WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The Wichita Falls Area Basketball Officials Association (WFABOA) is preparing for the upcoming season by trying to recruit new members to join the chapter.

A national trend across all sports within the last decade is the decline in the number of registered officials. Like many other organizations, our local officials’ association is facing a shortage of referees for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

The chapter has approximately 80 members currently enrolled for this year, but they would like to have over 100 registered officials in order to adequately cover all the local games in Texoma.

“Anyone 16 years of age or older is able to officiate in our association,” WFABOA president David Rasmussen said. “It is a great part-time job for college kids. That’s how I started.”

Games take place five nights a week, junior high through varsity, with thousands of games over the course of a season which runs from November through February.

The introductory meeting for prospective new officials is Wednesday, September 27th at 6 p.m. at Wichita Falls High School. No prior experience is necessary, as new member training covers everything from registration, to teaching the rules, to on-court practicing.

For more information on the WFABOA, contact David Rasmussen at 940-867-3914 or James Veith at 940-631-7224. You can also reach the chapter via email at WFHOOPREFS@gmail.com.