At its core, officiating is a relationship business. And after seven years together, the partnership between the Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) and Battlefields to Ballfields (B2B) is as strong as ever.
This past June, the TASO board of directors voted to make a $10,000 contribution to B2B after Mike Pereira, who founded B2B, came to Houston and delivered the keynote address as TASO’s annual statewide high school football officials meeting.
During the meeting, a different speaker asked those officials who has a connection to B2B to stand and be recognized.
“I kind of elbowed Mike and said, turn around. There were about 50 people standing up,” said Mike Fitch, TASO’s executive director. “He spoke to the group and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
Afterward, the board gathered in a hallway and hashed out the plan to make the sizable donation to B2B, in addition to the annual $10,000 donation it also makes to the Gridiron Heroes Foundation.
“We just believe in what he’s doing for our veterans,” Fitch said.
TASO first became acquainted with Pereira and the B2B program back in 2017 at the NASO Summit in Louisville, Ky.
“We were talking and he was saying we’re getting a lot of interest from Texas,” Fitch said.
As a result, in 2018, TASO became the first statewide officiating organization to partner with B2B. Whenever an official applies to join TASO, which serves more than 17,000 officials across seven different sports, the application includes a check box to indicate whether they are a veteran. Officials who check “yes” receive an email inviting them to receive more information regarding B2B.
All B2B members are also automatically enrolled in NASO.
Since that initial meeting and formation of the partnership, Pereira has been a regular participant at TASO’s statewide football meeting and clinics.
“That’s the beauty of the (NASO) Summit — it gives the chance for sports officials from every level to come together,” Fitch said. “I’ve made some lifetime friends through the NASO Summit — Mike Pereira being high on the list.”
As for how that $10,000 will be used by B2B, Fitch made it clear there are absolutely no strings attached.
“We trust Mike to put it to the best use for his foundation,” Fitch said. “We told him, we love what you’re doing, take this and do something good with it.”
Originally published in the NASO members-only IT’S OFFICIAL newsletter within REFEREE magazine, December 2025.
About Battlefields to Ballfields
Founded in 2018 by former NFL referee Mike Pereira, Battlefields to Ballfields was born from a simple yet powerful observation: veterans possess the exact qualities that make exceptional sports officials. What started as a small pilot program in California has grown into a national movement, transforming the lives of over 2,500 veterans across 45 states. The mission remains unchanged: to honor military service by creating new opportunities for veterans to serve their communities.
About TASO
TASO is an independent organization, providing support, resources and training for Texas high school and middle school sports officials. With more than 160 local chapters serving 16,000+ members throughout the state, we are one of the largest professional organizations for sports officials in the country.
About NASO (National Association of Sports Officials)
NASO, based in Racine, Wis., is a not-for-profit educational organization and is the world’s largest organization for sports officials at every level and all sports. 32,000 sports officials from around the world belong to NASO, enjoying member benefits and supporting an organization that advocates for sports officials and that helps them maintain the highest level of officiating skills. Founded in 1980, NASO is governed by a 12-member board of directors coming from numerous sports and organizations.
