Forever Young

For those that have not seen, COA Hall of Fame member Pam Young was recently highlighted in Referee Magazine. Her accomplishments are truly extraordinary. She has been a leader among officials in the area and a mentor to so many. Congratulations Pam on the very well deserved recognition! While the article is currently not available online, please find the PDF of the article here.

Basketball Meetings Going Virtual

During unprecedented times we are looking forward to the potential of getting basketball going again! Our meeting will be virtual and links will be sent out each week. Topic details can be found in our upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you at the meetings.

COA Football Meeting Schedule Moved to Spring

With the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic Health and Safety Issues, Illinois IHSA Football has been moved from the Fall of 2020 to Spring 2021. In addition, NCAA DIII Football Conferences (CCIW, NACC & Midwest) have also moved from the Fall of 2020 to the Spring 2021. The COA Football Committee has decided to postpone the Fall Football Meeting schedule until February 16, 2021 (tentatively) to coincide with the move of the above football seasons to the Spring. These meetings will be held virtually via Zoom. Stay tuned for more information and feel free to contact Tom Stapleton or Jim Swider with any questions.

Basketball Officials Registering for Arbiter

In order to be assigned games, all officials must register for The Arbiter. There are now two arbiter sites for Chicagoland Basketball Officials to get game assignments. If you are registering for HIGH SCHOOL ONLY, you will need to register through the Chicagoland High School Basketball Assigners website. Information on the arbiter site for NON-HIGH SCHOOL GAMES can be found here.

Resources for Basketball Officials

There are a number of great resources available if you are looking to continue your officiating education. Check out the CHSBA website and Joshua Schroeder's YouTube Channel. Another great resource is Jeff Rutledge's "Officiating Born Basketball" Facebook Group. Just go to Facebook and search for that group to request access.

COA Annual Dues

Renewal of your COA annual membership will open beginning May 1. Any member who is unable to pay because they are out of work or any other financial difficulty can request a dues waiver by emailing Tim Owens with your request. Annual dues are $55 for a single sport and $70 for two sports. Use the “pay now” link located on the MY ACCOUNT page to pay your dues. If you have any questions or problems making payment or navigating on the web site please use the “contact us” link to explain the problem.

COA End of Year Social and Annual Banquet - CANCELLED for 2020

We regret to announce that the COA Board has decided to cancel our annual banquet for the 2020 year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This year we had planned to honor Bill Hlmer with our 2020 Ellie Hasan award, Ms. Pat McGovern (from St. Ignatius) with our Administrator award, and welcoming Dan Capron to the COA Hall of Fame. We were very excited to honor each of these well deserving individuals, but we will look forward to honoring them in 2021.

COA Apparel Orders

We are happy to announce that we will once again be taking orders for COA Apparel. An extensive inventory of options is available - anything from shirts and pants to socks and bags are options to get great gear and show your affiliation to this association. Available items are listed in this catalog. Once selecting your items, all orders should be emailed directly to Dave Wetzel at wetz6@comcast.net.

COA Scholarship Awards and Applications

The COA Board is excited to announce that applications for the "LT Bonner" Football and "Rich Weiler" Basketball Scholarships are now available. Applications should be turned in as early as possible prior to the camp or clinic you intend to attend and will be reviewed by the scholarship committee. Awards will be disseminated at the discretion of the board. There is a total of $500 of dedicated dollars available per sport. To be eligible, applicants must:

1) Must be a dues paying member of the Association for the sport you are seeking a scholarship.
2) Must have attended at least 75% of the rules interpretation meetings conducted by the football or basketball committees.
3) Must be willing to make a presentation on what you learned at the camp or clinic at a football or basketball rules interpretation meeting during the next season.

Registering for the Arbiter

In order to be assigned games, all officials must register for The Arbiter. Full instructions on how to register and begin working games can be found here.