School Sport Professionals – Members’ Webinar 7

School sport associations across Australia are grappling with significant challenges in securing high-quality officials for their programs. A national shortage of accredited referees, umpires, and technical officials has created increased competition for personnel across community, school, and elite levels. Many officials have left the sector due to burnout, aging, or changing personal priorities, and recruitment efforts have struggled to keep pace.

For school sport, the challenge is compounded by limited budgets, the need for officials available during school hours, and the expectation of a high standard of officiating to ensure safety, fairness, and educational outcomes. Associations often rely on a shrinking pool of part-time or student officials, some with little or no experience. Rising incidents of poor sideline behaviour and lack of respect from spectators, students, and coaches have further deterred individuals from taking up or continuing in officiating roles.

These issues threaten the quality and integrity of school sporting programs and place additional strain on association professionals, who are often left to fill gaps at short notice. Without a strategic, coordinated effort to develop, retain, and support a new generation of school sport officials, these challenges will continue to impact participation and program delivery.

Join us for an engaging and solutions-focused discussion as we delve into the growing challenges of officiating in school sport. Together, we’ll unpack the common issues faced by school sport associations nationwide, share experiences from the field, and explore practical strategies to strengthen the recruitment, training, and retention of quality officials. Help us shape a more professional, sustainable future for school sport officiating.

Thursday August 21st
11am-12pm (AEST)

Further details will be made available closer to the date, including information on our website and an invitation email. The webinar will be free for members as part of the monthly professional development series, and also available for non-members to access for just $35 per person. Guest presenter details to be confirmed shortly.