How to Get Along With Area Associations

Around bigger cities, there are often several officials associations. Area associations can be competitive when it comes to assignments and contracts. However, there are often plenty of games to go around. For the good of members in the various associations and the officiating industry, area associations should strive to get along and even consider working together at times.

1. Keep your focus on officiating.

There is probably a reason you joined one area association over the others years ago. Maybe you didn’t like the way other groups ran things or didn’t get along with the personalities in other associations. Now that you are in a leadership position in the association you chose, those feelings about the other association(s) may not have changed. But that doesn’t matter. Keep your focus on improving your members and improving officiating overall. Strive to set a good example for members who will likely be working with officials from other associations for various games and events.

2. Reach out after successes.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to reach out to an area association after its members have been featured in an article or the group puts on a successful camp. Whatever the achievement, think about picking up the phone and congratulating the group or its leadership. A little goodwill goes a long way.

3. Put community and charity first.

You can take the goodwill a step further by possibly participating in an event for charity if an area association asks you to support it. The group or members of the group will likely return the favor when your association does a similar community event.

4. Share educational opportunities.

Sometimes it’s tough to get great speakers for your meetings because of cost. But if you join funds with area associations once or twice a year to get a quality speaker, all parties will benefit. Your members will get to hear from individuals they might never have had the chance to by joining forces. The big-name speaker may help garner some positive press for the associations that participate as well.