The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union is weighing options in the hopes of attracting new officials for the various sports. Lisa Brinkmeyer of the girls’ union says over the last five or six years they have lost more than 400 officials.

Brinkmeyer says “It used to be that colleges offered an officiating class and credits. Well, those kind of fell by the wayside, although our officials coordinator Joe Oswald is working with some of the colleges trying to get that started up again. And also mentoring. We’ve got so many great officials out there. We talk to them a lot about ‘find some young guy or young gal in your community, to get them interested in it.'”

Brinkmeyer says there have also been discussions about the possibility of offering credits to high school students who officiate junior high contests. She says a national study showed that one in ten new officials don’t return for a second year.

(Radio Iowa)