Release
Coming directly out of the highly successful Sports Officiating Summit held last July in New Orleans, the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) has launched the new Say Yes to Officiating website.
The site is full of free resources for organizations to develop recruitment and retention strategies, and also includes comprehensive information and directionals for people who would like to become sports officials.
“The website is the next step after the Summit to really move forward with those four words, ‘Say Yes to Officiating,’ and get more people interested in picking up a whistle,” NASO President Barry Mano said. “It’s a clearinghouse to provide tools and resources to sports organizations that help recruit new sports officials, retain the ones already working, instill excellence into officials, and celebrate the officiating experience.”
There is a national shortage of sports officials, and the problem is becoming more and more troubling. Recruiting new officials, retaining existing ones, or launching a public relations campaign getting people to understand all the positives about sports officiating … None of those efforts is easy, and there is no “right way” to do any of them. But by using the tools, examples and other resources through the Say Yes to Officiating website, the job gets easier.
The site exists solely and only to promote sports officiating at all levels of competition in the U.S. and the world. It is supported and maintained by the editors of Referee magazine and the staff of NASO, but the site is intended for anybody who shares those same goals.
All the downloads and materials on this site are free for the betterment of the officiating industry. You are encouraged to not only use these tools and resources, but to add your own. Share your own experiences, link to your websites, send in any resources you or your organization has developed, and be a part of helping more people Say Yes to Officiating!