During the 2017-18 school year, the Madison Metropolitan School District contracted with about 250 individuals to officiate more than 800 high school sporting events. That’s nowhere near enough.
“We could probably use twice that many,” says Jeremy Schlitz, athletic director for both the school district and Madison Memorial High School. “Sometimes, we have to cancel or reschedule games because we don’t have enough officials.”
The number of licensed officials in the state has hovered around 9,000 for years, Joan Gralla, who oversees the licensing of officials for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, told The Janesville Gazette in April. But that doesn’t mean they’re all active. And with 21 sports in the Big Eight Conference requiring officials at the varsity, junior varsity and freshman levels — along with increasing competition from club sports for a limited number of officials — it’s no wonder MMSD is in a bind.
Many game officials in Madison are over 50, and younger men and women cite lack of time as a big factor in not signing on to replace officials as they retire. Schlitz said he recently helped certify five seniors at Madison Memorial and is encouraging them to work lower-level Spartans games during the 2018-19 school year.
Many would-be officials also fear potential abuse from coaches, parents and fans. Schlitz says new officials are paired with veteran ones, and steps are taken to educate spectators and protect officials.
All officials are considered independent contractors and are monetarily compensated — although the amount varies based on sport and playing level. For example, Big Eight varsity basketball games pay $65 per game; junior varsity games pay $45.
“We’re paying what equates to between $15 and $30 per hour for the actual event,” Schlitz says. That doesn’t include travel time, nor are officials reimbursed for mileage. “If you work multiple high school games per week and club games on weekends, you could make money on par with an Uber driver.”
Although the Madison school district likely will have enough football officials this fall, Schlitz says the district could use more officials for other sports, particularly soccer and boys’ volleyball.
“You don’t necessarily have to be good at, or even have played, the sport,” he says. “In some ways, that’s probably advantageous, because an official looks at the game a lot differently than a coach or a player.”
People interested in becoming a licensed official for MMSD or other area school districts are encouraged to visit the WIAA’s “Become a High School Official” webpage.
