Payment of Officials

[LaxRef]

Over the years, I've heard some people complain about how much officials get paid. They'll say things about how most officials already have "real jobs" so they don't need that much money. They'll also say that the coaches don't get paid very much or that the coaches are volunteers, and that the officials should take less money because of that.

But I heard someone recently make an eloquent point about this issue. He pointed out that the people who rent the fields, who rent the busses, who sell the equipment, and who sell the uniforms don't give these people a discount for being volunteers, so why should the officials?

In addition, it's an issue of supply and demand. The demand for officials is high, and the supply is low. One reason the supply is low is that there are many coaches and players who are--to put it diplomatically--unpleasant during games, and you need to pay people more if you're going to subject them to such situations because most people don't want to be bothered with those situations. And for whatever reasons, the supply of qualified coaches relative to the number of positions available is high, so coaches don't get paid as much. Complaining about that makes as much sense as complaining that fast-food workers don't get paid as much as fast-food managers.

There's also what I call the "hidden costs" of officiating. Sure, there are people who look at a $60 high school game check or a $120 college game check and say, "Wow, they're getting $30-$60 per hour!" But that's not a fair calculation. Most of us spend hours studying the rules, taking tests, and attending clinics and scrimmages in the pre-season, all unpaid. We might spend time here trying to stay sharp on the rules, or on committees trying to advance officiating and lacrosse in general. Then we spend a bunch of money on our uniforms.

Then for that $120 college game, we might drive an hour and a half to get there an hour before game time (more for NCAA ball), do the game in two hours, and then drive home for 1.5 hours. Then we spend time washing our uniforms and shining our shoes so we'll look good for our next game. Suddenly that $120 for "2 hours work" becomes "6+ hours." That 6 hours is time we could spend doing something else, so our compensation needs to reflect that.

Finally, especially in the MDIA, we might end up doing several games over a weekend, maybe 5-6 hours from home. Again, while we might only be officiating for 6 hours of that weekend, we might be away from home for 60 hours.

Few people are in officiating for the money. However, most of us wouldn't be able to justify the time spent away from our families, our jobs, our friends if we weren't compensated appropriately. Keep that in mind the next time you're complaining about how much we get paid. Realistically, I think we're fairly compensated, but it irks me when people say we get paid too much.

And if you still think we get paid a lot, maybe it's time for you to become an official!

[John Paul]

As I'm one of our guys negotiating our contracts with the MDOC/COC, it would be inappropriate for me to comment directly on compensation. However, I do have one minor issue with your post...

And for whatever reasons, the supply of qualified coaches relative to the number of positions available is high, so coaches don't get paid as much.

I get calls every day from area high school teams desperate to find coaches (qualified coaches would be a huge bonus). The vast majority of MDIA teams do not have "qualified" coaches. Coaching is generally considered a "sexier" job than officiating, thus the draw, but there's certainly not a wealth of good coaches out there looking for work. Ironically, it's not uncommon to see college coaches, even at NCAA programs, leave the job because there's more money at the high school level when you include a teaching position.

The shortage of officials AND coaches is one of the major issues holding back the growth of our game. It's growing exponentially despite these problems, but it's a major issue.

One of the differences I see is that the coaching profession draws almost exclusively from people who played the game. While the majority of officials have a history in the game, the growth of the game has forced the recruitment of a lot more guys who did not play. I don't mean to imply anything by that. Certainly you can be a great official or coach (Erin Quinn at Middlebury for example) without a direct connection beforehand, but it's an interesting dynamic.

I personally have a problem with the typical coach who expects officials to be perfect at all times. No coach that I know of has had a mistake-free game, why should we realistically expect that from officials - especially considering it's a part-time job for them and a full-time job for many coaches. Certainly officials need to be held to a high standard, but I have a problem with my coaching peers who complain about every little perceived mistake. Personally, I look for professionalism, confidence and integrity.

[Jolly Roger]

Remember that the money for all expenses come primarily from players pockets or efforts.

The annual increase probably bothers people more than the actual cost. In many part of the country, the quality of officiating lags and a quality increase commensurate with the fee increase has not been seen.

The MDIA/MDOC contract pays mileage (whether driver or passenger) and a per diem when appropriate. So you're getting more than "$120/game". Not exactly complete compensation, but more than you state.

Understand that MDIA game fees are directly tied to varsity rates, so we're not negotiating directly for our benefit. If we were though, the MDIA would have no strength in the bargaining position. The MDOC can ask for any increase they want - there's no ceiling. The MDIA would then be forced to, at best, hold the rate for a year, or negotiate a significantly smaller increase (because there's no way a fee reduction would fly). Also understand that the MDOC reps who worked with the MDIA to determine the rate, tend to negotiate with a bias toward their local (read: high cost of living, large coverage area) constituency. I have spoken to officials from across the country who have been 1) surprised at the frequency and size of increases and 2) felt that their input to the MDOC negotiators was discounted.

