referee shortage

Univ. of South Dakota, SDHSAA team up to train new officials
The University of South Dakota has teamed up with the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) to help train sports officials and combat the ongoing referee shortage. There are currently a little more than 1,600 officials in the st...

California high school soccer refs boycott for higher pay
For months, high school officials in Southern California have been threatening to boycott their assignments if they did not get a fee increase from the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section. On November 13, the officials sta...

NFHS #BecomeAnOfficial campaign kicks off seventh year
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is kicking off its seventh year of #BecomeAnOfficial! Since the launch of this campaign in 2017, #BecomeAnOfficial has helped recruit over 112,000 applicants who have indicated their in...

Coaches Gain Professional Development by Transitioning to Referees
When Kevin Leising retired at age 55 after a successful 33-year career coaching high school basketball in Indiana, officiating was not in his plans. “Never. Not in a million years,” he says. He was ready to slow down and spend more time with his ...

NFHS Holds Officials Consortium This Week
Leaders from more than 50 sports organizations have descended on Indianapolis this week to discuss the recruitment and retention of officials during the first-ever NFHS Officials Consortium at the Conrad Hotel. A recent survey of state high ...

Niehoff, NFHS Weigh In on Referee Shortage
No matter where you are in the country, it's very likely you've felt the ramifications of the nationwide referee shortage affecting mainly youth and high school athletics. Dr. Karissa Niehoff, the executive director of the National Federation of S...