Kansas and the local surrounding areas have been dealing with a lack of officials for both youth and high school sports. The Kansas State High School Activities Association has registered over 10,000 officials, while only approximately 4,000 to 5,000 referees are active. The number of active referees continues to shrink, creating problems for fans, players and other active referees.

Having been a referee for over 20 years, assistant principal Matthew Renk said he has witnessed the problem firsthand while officiating high school football games. Renk said both varsity and sub-varsity teams are being affected due to the lack of referees available.

The problem is also affecting youth athletics. Sophomore Henry Roberts, who officiates youth soccer, said he has seen games being refereed while short-staffed.

“When I first started, there was definitely a big shortage because we would be down referees during games,” Roberts said. “In the Lawrence area, and places like Olathe and Kansas City, they are definitely down on refs, because you’ll see it when playing. Some games don’t have as many as they should.”

There is no set reason why a shortage of referees is becoming an ongoing issue for the state, but experienced referees like Renk said the pressure from fans is one of the biggest factors.

“There have been times when I have experienced fans thinking that, because they bought a ticket, they believe they can yell negative and abusive things at the officials. We are human, and fans who think we will get every call correctly have never put on a shirt and blown a whistle,” Renk said.

In an attempt to attract more referees, Roberts said that current referees are talking to players to interest them in becoming one, and with a good turnout in back-to-back years, the numbers could be turning in the right direction.

“We’ve had a couple of good classes back-to-back years,” Roberts said. “They’re talking to players at the actual event, at the actual games and asking if they’re planning on becoming refs in the future.”