News Category

Many associations believe that recruiting officials is the most important task they have. But just because you get new members in the door of their first association meeting, doesn’t mean they will stay in the long-term. Retaining new officials is critical. Keeping them starts with making a positive first impression. Groups need leaders and other members to buy into the importance of providing for new members from the start. Associations need to give new members a reason. Step 1 — Welcome them to the group. If a new member isRead More

You might think the only time the media wants to talk with officials or cover officials is when controversy erupts. It doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t wait for the media to come to you. Go to them with positive information and story ideas about officiating and your association. A connection with someone in the media will help you to get some attention from a newspaper or television outlet. If you have an official who is a reporter or writer in their day-job, use that person to share yourRead More

In this overly litigious, sue-happy society, perhaps the only way to ever avoid being sued for anything is to move to a deserted island and live off coconuts and fish. A local association may have no intentions beyond assigning games and helping its member officials get better at their jobs. But even do-gooder groups get sued. Attorney Alan Goldberger, author of Sports Officiating: A Legal Guide and a former football and basketball official who frequently represents sports officials in court, offered advice for avoiding legal entanglements (or surviving those thatRead More

Senior members in your association can be assets long after their on-court or onfield officiating days are over. They often have a great knowledge of the inner workings of the association, assignment policies and the rules of the game because of their years of experience. Retaining retiring members can be beneficial to your group and those senior members. There are a variety of tasks retired members can perform in the association, but first you have to convince them to stay. Often that isn’t hard since most officials love the avocationRead More

By Jeffrey Stern Every association has them: Members who sit at meetings with arms folded and legs crossed, who never volunteer for committees, don’t participate in discussions and whose only reason for being there is because the bylaws include an attendance requirement. They’re not necessarily harming anyone, but they’re certainly not helping anyone, either. As an association leader, you have two choices. You can ignore the behavior, figuring that it’s better to let a sleeping dog lie. Or you can attempt to turn that bump on a log into aRead More

In order to meet goals, most officials associations will elect officers and a board of directors to lead the way in the various sports that the association represents. Proper election procedures and rules are essential and should be included in the association’s constitution and bylaws. Following are a few questions with answers from the bylaws of a cross sampling of associations that other associations might want to consider. How often should elections be held? Associations usually elect officers at an annual meeting to be held at a date, usually inRead More

Part of an association’s role is (or should be) helping talented members advance in their careers. Serving as an advocate for those officials has a dual purpose: Not only does it help deserving people move up the ladder, but it raises the association’s reputation to have produced a higher-profile member. There are several ways an association can help. Spread the word. Associations can aid up-and-coming officials by passing their names on to key assigners. A good word from the association can lead to more and better games for deserving officials.Read More

When is the last time that your association’s bylaws were reviewed? That doesn’t mean looked at by the members when they were distributed during the annual meeting. It means when was the last time that someone actually analyzed what’s in the document to see if the rules and policies are still what is needed to serve the membership of your group in the most efficient manner. According to attorney Don Collins, who also serves as the head of the San Francisco section of the California Interscholastic Federation, there are severalRead More

Association leaders can only do so much for an association. For a group to survive and thrive, its members have to be willing to step up and contribute as well. The most enjoyable associations to be a part of are those in which everyone is active within the association, having ownership in the organization. Sometimes it’s hard to be innovative when it comes to the level of involvement of your officials, but there are plenty of ways for your members to contribute. You just need to promote those opportunities andRead More

“Hey Coach. That was a terrible play call at the end of the game.” No, you wouldn’t say that while walking out of the locker room. Officials are generally smart enough to avoid such comments. But take a look at some officiating-related internet message boards, and it might make you wonder how smart we really are. It is common, and OK, for officials to discuss rules and other officiating issues, but a regular fan seeing it may not understand the nuances involved. In today’s world of email, instant messaging, blogsRead More