Last updated on April 17th, 2023 at 04:41 pm
I recently spoke with club leaders from two different teams who would like to host swim meets. I asked about their initial concerns. Both began with, “How do I get officials?” This is a challenge for many swim teams. It’s especially daunting for teams that have not yet hosted or regularly hosted meets. Here are a few ideas on getting officials to work your meet. Not all ideas work in all places. Try sharing these ideas with your team leaders to “prime the pump.” Then, brainstorm and discuss ideas that might work in your area. Afterward, please share what works best on HostGreatMeets.com to help others.
Contents for Officials: 20+ Ways to Get Them for Swim Meets
How to Get Officials for Your Swim Meet (Short-Term Solutions)
Ways to Find Officials
Ask Other Local Leaders
Ask other area team coaches or leaders for recommendations. Do they know of people willing to work meets hosted by other teams? (Note: This tip is helpful in areas where volunteer parents are the predominant sources of officials.)
Network
When asking other team coaches or leaders for recommendations, see if you can use their name when asking someone to work your meet. If you find a willing official, ask if s/he knows of any others who may be willing to work your meet.
Check with the local governing body
Simply put, a governing body is a group that governs the members of an organization. The governing body may be completely local, as in the case of many summer leagues. Or, it may be a regional group of a larger body. USA Swimming’s Local Swim Committees (LSCs) are an example of a regional governing body. Often the governing body will have a list of certified officials for their area.
Be Patient and Persist
Some of those you contact may not be willing or able to help you now. Sometimes this condition is temporary, other times it’s chronic. Don’t give up. Seek someone else who to work with. If you can’t find anyone, don’t give up! Try again later (without being a bug.)
Get involved in local leadership
Become involved in your league or other local leadership. By doing so, you will help build the sport of swimming in your local area. Additionally, you will get to know other local leaders, including officials.
Ideas on How to Ask
Have team parents ready to train as officials
Some officials may be more willing to work your meet if they know you are addressing the root problem. So, because swim officials are essential at meets, those who plan to host meets need to build their base. (More on how to do this follows.)
Explain what you are trying to build
Share your vision of what this meet will do for your athletes. Most swim meet officials are volunteers. Meaning matters to many of them.
Personal Contact
Although email and texting are very efficient ways to communicate, they may not be the most effective way of getting swim officials to work your meet. Consider calling or visiting in person at another event.
Waive meet fees for child(ren) of officials
Many officials have children in the sport. Waiving meet fees is a great incentive for many to work an away meet.
Host a dual or tri-meet with an official heavy team
Is there a neighboring team with a lot of officials? Consider co-hosting a swim meet. Then, be sure to have your own up and coming officials train at the meet.
Offer to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses
If a volunteer official needs to travel to get to your meet, try to decrease their out-of-pocket cost. Offer a gas or meal gift card to help offset expenses. For tips and a bit of humor, check out this post on using gift cards.
Reduce the Number of Lanes Used
Using fewer competition lanes reduces the number of officials needed to provide good coverage. One referee found that by using four lanes when ten were available parents started asking why. When she explained that she didn’t have enough officials to cover ten lanes she found more were willing to step up and become swim officials!
Long-Term Solution: Help Team Parents to Become Officials
Encourage
Team Volunteer Policy
Many teams have a volunteer policy to encourage parents to step up and help.
Pay Fees
Volunteers are already giving of their time. You can remove another potential roadblock by paying their fees. Many officials are required to pay a registration or other fees. Some teams opt to pay these fees upfront. Others reimburse people after they are certified. Officials help teams host meets. If the meets are profitable, then fees could be paid from meet proceeds.
Regularly invite and encourage parents to become officials
Regular turnover is a fact in youth sports. Additionally, the demands on parents change too. So, it’s wise to prepare for a regular turnover among officials. One way to do this is to build “asking” into your team culture. For example, put asking parents to step up and train as officials as an agenda item at every seasonal parent meeting.
Offer incentives
Waiving meet fees for an official’s child(ren) is a commonly offered incentive. There are other options too. Ask around. What do officials in your area like or expect? What do other teams offer? Remember to carefully weigh the effect of the incentive. Don’t “give away the farm.” Only offer what is sustainable for your team. The post “Got Timers? Will Work for Perks!” shares ideas on offering incentives.
Support
Learn what it takes to become an official
Learning what it takes to become an official makes it easier to pass the information along to inquiring parents.
Put information about becoming an official on the team website
Plan to regularly share information about how to become an official. Then, make it easy on yourself by adding it to your team website. Include links to where they can get more information, testimonials of the benefits of officiating, etc. You can also regularly include a link to this information in team emails and social media.
Have a Team Officials Liaison
Find someone to act as a liaison for your team officials and those interested in becoming an official. This person could:
- Communicate with team officials
- Keep track of officials planning to work upcoming meets
- Help interested parents overcome roadblocks to becoming an official
- Be a resource for both team leaders and officials
Identify possible roadblocks to becoming an official and remove, or lessen them
Include other team leaders and officials in this quest.
Build a Swim Meet Hosting Culture
Build this culture on your team
Building a meet hosting culture can start with one person. Click to find out ways to do it.
Work to get a meet referee from your team
The goal to get a meet referee from your team is a lofty one, especially for a team that has not yet hosted a swim meet. However, since your team will likely be around for at least a few years, why not work towards this goal? The time will pass whether you are working towards it or not.
Getting a meet referee can benefit your team in many ways.
- It carves out a path for others to follow, even if they only follow part-way. The team will need stroke and turn officials too.
- Referees often mentor other officials
- Having a team referee helps your team to host more meets. These, in turn, provide more local opportunities for not only swimmers but also parents seeking to become officials.
Summary
Finding enough officials to work a swim meet can be a daunting task. Remembering why meet hosting is important can help overcome obstacles. A good starting point includes both:
- Finding someone local to ask, and
- Finding effective ways to encourage them to say “yes.”
Teams leaders need to look for both
- Short-term ideas of getting swim meet officials, and
- Long-term solutions to help team parents become officials
Those who do will eventually reap the benefits of hosting local swim meets for their athletes.
Preparing for a swim meet? Check out The Ultimate Swim Meet To-Do List. Then, get a bird’s eye view of Who does What at Swim Meets. Both include easy-to-follow links to related information. Doing a smaller, simpler meet? Host a High School or Developmental Swim Meet will help.
Need more help? See 20+ Ways to Get Swim Meet Timers and Officials: 20+ Ways to Get them for Swim Meets.
Also, discover a few things you can do to Increase Safety at Swim Meets. Find ideas to implement before your meet as well as last-minute quick and easy tips!