Career profile for Athletics Official

What does an Athletics Official do?

Athletics Officials officiate at competitive athletic or sporting events.

In addition, Athletics Officials

detect infractions of rules and decide penalties according to established regulations,
includes all sporting officials, referees, and competition judges.

What kind of tasks does an Athletics Official perform regularly?

Athletics Officials are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed.
Inspect game sites for compliance with regulations or safety requirements.
Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.
Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.
Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.
Inspect sporting equipment or examine participants to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations.
Report to regulating organizations regarding sporting activities, complaints made, and actions taken or needed, such as fines or other disciplinary actions.
Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems.

The above responsibilities are specific to Athletics Officials. More generally, Athletics Officials are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge		Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events		Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

What is an Athletics Official salary?

The median salary for an Athletics Official is $28,940, and the average salary is $40,140. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Athletics Official salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Athletics Officials earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Athletics Officials earn less than $18,750 per year, 25% earn less than $22,560, 75% earn less than $45,590, and 90% earn less than $63,480.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Athletics Officials is expected to change by 29.7%, and there should be roughly 3,800 open positions for Athletics Officials every year.

Median annual salary: $28,940
Typical salary range: $18,750 - $63,480
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 29.7%

What personality traits are common among Athletics Officials?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Athletics Official are usually higher in their Realistic, Enterprising, and Conventional interests.

Athletics Officials typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Athletics Officials typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Lastly, Athletics Officials typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Athletics Official tend to value Achievement, Independence, and Recognition.

Most importantly, Athletics Officials strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, Athletics Officials moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Athletics Officials moderately value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Athletics Officials must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, self-control, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Athletics Officials, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Stress Tolerance		Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

What education and training do Athletics Officials need?

Working as an Athletics Official usually requires a high school diploma.

Athletics Officials need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Athletics Officials

4.3% did not complete high school or secondary school
13.8% completed high school or secondary school
24.6% completed some college coursework
8.1% earned a Associate's degree
27.3% earned a Bachelor's degree
17.9% earned a Master's degree
4.0% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Athletics Officials

Athletics Officials may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as education and training, administration and management, or customer and personal service knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Athletics Officials might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Education and Training		Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Psychology		Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Communications and Media		Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Psychology

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Communications and Media

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Important Abilities needed by Athletics Officials

Athletics Officials must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Athletics Officials need abilities such as oral expression, far vision, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Athletics Officials, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Far Vision		The ability to see details at a distance.
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Near Vision		The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Far Vision

The ability to see details at a distance.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Critical Skills needed by Athletics Officials

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Athletics Officials frequently use skills like speaking, critical thinking, and active listening to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Athletics Officials, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making		Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Athletics Official

Athletics Official

Table of Contents

Would Athletics Official be a good fit for you?