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I know a few who sign up for both associations up that way and we have some from Christiansburg who will work the AOA in one sport and Roanoke in another. Its odd. packfan, I cant remember the full details but basically there could have been some tax laws/workplace issues the way it was setup if I remember correctly dealing with employment status. No other association in the state was overseen by the principals of the schools they covered. Those changes that were made had no bearing on the quality of officiating directly. There wasnt enough done then, nor now to try and bring people in who want do the job, much less do it well. I would love to see a lot of changes but I never see the money coming together to make things happen like a grading system. Football and Basketball have had a lot of instructional opportunities in recent years and more would be nice but they dont just fall into peoples laps either in this part of the world. Due to some folks who have been able to make the jump from the AOA and other local associations to Power 5 jobs and Group of 5 gigs they have done a good job of giving back. I hope it continues and grows for a long time. I will say, when it comes to state appointments for games the AOA tends to draw a large share for the divisions we represent and receive rather good marks for the officials who work those games.

Whether you deem that officiating has gotten worse or better (most would argue at the upper levels even it has gotten much worse in recent years) adjusting the structure of the AOA was the proper thing to do. Its probably the best thing for the schools also in reality.