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Get the latest news, updates, and success stories from around the world as RefReps continues to help usher in the next generation of GREAT sports officials! 

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FEATURED ARTICLES

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“'We are excited about this agreement with RefReps to assist the NFHS in providing education content for high school officials across the country. We are in complete agreement with RefReps’ mission to properly develop the next generation of great sports officials, and we look forward to working with RefReps alongside many of our member state associations.'”

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NFHS News - Dr. Karissa Niehoff (Quote)

ALL ARTICLES

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NFHS News

"NFHS Begins Agreement with RefReps to Assist with Education Content for Officials..."

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Yahoo News

“'This is a great opportunity for kids. When they are in college, they can be an umpire or a referee in a sport they love,' he said. 'They learn how to do sports statistics, operate a contest’s timing...'"

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Dakota News Now

"Nationwide, the average age of officials is nearing 60 years old, this is why on Tuesday, the South Dakota High School Activities Association announced a new partnership (with RefReps)..."

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CBS News Boston

"The school partnered with RefReps and the MIAA for the curriculum. The lessons are all based on the NFHS Rules. The students spend one week in the classroom and the following week on the..."

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The Sundance Times

"RefReps has been designed to help the national shortage of sports officials and covers numerous sports. Sundance students had the opportunity to help officiate lower levels (non-varsity) this..."

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Marion Star

"...This is work force development and instant employability..."

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Coach & AD

"Boardman High School senior, Braeden Pugh, is an example of a program to bolster the declining ranks of sports officials. Pugh won a new $500 grant from RefReps and a group called ‘Save Our Sports'..."

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The Winchester Sun

“Over the last several years, there has been a decline of sports officials across the country. I recently read that in the last few years in all high school sports, over 50,000 officials have stepped away,”

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Vermillion Plain Talk

"With the assistance of RefReps Officiating Education System, Auch and Wiebers developed a plan to help college students become more employable and gain skills they may not..."

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AOL.com

"'That's not safe or fair for those kids,' said Bloomington's David Pillar, a basketball official for 23 years and a representative for the relatively new training program RefReps, which aims..."

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San Antonio News KSAT

"Armstrong said more than 19,000 new sports officials have gotten their start with RefReps, but a case can be made the impact has been bigger."

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The Slice - OCPS

"A new sports officiating class at Olympia High School in Orlando not only offers students a career path, but it also helps supply the referee shortage. The class is the first of its kind in Florida!"

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WESH 2 Florida

"'There's a huge shortage across the country and a lot of people are getting out of this because of the factors. Without the officials you don't get to play the games, and there's been...'"

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Sports to the Max

"The IHSAA in an effort to not only expand its pool of officials but broaden each individual’s knowledge, is working with RefReps, which offers comprehensive online officiating education..."

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The Vindicator

"Pugh is one of the first winners of the award from RefReps and a nonprofit group called “Save Our Sport.” According to the RefReps social media page, Pugh and two other grant winners..."

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Iosco County News Herald

"'This class was such a great opportunity to grow and learn, it’s a great program and didn’t take long at all,' sophomore student Maya Lopez said after of the class. 'I can’t wait...'"

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NBC KSN.com

"Now, Buhler students are learning so they can someday help to fill some of the voids where refs, umps, statisticians, line judges and other game day support are needed. Torgerson just..."

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USA Today

"'I love the fact that Taunton has this class and that they're working with RefReps. It's fantastic and I wish it was something that was implemented across the country.'"

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NBC 13 WTHR News

"The Indianapolis Indians hosted itss last home game of the season Sunday night. Whiile most fans were focused on the players on the field, one organization at the game was focused on..."

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Watertown Public Opinion

"To meet that challenge, the association hopes to recruit more officials through a program called RefReps and getting the administrators at member schools to take a stand against ..."

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Keloland Media Group

“'We’ve seen that, especially in rural areas. It’s harder because there’s not as many officials in those areas,' Kristina Sage assistant executive director for the South Dakota High School Activities..."

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Boston Globe

"At the beginning of the school year, Taunton athletic director Mark Ottavianelli and community liaison Chris Green were scrambling to find officials for high school games yet again"...

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NBC 10 Providence

“'The reason this all started was our community liaison, be noticed the lack of officials and the shortage of officials so he said why can’t our kids learn how to do this and then become officials.'"

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Wichita 12 News

"The referee shortage is felt across the country. In Kansas, the new man in charge of trying to recruit officials for high school sports is working to overcome that challenge (with RefReps)."

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Youngstown NBC News

“'The OHSAA has gone away from in-person classes which poses a challenge for new sports officials getting started,' said Brian Ladner, BHS Health/PE teacher who’s instructing the class..."

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Boston Herald

“The first is that it provides students an opportunity to become officials, which will hopefully help with the officiating shortage. Secondly, being an inner city school, it gives our kids an opportunity...”

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Richland Source

"(RefReps) is a good online tool to learn the basics of officiating and it’s available anytime, so in addition to being available to use within schools, it’s also available for adults who otherwise...”

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Experience Magazine

"On several plays, I didn’t even recognize that a call needed to be made, and I only learned an infraction occurred when the instructor explained it."

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CBS News 5 WDTV

"Because of the need for younger assistance, the WVSSAC has lowered the minimum age requirement to 16 for youth sports at middle school levels and below. With the new age requirement, comes..."

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The Journal Gazette

"To expand its pool of officials, the Indiana High School Athletic Association partnered with RefReps, a company offering online officiating courses that include interactive training videos, instructor..."

