Officiating Recruitment Effort Produces Results

April 1, 2009 - NCAA News Online

"A new program to encourage college students to become referees is off to a good “start” after producing newly registered officials to work five spring sports at the high school level.

The new Students of Today are Referees of Tomorrow (START) program – sponsored in part by three Division III conferences -- produced referees for baseball, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, softball, and track and field

The Capital Athletic Conference, Centennial Conference and Colonial States Athletic Conference, working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), recently recruited 61 college students who participated in five February START classes held at schools in the conferences.

Planning has begun to offer a similar program during April, focusing on four sports.

The goals of the START program are to recruit new officials in all sports on the participating leagues’ campuses, and to increase opportunities for scholastic officials to advance to the intercollegiate level.

“The START program is an excellent recruitment vehicle for current and former student-athletes to stay in the game as officials in their favorite sports,” said Robert Lombardi, PIAA associate executive director."