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MHSAA Library
Survey Lures Former Officials
(February 2005)

The MHSAA has always emphasized retention and recruitment of contest officials, and takes pride in figures that indicate a yearly growth in registered officials, including a record 12,268 during the 2003-04 school year.

While those numbers are strong, participation numbers continue to grow as well. More schools offering more sports mean more games. The number of officials must increase to properly serve the schools and student-athletes.

In a continued effort to increase registration of officials, it became apparent there was a pool of candidates that was being forgotten: those people formerly registered who discontinued officiating for one reason or another.

Thus, the MHSAA launched a campaign during last August to prompt former officials to return to the gymnasiums and fields throughout Michigan, and also to determine reasons officials packed up their whistles in the first place. The results were encouraging and successful.

Surveys were sent to 7,950 people who were registered for at least one year between 1998 and 2002, but were not registered for the 2003-04 school year. Included with the survey was a postcard simply stating, “We Want You Back,” on which those interested could request registration materials. More than 900 surveys have been returned, and 420 postcards were returned to the MHSAA office. Of the 420 requesting registration materials via the postcard, 75 people re-registered, while another 99 re-registered without returning the card. The 174 former officials who were not registered in 2003-04, but did register this fall, have been sent a follow-up letter to determine if their decision was influenced by the recent survey, postcard, or a combination of both.

Equally as encouraging were the 322 respondents who indicated they plan to return to officiating at some point in the future.

The survey results revealed a variety of factors leading to officials’ decisions to leave the avocation. The majority of the questions aimed to measure attitudes toward innate elements of officiating, such as sportsmanship, assignments, compensation and time, while other questions were demographic and factual in nature (how many sports, how many years, gender, race, etc.).

Several of the more prevailing factors leading to individuals’ decisions to leave officiating are presented on the following page. And, they might contradict some common perceptions. For example, poor sportsmanship by players and compensation are not primary factors for our officials leaving the games.

For a copy of the survey and the results (based on the 877 surveys received at the time of tabulation), please click here.