A: The University Interscholastic League (UIL) has been in existence for 100 years and is the governing body supervising all extracurricular activities for public high school and junior high school students in the state of Texas. The UIL has always believed that extracurricular activities play an important role in building productive citizens. By providing a forum for students to showcase their unique talents and pursue their dreams, the UIL hopes to positively influence the lives of our future leaders.

A: The University Interscholastic League (UIL) has a long and continuing history of supporting individual officials and the Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO). In fact, UIL was instrumental in establishing TASO as the Southwest Officials Association in 1977. Since 1914, the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules has stated that decisions of the officials are final. The UIL office has processed over 6,000 incident reports from game officials over the last five years and has supported the officials in 94% of those cases.

The UIL has no plans to take over all officiating duties in Texas or the TASO. The action taken by the UIL Legislative Council makes no change to the structure of TASO, its elected boards or representatives, or to the structure and function of their local chapters.

As with all actions of the UIL, the proposal for officials to register with UIL came at the request of many of the school membership, as well as some in the TASO membership who were seeking an alternative with more accountability. UIL staff met with leadership from TASO on more than thirty occasions over the last nine (9) months trying to come to a resolution on the issues raised, unfortunately, we were unable to reach a compromise solution.

Currently, and under the proposal unanimously approved by the UIL Legislative Council of peer elected school superintendents, local officials chapters and the TASO may conduct business as they have done in the past. Both TASO and UIL officials chapters are, and will continue to be, allowed to call games, provided the individual official registers with UIL. Schools and officials need to know that all rules and regulations will be equally enforced and equally applied to everyone.

A: As with all actions of the UIL, the proposal for officials to register with UIL came at the request of many of the school membership, as well as some in the TASO membership, who were seeking an alternative with more accountability.

Across the various sports in which over 1,300 UIL member high schools and 2,500 middle and junior high schools participate, approximately $50 million were spent on officiating fees statewide during the 2008-09 school year. Schools and officials need to know that all rules and regulations will be equally enforced and equally applied to everyone.

A: No. The UIL has no plans to take over all officiating duties in Texas. The action taken by the UIL Legislative Council makes no change to the structure of TASO, its elected boards or representatives, or to the structure and function of their local chapters.

A: Yes. Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, any person desiring to officiate varsity team sport contests involving UIL member schools must register with UIL as an official.

A: Yes. All UIL registered officials will be required to declare membership in an approved local officials organization/chapter for game assignment purposes on the local level.

Approved local officials organizations/chapters will include all currently existing officials chapters in good standing that have registered with UIL and will include all currently existing Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) chapters in good standing.

A: No. All assignment of games will be handled by the chapters on the local level just as in the past. UIL member schools will be required to use officials registered with UIL in all varsity team sport contests, but those officials must be mutually agreed upon by the schools in that contest and will be assigned by the local chapter.

If the schools cannot agree on officials, they can request that the UIL make an assignment. As in the past, UIL will continue to select officials for regional and state tournaments in the sports of Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Softball and Baseball.

A: In each of the other fifty (50) state associations (including the District of Columbia), officials are required to register with the state association in order to officiate contests involving member schools in that association. Similarly, if an official wishes to officiate contests at the NCAA level, they must register with NCAA. The same is true for every amateur and professional organization that sanctions contests with officials.