Training Academy to Build Next Generation of Sports Officials in Centre County

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.

With longtime sports officials aging out and too few younger replacements stepping in, Bill Keough is working to build a new path into umpiring and officiating through a proposed Sports Officials Training Academy.

At 82, Keough said he was still umpiring three or four nights a week at age 78, a demand that led him to question who would replace veteran officials as they retire. Now, he is spearheading the proposed Sports Officials Training Academy, an initiative aimed at recruiting, preparing and retaining the next generation of local officials.

“I’m saying to myself, what’s wrong with this picture?” Keough said. “Why am I in so much in demand, even at my age?”

Keough, a Ferguson Township resident, said the longtime model for finding officials relied heavily on former athletes stepping into those roles after their playing days ended. He believes that pipeline has eroded, leaving sports organizations with too few people coming behind an aging pool of umpires and referees.

“In my time left, I need to try and address this problem as much as I can,” Keough said.

The academy would serve Centre County athletes and community sports with a focus on high school-age and recreational programs. Keough said it would not replace sport-specific officials associations. Instead, it would introduce recruits to officiating before they move into more advanced training through their individual sports chapters.

He sees two major needs. The first is recruitment. The second is introductory training that does not overwhelm newcomers with rulebooks before they understand the broader role of an official.

“The academy is in the world of recruitment because both the officials group and the sponsoring sports groups, neither one of them are being successful at doing that job,” Keough said.

Keough envisions about 10 to 15 weeks of training. About 30% would bring officials from different sports together to discuss common concerns, including communication, game management and handling difficult interactions with spectators and coaches. The rest would focus on sport-specific rules and mechanics.

“We’re not worried about rules during that shared training,” Keough said. “But rather talking about the role of an official and its impact on them and on the sport and on the players.”

But Keough said the academy also needs leaders who can carry the initiative forward. He has received encouragement from athletic directors, sports organizations and veteran officials, but said he needs people willing to help build the academy’s structure, develop the curriculum and organize its operation.

“I need young people,” Keough said.

He said he is not looking only for current officials. A former official, sports parent, educator, organizer or community member who sees the need could help form a leadership group for the academy.

“I’m hoping that maybe somebody reading this article will say, ‘You know, I can do that. I need to look into this a little more,’” Keough said.

Josh Portney, a baseball umpire who has joined Keough’s effort, said he saw the need firsthand after attending an officials meeting and noticing few younger people in the room. He said officials sometimes must abandon personal plans when a last-minute need arises because a game cannot proceed without them.

“We can’t just go on a skeleton crew anymore,” Portney said.

Portney said the academy would welcome people of all ages while emphasizing recruitment of younger officials who can form the next generation. He also hopes experienced officials can pass along practical knowledge in a way that is “digestible and not over the top.”

“The vision is truly to never have to worry that there will not be officials at the games,” Portney said. “To never have to be in a situation where athletic directors from different counties have to be called in order to staff a Centre County game.”

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) reported it recently surpassed 15,000 registered officials for the first time in its history. But Pat Gebhart, the PIAA’s chief operating officer, said that statewide total does not eliminate shortages in specific regions and specific sports.

In the greater State College and District 6 area, Gebhart said field hockey and lacrosse are in “dire need” of officials. He said soccer officials are also needed in southwestern Pennsylvania.

“I think that the number of schools that sponsor those sports isn’t like it is in the southeastern portion of the state,” Gebhart said. “There’s still a drastic need for those two sports in that area of the commonwealth.”

The PIAA has increased recruitment funding, created a junior officials program for 16- and 17-year-olds, waived registration fees during designated recruitment days and promoted Officials Appreciation Week, Gebhart said.

For Keough, the goal is not simply to fill a schedule for the next season. It is to create a lasting local system that gives new officials the confidence, support and practical foundation to stay involved while ensuring young athletes can continue to play the sports they love.

Those interested in becoming an official or helping build the Sports Officials Training Academy can contact Keough at wkeough3560@gmail.com or 814-571-2091.