Membership Update

Members,

As of today, 225 officials have signed up as members of KSOA.  For those of you that have signed up, we want to say thank you!  We appreciate your commitment to officiating and KSOA.

Tomorrow we will be contacting members about an open position on the board of directors.  A description of this position will be included and any member in good standing is invited to apply.  

There will also be opportunities for members to join committees (membership, social, marketing and advertising).  Details for these committees will be coming tomorrow as well.

We are also planning a social event for June 30th from 4:00 to 7:00.  Planning is underway and we will have more information to you by June 15th.  June is a big month and we are excited about welcoming new members to KSOA and the continued growth of our association.

Nancy Tooley, KSOA board member

The KSOA Vision

My Why.

I love officiating!  I love being associated with officials!  It is a noble, humble and critical pursuit. Games have more legitimacy when an official is present.  It takes a special individual to choose this path and make this commitment.  I like being associated with individuals that have this type of character.

A key word here is associated.  When like-minded people decide to associate they combine the inherent wisdom, power and authority of individual members.  This choice allows the individual to become part of something recognizable, to become respected, to elevate the profile of the group as a whole and to further deepen that connection with, and among, like-minded individuals.

I have a vision that KSOA will allow for this opportunity.  The pooling of individual officials in KSOA will allow us to create educational, training, evaluation and socializing opportunities throughout the sports represented.  I believe this enhances and works, in conjunction, with the excellent basic resources KSHSAA provides. KSOA will elevate our members. I have a vision that it will mean that members of KSOA are known for doing just a little bit more as an official.  I believe that KSOA will be a resource for young or new people choosing this pursuit; it will be more than just throwing a rookie out on a field, court, or mat. KSOA will be a place to provide support and opportunity. We will become an association that can gather, have fun and recognize our members for their commitment. We will celebrate our history.

I also look at this through the lens of the outside work experience.  Most jobs are supported by an association of some kind. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, engineers, sales professionals, teachers, fireman, farmers, police officers, nurses, etc.  All these have professional associations that provide the same things being proposed by KSOA. Why is that? It is because these associations provide an opportunity to better the individual and the profession.

I know that the Board shares this vision.  John Dehan shares this vision. And, I know that many of you share this vision.  It is what we have been working to prepare over the past many months.   It gives me great hope about the future of this endeavor.

I realize some of this vision may be lofty.  I also realize KSOA hasn’t fulfilled these things, YET!!! Every new idea has to have a start. This is ours, and I hope that “my reason why” might inspire you to join and help us build a shared vision together.

All the best,

Jack Messer, President

KSOA Launch Press Release

The following press release was sent out to prospective Kansas Sports Official Association (KSOA) members via email on Friday, May 3, 2019.

TO:              Prospective Official Members

FROM:         Executive Board of Kansas Sports Officials Association (KSOA)

RE:              Association Launch

Fellow officials, it is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of the Kansas Sports Officials Association (KSOA) and invite you to our first member sign-up event. This is an idea that has been in the works for the past year.  Many of you have provided valuable input in forming the KSOA. This is something that has been discussed at Call The Game sports meetings, “Dish with the Commish” sessions, and other input sessions over the last several months. We have talked with hundreds of officials, gathered your ideas and used them to develop the organization.

KSOA is really intended to help get officials better.  We primarily see the member benefits as providing continuing education and training opportunities.  We also see a strong need for opportunities to socializing, recruiting and mentoring.  We believe we have some of the best officials in the State of Kansas in the seven sports we will represent, and that harnessing our collective wisdom within the structure of an officials led association will make us better.

Over the past 5 months members of the initial Executive Board have undertaken the work necessary to get the KSOA started.  We have received approval as a 501c3 organization by the IRS, appointed a group of officers, opened a bank account, adopted by-laws, established a website, named the organization, developed a logo, prepared a budget, prepared a membership intake process, coordinated with KSHSAA, coordinated with assigners and have been developing a myriad of other steps to begin the organization.  Much of this work can be found on the website at www.ksoasports.org. 

We have coordinated closely with KSHSAA and Executive Director Bill Faflick offers his support in this statement, "The Kansas State High School Activities Association supports the concept of local official’s associations engaging with local school leagues and officials throughout the state of Kansas.  LOA’s have demonstrated an added value to the recruitment, training, and assigning process for the interscholastic activity programs.  We believe this new endeavor by the Kansas Sports Officials Association (KSOA) will fill a void in the Kansas City area."

We have also coordinated closely with John Dehan, the Director of Officials for the EKL, Sunflower League, KCAL and UKC and he has issued a strong statement of support, “I am completely in support of what the KSOA is trying to achieve and I encourage those who I assign to join the association.”

This is to provide you with the initial announcement of the launch. Our organizing documents have an official start date of July 1, 2019 for membership.  However, we are prepared to welcome officials now.  You can go to the website at www.ksoasports.org and join, you can e-mail membership@ksoasports.org and request a registration link be sent to you or you can attend an in-person registration event on May 19 and 20 at Coach’s Bar and Grill on 135th Street in Overland Park from 4-7 p.m.  Come out register, meet the Board and socialize with other officials.   

The dues for the organization will be $35 as one sport and an additional $10 per sport up to a maximum of $55. We have set up multiple methods of payment including utilizing RefPay and other means.

On behalf of the Board,

Jack Messer, President