IHSA

IHSA Officials Department

About the IHSA Officials Department

The IHSA Officials Department oversees the licensing and testing of Illinois' high school officials. Officials are licensed in 13 different sports: baseball, basketball, football, boys gymnastics, girls gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field, volleyball, water polo, wrestling, and competitive cheerleading. Officials are required to attend a rules clinic and take a written rules test each year in each sport in which they are licensed.

While the IHSA conducts state tournament series in 13 sports for boys and 13 sports for girls, only 18 of those 26 require that officials who work the contests be licensed by the IHSA. These sports are basketball (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), swimming and diving (boys and girls), track and field (boys and girls), boys baseball, boys football, boys gymnastics, boys wrestling, girls gymnastics, girls softball, and volleyball (boys and girls).

As the end of the 2004-05 school year, there were a total of 11,836 different individuals licensed with IHSA in the Officials Department. The number reaches about 16,000 as the school year progresses. Many officials are licensed by the IHSA in more than one sport.