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Commitment and loyalty the focus of new registration incentives program

By Dane Mizutani , 07/26/18, 11:45AM MDT

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USA Hockey alters registration fee structure to encourage more officials to advance

With the number of officials dwindling at the higher levels, USA Hockey decided it was time for sweeping change.

A new initiative, which goes into effect this year, is mostly centered on the registration fees, something that Matt Leaf, director of officiating education, hopes incentivizes officials to ascend the ranks. 

“This is the first change in registration fees we’ve had in eight years,” Leaf said. “Basically the premise was we want to encourage officials to advance to the higher levels. We don’t want the registration fee to be a deterrent in terms of an official going from Level 2 to Level 3 or from Level 3 to Level 4.”

Previously, the registration fees were as followed: Level 1 was $35, Level 2 was $60, Level 3 was $80, Level 4 was $90. 

“Because of that, we had officials saying, ‘Well, I’ll just save $20 by staying at Level 2 forever,’” Leaf said. “It almost discouraged the officials from continuing to move up.” 

That won’t be the case this year, with the registration fee for Level 1 being set at $45 and the registration fee for Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 being set at $90.

“As soon as an official advances to Level 2, they now have an incentive to advance to the higher levels,” Leaf said, emphasizing how new officials are only permitted to stay at Level 1 for a maximum of two years anyway. “It's the same registration fee no matter what. You might as well continue to move up.”

It’s essential that USA Hockey figures out a way to increase officiating numbers at the higher levels, according to Leaf.

“If someone is going out there just to collect a paycheck, and is satisfied with the fact that they’re going to go out there and screw up a couple of rules every single game, that’s not making the game better,” Leaf said. “We feel like these changes generate an incentive for our officials to become the best officials they can be."

Additionally, USA Hockey is also piloting a loyalty program of sorts this year.

As soon as an official has obtained Level 3 or Level 4 status for three consecutive years, they become eligible to apply for tenured status. 

"That will reduce annual registration requirements dramatically," Leaf explained. "We are asking for them to make a commitment to us, and in turn, we will make a commitment to them.”

Typically, a Level 3 or Level 4 official without tenured status annually has to pay the registration fee, fill out an application, attend an online seminar, complete an online exam and do an open-book exam, among a handful of other things. 

“As soon as they become tenured, that annual registration requirement is going to be reduced to simply doing an open-book exam and doing an abbreviated online seminar curriculum,” Leaf said. “It’s a pretty significant reduction in time requirements and that stays in place for as long as they’re with USA Hockey.”

Lastly, USA Hockey has also decided to regulate the open-book exam to 50 questions across all levels.

Previously the open-book exam was 50 questions for Level 1 and 100 questions for Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4. 

“We have reduced the total of questions at the higher levels and instead tried to enhance the educational part of it,” Leaf said. “That means the material is more geared toward the things we feel like officials are going to need to know at each level.”

While it remains to be seen what effect these changes will have, Leaf is confident that change is a good thing for the organization.

“We are hoping these things strengthen our bench as far as experience goes,” Leaf said. “That is what we’re striving for through this new program.”