by Bill Knight with help from the Officials Forum Basketball Community
The process to become a basketball official begins each year in September in many states. Each state has a High School Athletic Association that oversees the approval of new officials. Depending on the state, this approval may be called licensing, certification or registration. State association approval is generally required to officiate High School varsity games and may also be required for many sub-varsity, elementary school, middle school, recreation, travel league and AAU games.
Generally, the minimal requirements for approval are a passing grade on a state association approved basketball official examination and affiliation with a state approved officials association. The most widely used exam is provided by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS). A second, widely used exam is provided by the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO).
Procedures for approval vary from state to state. A summary of procedures for selected states is presented at the end of this article.
If you need help in starting the process of becoming a basketball official, phillyref.com suggests the following steps.
1. Identify and consult with one or more basketball officials in your local area who you respect and who are highly regarded as basketball officials.
2. Check your state association web site for information on becoming an official. A list of state association links is available on phillyref.com/basketball.
3.Identify and research local associations in your area that recruit basketball officials. Research could include viewing an association website and talking to current members or other officials and coaches familiar with the association. phillyref.com/basketball/ includes links to local association web sites throughout the United States and in some foreign countries.
4. Select and contact a local association and arrange to complete the requirements for state association approval. As previously noted, this is likely to included enrolling in a course and passing an exam. A fee is likely to be charged for both activities as well as an additional membership fee after you are approved as an official.
5. If you reach a dead end, send an email to phillyref.com or post a message to the Officials Forum for basketball. The officiating community is expansive and includes many knowledgable officials willing to help you.
New Jersey
7 of the 10 certified local associations in New Jersey are IAABO boards. 2 of the remaining boards are targeted to serving female teams and the third (CEJBO) serves the Central New Jersey area along with IAABO boards. A candidate may select one of the IAABO boards and enroll in a 10 week cadet class. The class starts in September and prepares enrollees for the national IAABO test in November. Cadets who pass the test with a score of 87% or better and meet any additional officials association requirements are certified by the state association (http://njsiaa.org/).
The 3 non-IAABO boards have separate procedures for obtaining official certification from NJSIAA.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State Association (http://piaa.org/) administers the NFHS test 3 times a year (February, June and October). A passing score of 75% or better is required for registration. A registered official may affiliate with a local state approved chapter of his or her choosing.