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IAHSAA - Iowa

“'We are thrilled to partner with RefReps to bring to schools the opportunity to offer officiating courses,' IHSAA executive director Tom Keating. 'The potential of this program to recruit young...'"

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The Village Reporter

"The Ohio Department of Education has announced that it will now recognize a sports officiating license issued by the Ohio High School Athletic Association as an Industry Recognized Credential, which..."

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BNN The People's Network

"Kyle Armstrong and his company, RefReps, have taken an innovative approach to address the national referee shortage plaguing the billion-dollar youth and high school sports industry..."

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University of South Dakota

"The program uses the RefReps Officiating Education System, an online education platform that employs virtual reality-like scenarios, to allow students to engage in decision-making..."

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Georgia High School Assn.

"The Georgia High School Association has announced a new partnership with RefReps, an innovative education technology company focused on sports officiating education. The goal of..."

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OHSAA News

"The Ohio Department of Education has announced that it will now recognize a sports officiating license issued by the Ohio High School Athletic Association as an Industry Recognized Credential..."

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MSN.com

"Game time is as little as a week away for high schoolers in Kansas and Missouri. The first high school football games kick off next week in Missouri and the week..."

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Sports Tech HQ Podcast

"Over the last 50 years, the average age of sports officials has gone up, and more recently, a severe shortage has gripped the profession. Through the revolutionary delivery of online education system..."

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Taunton Daily Gazette

"TAUNTON-- It's often said to be the best, you need to learn from the best. Luckily for the students enrolled in Taunton High School's sports officiating class, they received just that..."

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Sentinel Tribune

"Rossford is not the first — Eastwood and other schools have been offering the classes since last year when the Ohio High School Athletic Association began partnering with RefReps..."

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KSHSAA Covered

"At a time when demand is outpacing the supply of officials in Kansas and other states, Maike emphasized the importance of positive communication between coaches and those..."

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IHSAA News

"The IHSAA in an effort to not only expand its pool of officials, but broaden each individual’s knowledge, is working with RefReps, which offers comprehensive online officiating education..."

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KSHSAA Covered

"...We feel the RefReps curriculum is a great resource for schools to use as they help develop the next generation of officials..."

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Hazelwood School District

"The district's first sports officiating class was offered at West High, with seven students completing the course, four seniors and three juniors... two seniors at West High..."

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MSHSAA All Access

"In this second episode of our RefReps series, we visit with Leeanna Meador, Principal at Tipton High School, and talk about what they are doing with the RefReps program and how it has impacted..."

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The BCHS Sports Report

"In a letter sent out in 2019 by the NFHS and the OHSAA, more than 75% of all high school officials say 'adult behavior' is the primary reason they quit, according to a survey. And 80% of all young..."

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Nordonia HS Newsletter

“For many students, their athletic career ends after they leave high school. This gives them the opportunity to continue with the sport they loved.”

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KHSAA

“'The KHSAA is excited to partner with RefReps as a strategy to help promote our mission to address the shortage of licensed officials across Kentucky,' said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett"...

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Boston Herald

"This recent development can be attributed to a multitude of issues, many of which truly reared their ugly heads during the worldwide pandemic. Now the MIAA is attempting to combat the problem..."

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AOL.com

"In an effort to combat increasingly low numbers of licensed officials throughout the state, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association is partnering with RefReps as a way to recruit, educate and..."

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F6S Top 20

RefReps ranked as the 9th best sports company/startup in the F6S Top 20 Sports companies and startups list in Indiana for 2024.

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Sioux City Journal

"Whistle blowers: USD students learn basics of officiating to combat ref shortage..."

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WISH TV Indianapolis

“'This first-of-its-kind exhibit will challenge visitors to ‘make the call’ just like the officials in high school, college and pro basketball do around the world every day,' according to a news release."

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Great Bend Post

"RefReps has been endorsed by Peyton Manning, the National Federation of State High School Associations, and 32 NFHS member states. The program is one way sports representatives..."

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Your Daily Journal

"The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and RefReps have entered into a three-year agreement in which RefReps will be recognized as an education content collaborator..."

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NASO Press Release

"The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and RefReps are teaming up to let you make the call on some of the most interesting plays in basketball..."

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ABC KOTA TV

"Since RefReps launch in 2022, 42 states including South Dakota are teaching RefReps courses. That’s translated to over 19,000 new high school officials. Its one of kind “point-of-view” approach..."

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Clarion Herald

"The LHSAA recently formed a partnership with the LHSOA, the NBA Referee Operations Department, the Junior NBA, and RefReps that will help identify and enroll potential young-adult..."

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3 News Texas

"Flour Buff ISD announced Thursday that it's officially starting a new course... on being an official. The district is starting the elective class in the fall for both juniors and seniors. Flour Bluff..."

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Las Vegas Raiders

"RefReps implementation specialist, Trey Zabona, speaks to attendees during the Southern Nevada Officials Association open house at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters"

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MSN.com

"Friday morning, students were given an on-court clinic from former NBA official, Gary Zielinski himself. He's officiated more than 1,000 regular season games, as well as 18 playoff games with the NBA"

Dana Pappas, NFHS Director of Officiating Services

"I have been working with officials for close to 25 years and viewing this program and seeing how it fit into an educational curriculum was my 'a-ha' moment. For years, state associations have wanted a program and a curriculum that is 'plug and play' for their states. What RefReps has created fits that need because schools do not need an expert official to teach the course, they just need someone to facilitate a ready made curriculum."
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