Start program At York College Recruits Officials In Football, Field Hockey, Volleyball And Soccer

START, or “Students of Today are Referees of Tomorrow”, is an initiative to recruit college students and others into the avocation of sports officiating, beginning on the scholastic levels and hopefully advancing to the collegiate level in future years. There is a significant shortage of scholastic officials and referees in most sports throughout region and state.

Sports offered during the Spring 2017 START program – based on interest levels from applicants – could be field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball.   A minimum of five candidates in a sport should register before Thursday, March 2, for that sport to be included in the program.  Late applicants will be included in any program that has enough candidates to proceed.

The program will be held in Room 142 of the Humanities Center, located on York College’s main campus off Country Club Road and across the driveway from the YCP tennis courts.  The meetings will begin each night at 6 p.m. and last approximately 75/90 minutes.

The program is open to anyone at least 18 years old, including college students and employees, parents and relatives, alumni and fans.  Students from any college or university campus, such as Penn State York, Penn State Harrisburg, Millersville, Messiah, Elizabethtown, Gettysburg, Dickinson, McDaniel, Stevenson, Franklin & Marshall and others, are encouraged to participate in the program.

There is no cost to college students with ID cards who participate in the START program, which was organized and initiated by five NCAA Division II and III conferences during the 2008-09 academic year – including the Capital Athletic Conference.  Participants without a current college student ID card must pay the normal PIAA $30 registration fee.

Candidates will be able to take the PIAA officiating test at the end of the March 26 meeting. The PIAA provides sport instructors as well as educational and testing material for the program.  Successful candidates who pass the PIAA test can referee scholastic contests anywhere in Pennsylvania and other states that have National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) affiliation.    

To register for the program, candidates should send an e-mail to Capital Athletic Conference Commissioner Tom Byrnes (tbyrnes@cacsports.com) by Thursday, March 2, indicating which sport they’re interested in becoming a PIAA official.   A minimum of five candidates must register by the deadline for the sport program to proceed.  Late applicants will be accommodated if the program has the minimum number of registered candidates.

The START partnership included the NCAA Division III Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), Centennial Conference (CC), Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in coordination with the Pa. Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).  

For more information, contact CAC Commissioner Tom Byrnes (tbyrnes@cacsports.com).

 

Tom Byrnes