The disadvantage of our current negotiating model is that the MDOC negotiates with the varsity programs and does so assuming a certain level of institutional support that a vast majority of MDIA teams do not enjoy.

I'm not going to say what a fair game fee is. But I think players, coaches, and fans would be willing to pay more for a better or, at a minimum, improving product. One step in the right direction is that all MDIA teams must rate officials each game. In addition officials will be rating each other each game. Hopefully this data can be used to identify areas of training emphasis.

The next big hurdle is to recruit more officials. This will need to be a cooperative effort between MDOC, MDIA and local USL chapters.

[LaxRef]

I get calls every day from area high school teams desperate to find coaches (qualified coaches would be a huge bonus). The vast majority of MDIA teams do not have "qualified" coaches. Coaching is generally considered a "sexier" job than officiating, thus the draw, but there's certainly not a wealth of good coaches out there looking for work.

You're right; maybe "qualified" wasn't the right term, although it's all relative. But at the very least there are more people who want to coach than want to officiate, and around here at least the officials shortage is always much worse than the coaching shortage.

I personally have a problem with the typical coach who expects officials to be perfect at all times. No coach that I know of has had a mistake-free game, why should we realistically expect that from officials - especially considering it's a part-time job for them and a full-time job for many coaches. Certainly officials need to be held to a high standard, but I have a problem with my coaching peers who complain about every little perceived mistake.

This is a great point: we all make mistakes, and some people can't accept that from officials. Furthermore, often when the coach thinks the official has made a mistake it's because the coach doesn't know the rules as well as the official and the official is actually right.

Personally, I look for professionalism, confidence and integrity.

I think you also have the right to expect: that the official know the rules well; that the official has the proper uniform and equipment; that the official arrives on time, does a proper pre-game, and inspects the field; and that the official communicates with the coaches in a respectful manner. The official should also know the proper mechanics. IMO, these are all things the official has control over.

Being able to distinguish a certain close foul from a close non-foul is something that you hope the official learns eventually, but if he can't do it yet he can't do it yet. There's no use berating him over it.

[shrekjr]

District 8 (TX, OK, LA) has been one of the fast growing districts over the last few years and admittedly has had to "fast track" officials to the college game. That has now leveled off and the standards have been raised for COC admittance to match those of the NCAA districts on the East Coast. Now it will only be a matter of time (and using the new ratings system?) to weed out the weaker officials who were originally put in place out of necessity, and replace them with better qualified officials that will have put in their time gaining experience at the lower levels. That means all COC officials in the district will have to step it up a notch in order to stay at the top of the college list, or risk being replaced.

[LaxRef]

The MDIA/MDOC contract pays mileage (whether driver or passenger) and a per diem when appropriate. So you're getting more than "$120/game". Not exactly complete compensation, but more than you state.

Good points. However, if I am driving by myself, most of the mileage gets eaten up by travel costs, and in any case a big chunk of the per diem gets used on hotel and meals. (Some people say, "But you were going to have to eat anyway!", completely ignoring the fact that you can eat more cheaply at your house than you can on the road.)

For high school games, there is often no mileage compensation, or if there is it is not very much.

[TexOle]

I can say that I officiate for numerous different reasons. The main reason I officiate is through my love for lacrosse and officiating all sports. Officiating lacrosse was definitely a good way to make beer and pizza money in college. Now that I am having to support myself and being more financially responsibly I do depend on my paycheck from officiating. I have a job where I struggle pay my bills every month. I took this job so I could officiate more games, and those paychecks I get from lacrosse games I work go to pay for my normal bills. Yes, that means my car, rent, gas, food, and numerous other bills that I have pay every month. I realize that I am in the minority here, but there are a few of us who depend on that check. Keep in mind that your officials have to pay for their uniforms, association dues, US Lacrosse dues, and a few other expenses. I make sacrifices to help the sport. I could go another other job and make more money as a second source of income. Keep in mind that officials seasons do not start and end with the MDIA. Training is run through January. Then we have games from Feb. to May. If you do high school games you might see games through June. Then look at leagues that need guys out of season. The time and need adds up quickly. If you need another argument look at what some coaches get paid. I am not talking just salary, but also travel and other compensation. There are some coaches making thousands plus having all travel and other fees compensated. Your official might very well make less than your coach, and unlike your coaches salary your official does not know exactly how much he will be earn at the beginning of the season. I guess my main point is that I feel it is important to compensate every official fairly.

[Sonny]

Not to get too far off this topic... but Tex is you are struggling to make ends meet and you can make more money at a 2nd job (compared with officiating) - In my opinion, you aren't making a wise choice here. No one is getting rich officiating or coaching or playing. You should rethink the "sacrifices" you are making for your own financial health. My 2 cents.