Problems and issues in the recruitment and retention of sports officials

Diving judges
Author:  Graham Cuskelly (Griffith University), Russell Hoye (Latrobe University) and Gary Evans (Australian Sports Commission)
Issue: Volume 4 Number 1

Research by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001) revealed that the number of sports officials in Australia has declined 26 per cent since 1997. However, the reasons for this decline are unclear. Research conducted by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) in 2002 and anecdotal evidence suggests that harassment and abuse of officials by players, coaches and spectators is an important factor in the declining number of sports officials. Some sporting organisations have  responded to declining numbers of sports officials by developing and implementing their own intervention programs.

Recruiting and retaining sports officials is a vital component in maintaining and increasing levels of participation in organised sport. Abuse and harassment may not be the only reasons that the number of sports officials is declining. Other reasons may include lack of support from sport organisations, lack of clear career paths for sports officials or other organisational, cultural and social issues.

In 2003, as a Year of the Official initiative, the ASC commissioned Griffith University to undertake a research study of recruitment and retention issues in sports officiating throughout Australia. The study gathered information on the perceptions of national and state sporting organisations and individuals currently officiating or who recently stopped officiating about the nature, extent, and cause of the problems associated with the recruitment and retention of sports officials.

Telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted with representatives of five national sporting organisations and ten state sporting organisations across five sports, namely Australian football, basketball, gymnastics, netball and rugby league. The sports were selected by the ASC to be broadly representative of officiating domains (for example, court and field sports, male and female-dominated sports, game management and judging/scoring). A total of 142 practising and recently exited sports officials attended 17 focus groups in a number of capital cities and regional centres throughout Australia.

The study concluded that:

  • There is a significant problem in the retention of officials, particularly inexperienced officials at the grassroots level of sport.
  • National and state sporting organistions have little influence in the recruitment and retention of sports officials at grass roots levels.
  • The resources devoted by national and state sporting organistions to sports officiating are disproportionately low in comparison to coach and player development.
  • Compared to metropolitan officials, rural and regionally based officials incur significantly higher time and money costs in officiating
  • The facilities and resources available to sports officials at the grass roots level are often inadequate.
  • The integration of sports officials within the operation of sport governing organisations is inconsistent within sports.
  • There are shortcomings in the training provided for sports officials to deal with abuse and conflict situations.
  • The feedback provided to practising officials at the grass roots level is generally inadequate.
  • There is an underlying assumption that all sports officials are seeking career advancement and this is not necessarily the case.
  • The skills and abilities of sports officials’ coordinators is a key determinant in the recruitment, development and retention of sports officials at the local level.

The key recommendations of the study were that:

  • Sports should attempt to build a stronger and more positive public image for sports officiating.
  • Sports should adopt a tough stance on abuse that moves beyond the banter of the game.
  • Sports at all levels should be encouraged to increase their recognition of officials.
  • Sports at all levels should shift from stand-alone to integrated governance structures in relation to sports officiating.
  • Clearer and more transparent career paths should be developed and communicated to entry-level officials.
  • National and state sporting organistions should be encouraged to develop and implement reliable systems to monitor the recruitment and retention of sports officials.
  • Performance evaluation systems and resources should be reviewed to ensure that officials at all levels receive regular and appropriate feedback on their performance.
  • National and state sporting organistions should be encouraged to appoint officials’ coordinators at association level.
  • Sports should consider adopting more flexible approaches to the rostering of officials.
  • There should be formal recognition of prior learning to enable experienced officials to make the transition from sports official to officials’ coach or coordinator.
  • Training for officials should be designed to include hands-on conflict-resolution sessions and coping mechanisms for dealing with the trauma of abuse.
  • Coach and player education should include modules on working with sport officials to minimise incidents of abuse.
  • Training and accreditation opportunities for rural and regional officials should be provided in locations other than major metropolitan centres.

The ASC Coaching and Officiating Unit has responded to the recommendations of the study with a series of forums held in Sydney and Melbourne in May. The forums were attended by a selection of NSOs and representatives from the State Departments of Sport and Recreation.

Along with addressing the outcomes of the Year of the Official, these forums have provided the impetus for the ASC to move to a more dynamic role in meeting the needs of officiating development with NSOs into the future.



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