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Officials organizations can't keep pace with new school construction.
By JOHN SCHWARB
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 18, 2001
The best ones, it is said, are hardly noticed. Football officials who do their job well blend into the tapestry of the game, as basic an ingredient as the grass and the goalposts.
Only when they delay the action or make a questionable call do they come to the forefront, attracting attention from players, coaches and spectators.
But at the high school level, officials might soon stand out more than ever. There could come a time on a Friday night when two rivals will take the field before hundreds of fans, tee up a ball and ... wait.
Nationwide, the prep sports scene is already in the midst of a crisis, with no relief in sight according to administrators at all levels. The men and women who are called "zebras," "stripes," "ref" or occasionally less desirable nicknames are rapidly picking up another label.
Endangered.
According to the National Association of Sports Officials, high school sports are facing a "critical shortage of qualified and competent officials." In a poll conducted this year of all 60 high school governing bodies, 10 percent said cancellation or rescheduling of games due to officials availability is "commonly" done. Another 58 percent said it is "occasionally" a problem.
Florida is not immune. Its most beloved and popular sport, football, is starting to intrude into school-night territory and there could come a day when teams are asked to furnish help.
"This is probably the most serious problem facing high school sports in Florida," said Florida High School Activities Association associate commissioner Ron Allen. "I think the day is approaching when we no longer can assume that these guys and gals are going to be there.
"We're down to the bottom."
Earlier this season in Hillsborough County, 15 football games were on one night's schedule and, according to West Coast Officials Association president Clem Brooks, every certified official in the association was on the field. One new high school opened this year and another is scheduled to open next year.
In Pasco and Hernando counties, the West Central Officials Association handles football assignments from a pool of 49 officials. Vice president Joe Wajerski said 65 to 70 would comprise a healthy roster.
And in Pinellas, Friday night football is overflowing into Thursday, simply because the Sunshine Football Officials Association can't handle the Friday load anymore. That schedule grew slightly this year when the FHSAA eliminated the bye week, meaning every one of the 23 teams plays every week.
Now the majority of public schools will play at least one non-Friday game.
"That doesn't take care of the problem completely, but it's an effort," SFOA president Phillip Kelly said. "It'll probably be worse next year."
Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials, says the group's membership of 18,000 officials has leveled off the past three years after nearly 20 years of growth (90 percent of the membership are high school and youth-level officials).
FHSAA numbers are worse. A total of 7,344 registered officials worked during the 1989-1990 school year (the number of actual people is fewer, as some are registered in multiple sports), and 11 years later the number was just 7,459, a 1.6 percent increase despite many more schools and, as a result, more teams and games.
The ranks are not growing -- just growing older. Allen said the average age of Florida high school officials is approaching 50, and Kelly said that for every five Pinellas officials who retire, maybe one newcomer joins.
Such statistics hurt football the most, as the sport which requires the greatest number of officials. At every game, five striped shirts are designated for on-field work and a sixth is in the press box as a clock operator.
Ten years ago, the FHSAA had 1,603 registered football officials. Through the '90s the number rose slightly, dropped and rose again last year to 1,605.
"If we don't recruit some more officials the day is not far off where we ask schools to furnish one official per team and send three (state qualified officials)," Allen said. "Boy, you've got problems there."
To become a state-sanctioned official, one must pay a $32 registration fee to the FHSAA and dues to a local officials organization, which vary. Candidates must pay for uniforms, attend training clinics and pass tests in their sports to earn full certification.
The pay is low, $52 per game for varsity football officials (referees and others in the crew are equal). Most start out working in youth leagues before moving up to varsity games, making even less money.
For many, the poor pay and time-consuming travel are part of the job, but the intangibles become unbearable. According to the National Association survey, the decline in sportsmanship among parents, coaches and players is the No. 1 reason why officials quit.
"I like to say that folks who referee get compensated in two ways -- money income and psychic income," Mano said. "The money is never high, so you have to lure people with psychic income.
"Psychic income is down when people are getting insulted. Now the phrase "kill the ump' gives you pause. Today we're worried that we might get assaulted."
For years, many former athletes and coaches entered officiating ranks, but those numbers too are dwindling. Few see any benefit in making the transition.
"They take a lot more negative than positive. There's not too many guys patting them on the back, and that goes for me too," East Lake coach Tom Keeler said. "No matter who wins the game, you're the goat."
Still, Keeler said he and an assistant have talked about getting into officiating after their coaching days. They will not have trouble finding work.
Those who remain in football officiating today are needed every day there are games -- and sometimes at more than one stadium.
In Pinellas, Hillsborough and some other counties with private schools, a Friday slate of games begins at 3 or 4 p.m. It is not uncommon for a crew that works one of those games to hop across town for another game at 7:30, bringing issues of fatigue into play.
"It concerns me," said Clem Brooks, president of Hillsborough's West Coast Officials Association. "You have to be focused and in shape to work a game at 3 in the afternoon and 7:30 at night. Some won't do it because they'll be cheating themselves, their crew and their players."
Brooks and Hillsborough County athletic director Vernon Korhn have discussed expanding the schedule away from Friday nights next year to alleviate that problem and account for the new school. Bob Hosack, the Pinellas athletic director, said he can see the possibility of Wednesday games.
Few are pleased at that prospect.
"You're going to lose school spirit," said St. Petersburg athletic director Eric Allen, adding that he had trouble drawing students to a Thursday home game two weeks ago. "And coaches, they only have a certain number of days to prepare for teams. When you play district games back-to-back, it's really tough when you don't have those extra days."
Most officials associations support multiple nights. They have no other choice, when looking at their dwindling ranks.
Associations say they are stepping up recruiting efforts, some buying newspaper and radio ads. The FHSAA has instituted a Student Officials Program to get high school upperclassmen started in officiating, in the hopes that they may perhaps work youth-league games while in college and maybe move up to high school games later.
Entrants are given a discount from the FHSAA's registration fees. But in the program's three-year history, Ron Allen said fewer than 50 students statewide have signed up.
Still, many longtime officials remain positive. Those who have worn the stripes for a generation swear the rush they get on game night is just as high as the players', and they also are sure they're making a difference.
"This is a very positive thing for the youth of our nation," said Bud Holt, president of the Mid-Florida Officials Association, which includes Citrus County. "The more kids that you can get involved, the less likely they are to be roaming the streets.
"This is where officials can be positive too. But if there are no officials, there are no activities."