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 avocation and want to stay involved. But in order to orchestrate that transition smoothly, you need to ask them. Make it clear that the association wants them to stay involved and many officials will likely do so. Then you offer them ways to contribute.
Step 1 — Join the board. Some officer positions don’t require an individual who is active in officiating. As long as the former official has a passion for officiating and the association, it can work. With his or her years of experience, the retiring official will often easily garner the respect of association members. Specifically the position of assignment secretary might be a good fit for a senior member. Since he or she no longer gets games, giving them out without bias (or the appearance of bias) will be easier.
Step 2 — Mentor other officials. Senior members have years of officiating experience and new members want to learn as much as possible about officiating. It’s a match made in officiating heaven. Whether your association has a formal mentor program or not, matching retiring members with newcomers is a win-win. Senior members can attend games of the newer officials and offer feedback at those games and whenever needed.
Step 3 — Evaluate games. Evaluating and critiquing officials in your group is another option for senior members. Other association members often take feedback and reviews a little better from senior officials because of their experience and the fact that they aren’t actively officiating. Since they aren’t working games, senior officials will also be more flexible on when they can evaluate.
Step 4 — Become a trainer. Sometimes teaching a training session or helping at an association clinic is the best way for senior members to stay active and involved in the association. The senior member needs to have the skills to do so, however. Teaching isn’t for everyone.
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