or create the appearance of a violation of these standards of conduct which include – but are not restricted to:

-Using one's position as a GHSA official for private gain – exclusive of payment for games worked. (No official shall seek to influence a coach or administrator for the purpose of promoting personal officiating opportunities.)
-Giving preferential treatment to any school or coach.
-Being involved in any action that gives the appearance of a loss of impartiality or neutrality. No official should accept any assignment at a school where he/she graduated within the last 10 years, at a school where he/she is employed, had player-coach contact previously with any coach involved, or has relatives affiliated with a school as a student or an employee. . .

Alumni
 

In our association. we state that you do not work the school for five years and that the head coach you played for is no longer the head coach at that school.

I believe that at least 95% of our officials could go back to their alma mater and officiate the game and not be influenced by a coach on the sideline. We have 200 football officials in our association, and the question would always be asked, if there was a controversy, "with over 200 pfficials, why did you put that one official as a member of the crew. No explanation will satisfy the press, administration of the school, parents and coaches.