Ref demand tops supply
Jenny Dial Creech warns the shortage of officials is critical.
Sports officiating at the junior and high school levels is far from glamorous. The pay is so-so. The abuse from parents and coaches can be awful.
The hours, considering the distance some officials have to travel to games, can be brutal.
But, without the officials, there can be no games.
And across Texas, the numbers are perilously low.
With a shortage of officials, high school sports in the state could soon be in serious trouble.
The Texas Association of Sports Officials has been around since the late 1970s. The organization has seen a decrease in its numbers in recent years. At the same time, more and more junior high and high schools have been built, creating more teams, more games and more problems.
“There just aren’t enough of us,” said Mike Atkinson, president of the TASO Houston chapter.
TASO is a nonprofit organization that trains and schedules officials in volleyball, football, basketball, soccer, baseball and softball.
The group needs its numbers to increase. Across the state, there are 155 chapters and approximately 14,000 members in the organization.
Demographic problem
The problem? The organization isn’t adding members and many of the members aren’t getting any younger. The group has more members over 60 years old than it does under 30.
The retention rate in the Houston area is about 30 percent, Atkinson said.
So for every 100 new officials who sign up, only about 30 will stay on.
And for every high school built, the group needs just under 30 new officials to be able to cover the increase in sporting events.
Right now, the numbers aren’t adding up. There are plenty of reasons for it.
Let’s use football as the example because it’s the next big sport in which TASO needs growth.
A lot of people think they know football. They might have played, they definitely watch — this is Texas. Who doesn’t? They feel confident they know all the rules. They are wrong. Officiating is difficult. You have to see every play, every angle, watch multiple players at the same time. So TASO requires 20 hours of training classes before new officials can start at the bottom. Think seventh-grade C team.
But the good ones advance. The Houston chapter of TASO has officials who have moved to the college and NFL levels.
On top of learning the game in a whole new light, officials have to be in better shape than most expect. They have to keep up with the game for at least four quarters with little rest.
Houston chapter a good one
And they have to do that while coaches, fans and parents express their displeasure, to put it mildly, the whole time.
“It’s challenging,” said Tommy Moore, the secretary of the Houston chapter. “But there is a lot of upside.”
Moore said some of his best friends are fellow officials he has met over the years.
“Some guys fish, some guys hunt, some guys officiate high school football,” he said.
Moore said the officiating crew is the third team on the field every night. Its goal is to be the best team on the field.
The Houston area chapter is known as one of the state’s best. The group proved it by being asked to officiate more than 150 playoff games last season — more than the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio chapters.
Houston’s chapter would like to keep that going. But it needs new officials. The target this summer is 200, Atkinson said. The group could use more but could live with that. It would help with the increasing number of schools and the number of retiring officials. The biggest benefit is obvious. Being an official lets you be a part of football in the state with the best football. Sorry, California and Florida.
Other benefits include exercise and extra money. The starting pay isn’t great. An official at a seventh-grade football game might make $50 plus a fee for mileage. But the top ones under the Friday night lights get a base of $65 plus a percentage of the gate.
And several move on to officiate college games after getting their start at the youth level.
The job takes time and dedication. It takes hard work and a real passion for the game. It takes a strong personality.
Someone such as Atkinson, who has officiated for more than 40 years, has no problem taking heat from coaches. Developing a thick skin takes time.
From all walks of life
And face it, parents and players aren’t going to start treating them better. Few groups of people are more criticized than officials. So they have to be able to handle that.
Officiating can be for anyone. The Houston chapter has members who bag groceries at Kroger and surgeons in the medical center, Moore said.
They all share a love of the game.
It can be difficult, thankless and a huge commitment of time, but it’s an important job.
And sports in the state are in real jeopardy if more officials don’t surface soon.
You need two teams, a ball, a field and an officiating crew to play the game.
Texas has plenty of teams, lots of equipment and multimillion-dollar facilities in which to play. It needs more officials.
Now.