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26th Annual IHSA Officials
Conference Set For July 11-12 In Normal
[July 09, 2025]
The Illinois High School
Association (IHSA) will host its 2025 Officials Conference on Friday
and Saturday, July 11-12, 2025, at Normal Community West High School
in Normal. The annual conference provides professional development
and networking opportunities for athletic contest officials from
around the state who officiate 25 IHSA sports.
IHSA officials can register for the event online via the IHSA
Officials Center and walk-up registration is also welcome on the
days of the event (for any questions on registration, please contact
Melissa Burt at mburt@ihsa.org).
Each summer, the IHSA offers the opportunity for its 12,000-plus
licensed athletic officials to attend the conference, providing
training in all sports in a collegial atmosphere focused on
empowering officials to grow in their craft.
“The high school officiating community in Illinois is a special
group of people, and the success and longevity of this conference is
a direct reflection of that,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig
Anderson. “These officials are driven by a passion for their sport
and a desire to give back. This conference is a unique opportunity
for them to gather together to celebrate their shared passion and to
improve their skills by learning from each other’s experiences.”
The IHSA will have a community service piece to the conference once
again in 2025, as the IHSA will team up with Donate Life Illinois to
encourage attendees to become organ, eye, and tissue donors.
“Working in surgery I have seen both sides of organ donation,” said
Joseph Meyer, a 25-year IHSA official who resides in Springfield.
“The wonderful way the hospital does honorary walks for the person
donating and their families. I have also seen how families get the
chance to live normal lives after receiving a donation. That’s why
all my family members are organ donors.”
Despite a national shortage in officials, the IHSA has seen an
increase in the number of officials licenses it has issued in each
of the past three school years.
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“We are excited
about the progress, but we can never have enough officials,”
said IHSA Associate Executive Director Kurt Gibson. “We are
striving to continue to find ways to recruit new officials while
retaining our current officials. We hope that the uptick in
licenses will correlate to greater attendance at the conference,
as we believe this conference is an exceptional resource for
officials to simultaneously celebrate officiating, improve their
skills, and network with their peers.”
The conference will feature clinic opportunities, breakout
sessions on specific officiating topics, a delegate meeting for
all recognized officials’ associations, and an awards ceremony
where the Officials of the Year and service awards will be
presented.
National leaders in the officiating space, such as Arbiter,
Referee Magazine, RefReps, and the YMCA will all have a presence
at the conference as well.
Walk-up registration at the event is allowed, but interested
individuals are strongly encouraged to register online in the
IHSA Officials Center or by contacting Melissa Burt at mburt@ihsa.org.
[Matt Troha
Illinois High School Association
Assistant Executive Director]
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