26th Annual IHSA Officials Conference Set For July 11-12 In Normal

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.

“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.

The 2025-26 IHSA Officials of the Year include:


IHSA OFFICIALS OF THE YEAR