By: Chris Joyce, NYSPHSAA Foundation

LATHAM, NY – The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Foundation has announced it will offer officials certification scholarships for high school students in the NYSPHSAA membership. Two students from each section will be eligible for a reimbursement scholarship after completing a RefReps certification course and officiating three interscholastic contests.
 
Launched in June 2022, the Foundation has been developing a fund balance with the goal of issuing grants to school districts in the summer of 2024. With the shortage of sports officials reaching critical levels forcing schools to cancel and reschedule contests, the Board decided to fund this initiative in the current school year.
 
“The nationwide officials shortage is having a negative impact on the kids in our membership, and we felt the need to act in the short-term,” said Chris Joyce, Director of the NYSPHSAA Foundation. “By offering this program to students, we are able to create new opportunities for students to be involved in athletics while simultaneously taking a step towards addressing the officials shortage. It’s a win-win.”
 
RefReps is an officiating education system conducted online. The curriculum includes training materials and videos to instruct on rules, as well as interactive clips of actual gameplay to simulate the officiating experience. The course can be completed on an individual’s own schedule in as little as a few days. Upon completion of the course, students are paired with experienced officials to work modified level competitions. The goal is to free up more veteran officials to work higher level games while maintaining enough officials to work the lower levels.
 
Currently, baseball is the only sport utilizing RefReps as a tool for certifying its umpires in New York. NYSPHSAA is in negotiations with other sports officials boards and hopes to add additional sports in the coming months.
 
“It gives me great pleasure that our Foundation, through the support of our many donors, is helping address the officials shortage across New York State,” said Gavin Regan, NYSPHSAA Foundation President. “I’m excited to see these high school students grow as officials and continue to give back to our programs.”
The scholarship application is available on the NYSPHSAA Foundation website. Students that have completed the certification and officiated at least three contests should report to their Athletic Director for submission.

To learn more about the NYSPHSAA Foundation or make a tax-deductible donation, visit nysphsaa.org/foundation.

About the NYSPHSAA Foundation:
The NYSPHSAA Foundation is a 510(c)(3) organization created to promote interscholastic athletic participation by providing resources to support equitable and innovative programs, maximizing the student experience. Funds raised by the Foundation go directly to offering grant opportunities to NYSPHSAA member schools and additional projects in the areas of increasing student participation, coaches professional development, and officials recruitment and retention.