The Ontario Sport Network (OSN) is excited to announce that it is launching the development of a new Officials Strategy.  This strategy will address key issues regarding sport referee and official recruitment and retention which has been a long-standing concern that has been exacerbated for many sports since the pandemic.

To better understand the cultural shifts in refereeing and the issues faced by the officiating community, a number of focus groups will be conducted in June 2022. Officiating leaders and stakeholders from a cross section of the sport community will come together to provide input and suggestions. This input will help inform the development and delivery of a comprehensive plan for referee and official recruiting and retention in the province, including a system-wide promotional and educational initiative.

OSN is pleased to partner with experts to build the Officials Strategy namely:

ITP Sport and Recreation will provide a lead role in managing the overall process, advise on Safe Sport issues, and will conduct province wide research, with input from PSOs and MSOs.

Sheffe Consulting will design and facilitate focus groups with key officiating leaders from various sports.

TORQUE will lead a comprehensive promotional campaign to support the recruitment and retention of officials in all sports in Ontario. They will also oversee developing a program tool kit and assessing the KPIs related to the outcome of the promotional activities.

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For more information on the Officials Strategy, please contact:

Ilan Yampolsky, ITP Sport iyampolsky@itpsport.ca

Patsy Coyle, OSN patsy@ontariosportnetwork.ca

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