The 2025 Annual Review has been completed and allows us to reflect on and share important information about your association.
The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) is a 501(c)(3) Wisconsin not-for-profit corporation. We are headquartered in Racine, Wis. NASO’s mission is to:
- Serve members by providing benefits and services;
- Improve sports officiating performance through educational programs and training materials;
- Advocate opportunities for sports officials and engage in programs to recruit and retain officials;
- Create alliances with organizations that benefit from healthy sports officiating programs; and
- Enhance the image of sports officials.
We ended 2025 with 32,276 members, an increase of 2,349 members from 2024. One of the key drivers for growth over the last decade has been group memberships. In 2025, we ended up with 104 groups. Group membership reflects NASO as a whole. The groups come from all sports and all levels, just like our individual members. Our largest groups, like the Washington Officials Association, the United States Tennis Association and the Michigan High School Athletic Association, continue to grow their membership, due in no small part to the NASO benefits all of their officials receive.
NASO is expanding its relationship with Battlefields to Ballfields (B2B), led by longtime NASO supporter Mike Pereira. All B2B veterans receive NASO membership as part of the B2B starter package, and that has led to a few hundred officials within our membership. NASO is now going to work even more closely with B2B in the areas of marketing and networking. We believe that by working together, we can grow B2B aggressively.
We are also proud of our partnerships with football officiating groups. All BCS college officials — and some FCS conference staffs — are part of NASO group membership. We were able to be creative and present some unique offerings to them. We thank them for their continued support. And we never take for granted our affiliation with the National Football League Referees Association, as all NFL officials are NASO members — they are our longest standing professional group member.
NASO continues to be at the forefront of combating the nationwide officiating shortage and supporting legislative efforts. We provided information for and contributed to dozens of media requests last year. Legislative activity is growing, with 15 states or government entities proposing protection bills in 2025. NASO engages in all of them. We provide data, local association and state association support, written testimony, video testimony, and even attend and participate in in-person hearings when necessary. It is worthwhile work for the entire industry.
The 2025 Sports Officiating Summit in Montgomery, Ala., was a success. The numbers are impressive: 98 Summit Support Organizations, more than 425 Summit attendees, 68 different speakers and presenters covering 14 educational sessions, breakout groups and social events, and 1,200 officials registered for Officiate Alabama Day. The educational content gleaned is disseminated to the industry via the magazine, the websites and social media throughout the year. The professional relationships developed at the event also grow and evolve throughout the year. The demanding work by our staff and host state association proves worth it for years to come. It has truly become the industry event of the year. We are well on our way planning and executing the 2026 Summit in Grand Rapids, Mich. We are equally excited to help our partners at Referee magazine celebrate their 50th anniversary!
Our partnership with the NCAA Division III Commissioners Association has been excellent. We provide resources and support for D-III conferences, coordinators and officials to grow the ranks of D-III officials. That partnership launched the Stay in the Game initiative, to bring D-III athletes into officiating, while also launching Level Up DIII, which aims to bring high-school officials into the D-III sphere.
Those programs are related to our Say Yes to Officiating campaign and content, coupled with our GameSavers program. Both provide resources to help people get started in officiating and help navigate the officiating pathways. GameSavers is our direct contact mentoring program. When someone contacts us for help, we put them in contact with one of our GameSavers — an NASO member and/or local association that will contact the person directly to help get them started. That individualized touch helps with retention. We could use more GameSaver mentors around the country. If you are interested in helping, please visit the Say Yes to Officiating website (sayyestoofficiating.com) and click on the Recruit & Retain tab.
NASO continues to be at the forefront of combating the nationwide officiating shortage and supporting legislative efforts.
NASO completed a successful membership survey in 2025, with an eye toward guiding the NASO Strategic Development Committee as they help chart our future. The data from the survey will be shared throughout the year. Thank you to all that participated.
Our NFHS relationship continues to grow. With most of our members officiating at the high school level, it is imperative that NASO and the NFHS remain closely aligned to better serve high school sports. The state associations and high school sports officials benefit directly from this relationship, and we are grateful for it.
NASO is managed by Referee Enterprises Inc. (REI) under the direction of the NASO Board of Directors. NASO has no employees, equipment or offices. The work of running the organization is done by REI at its headquarters, utilizing every one of its full-time employees, plus many freelance writers and photographers.
Last year, REI’s management fees hovered close to 26% of revenues. Industry averages run from a low of 30% to a high of 40% of revenues. It is easy to see that our management team and support staff provide NASO with unique, effective and efficient service at a cost well below industry standards. The relationship between NASO and REI continues to be a true partnership.
Our balance sheet strength at the end of 2025 is solid. We have no lenders’ debt. Our current assets are 127% of our current liabilities. Our cash position has remained solid.
Our preliminary-audited Profit & Loss Statement for 2025 showed a gain of $34,113 against revenues of $3,355,765. That was a more than $11,882 increase from 2024. We had an excess of dues revenue over direct membership costs of $147,324, while indirect membership expenses totaled $580,950. In summary, membership dues covered all direct membership costs and a portion of indirect costs. The remaining indirect costs were covered by other revenue sources, including proceeds from the Summit and the association’s reserves. Note: NASO Board members and special advisors serve without compensation. That has been a policy approved by our board at the very founding of the association in 1980. We are a non-profit association. While the goal is not necessarily to put a lot of money in the bank, the goal is to increase revenue and opportunities so that we can put more into our membership via benefits and services. It takes a healthy bottom line to do that. We are charged with finding additional revenue sources to help us accomplish those goals. Our mission reinforces those efforts.
The cost of doing business has rapidly increased over the last few years with not much end in sight at this point. In trying to keep membership dues manageable while maintaining and growing our industry-leading benefits and services, we must find additional resources to make it all work for you and for us. We take considerable pride in serving you and the officiating industry. We thank you for your continued support and your confidence in us. And, as always, if you need anything from our dedicated staff, board members or me, please reach out. We are here to serve.
